Photo: Chris Montgomery

SUMMIT AND WASATCH COUNTIES, Utah. — Local nonprofit Mountain Mediation Center (MMC) is hosting a two-part “Community Conversation Series” in both English and Spanish beginning Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. The focus of the series is ‘Blending Voices Within Community’ through gathering members of the Latinx community and others who call Summit and Wasatch Counties home.

According to a Facebook post by MMC, “The focus of the discussions will be on how each of us has found, or seeks to find, community in what for many of us is a new place.”

The first session will occur in two groups, one in English and one in Spanish. The second part of the conversation will convene Jan. 26 in a bilingual setting with English and Spanish-speaking participants together.

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The organization wrote that, “The goal of MMC’s ongoing Community Conversations is to promote understanding among local residents through dialogue and sharing of experiences in a safe, respectful space…We encourage families to join as we would like to hear all perspectives and voices from the community.”

MMC is hoping to host ten conversations throughout 2021, with widespread outreach initiatives encouraging the Latinx population in the Wasatch Back to join in for the first six conversations and have their voices heard.

According to a statement by MMC, ‘This [Spanish-speaking] population serves as the economic backbone and workforce of Summit County’s hospitality and resort community. Too often, they are without a voice and lack agency.’

Join the Jan. 19 virtual conversation series:
English Section
RSVP Here: https://forms.gle/kX85giFQ4PCHiX1t7
Join Zoom with meeting ID: 296 892 5259 or this link
Spanish Section
RSVP Link: https://forms.gle/KvcmJmFW8ndYFwMe7
Join Zoom with meeting ID: 864 5569 5323z or this link

Upcoming conversations:

● Social Equity/Diversity/Inclusion: March 22, 2021.Organized by Hailey Lock, this conversation will address race, gender, age, economic status and other aspects of social equity. Discussion will also touch on an often overlooked dimension of diversity: social class. According to an article published by Paul Ingram in the January/February 2021 Issue of Harvard Business Review, the impact of social class is often ignored. This conversation will explore the potential for restorative approaches to help remediate inequities in Summit County.

● Creating Positive Health Outcomes for Adolescents and Youth: April 19, 2021. Organized by Rachel Barnes, this talk will examine the health outcomes of adolescents and youth during a year of unprecedented political change and a national health crisis. The talk will address health disparities identified among racially and culturally diverse adolescent and youth populations in Utah During COVID-19.

● Criminal Justice Reform: May 10, 2021. Organized by Jill Sheinberg and Sam Mekrut, this talk will address the relevant literature and different historical approaches toward criminal justice in order and discuss the potential use of restorative practices as an element of criminal justice reform.

● A Restorative Approach to Community Policing: June 7, 2021. Organized by Deborah McGraw and Mary Freeman, this conversation will address police and community relations, particularly exploring the differences in policing experienced by white, black, and Latinx populations and current efforts to make policing