A Place at The Table

Homeless Summit 1

September 30, 2004 held at Ettinger Faculty Center, Whittier College

This summit was hosted by Whittier College, but was lead by students and followed by all the guests in attendance.

    Purpose:    To bring the problem of homelessness in Whittier to everyone's attention. This will help to build awareness that there is a problem which the people in the community need to take action to help solve. By people attending, this will be an indicator if they care about the community and ways in which to empower the people living in it, especially the homeless. The main focus is to have members of the community sitting down and discussing the problem with each other.  These people included high profile members, such as the Mayor of Whittier and the Police Chief, sitting down and sharing a meal with other people in the community, particularly the homeless.

    Process:    By having such a wide range of guests at the Summit, this allowed for every person involved to "have a place at the table". The setting for the Summit was arranged in small table settings, which allowed the people present to get personal with one another. The summit took place through group discussions, communication, and collaboration, with each person present being an equal participant. Finding out what each person at the Summit is bringing to the table to help the homeless population in Whittier.

    Outcome:    Awareness.  People who attended the first Summit  appreciated each other's position in the community and their ability to recognize the "hunger for action". This Summit served as the "icebreaker" to bringing people from all walks of life in the community together, and teaching them that everyone "brings something different to the table". This was the first stepping stone, but people realized that there needs to be a second, larger, more encompassing homeless summit to further the communication and awareness in the community.