Sidewalk Talk YYC
You Talk, We Listen
What We Do
Inspired by a movement that started in San Francisco, we are a local group of volunteer “Listeners” in Calgary (Alberta, Canada) that go into public spaces on a regular basis to listen to the stories of others.
We understand that loneliness is an epidemic that can only be solved by each of us (including ourselves) re-learning how to be with each other again.
We do this to not only help others feel more connected but also to renew our own sense of belonging.
We know that the act of Listening (actually listening) to strangers in plain sight is an activism of the heart that this world needs.
What We Don't Do
We are not offering group therapy, counselling or coaching (we’re not trying to “fix” anyone, just have them feel understood).
We are not a private business or subsidiary of any religious group or social work agency. We do however offer to connect people with crisis support resources, if they are in need.
Be a Better Listener
While we all “listen” to other people every day of our lives, many of us are actually terrible at it. We’re often distracted by our own thoughts and feelings, as well as reacting to what we’re hearing. We often forget or don’t even realize the importance of showing the other person that we’re listening to them.Listening has the power to connect the two people who are in dialogue. But that connection isn’t a given. It’s ironic that in our digital age with countless ways to communicate, we feel more isolated more than ever.In addition to these videos, Sidewalk Talk also offers free online Listener Training to anyone who’s interested. You can access this training by become a Listener.
Meet Tom
I really love Burning Man. The art is inspiring and sure, the parties are fun too but what really grabbed my attention was the spontaneous attempts at deep connection between strangers. Long after I returned home, I immediately forgot the parties, I have pictures to remember the art but it’s the wildly vulnerable, deep interactions with strangers that I remember the most. I wanted to bring some of that to the rest of Calgary.I discovered the Sidewalk Talk free listening movement in 2019 at a time in my life when I was feeling disconnected from others around me. With the exception of my wife and brief stints of time while at Burning Man, I often didn’t feel connected to the other people in my life. I initially assumed my feelings of disconnectedness was some sort of personal short coming that was only happening to me but over time, I came to realize that many others were struggling with the same feeling of isolation and loneliness in the world. And things certainly haven’t improved for many of us since the COVID-19 pandemic started.I started the Calgary chapter (Sidewalk Talk YYC) because I’m passionate about being part of the solution to this problem by learning how to listen with my whole-self. I want to build a community of like-minded people who also want to improve their ability to listen to others, creating a stronger sense of belonging both for themselves and others. None of us can do this alone and frankly, it’s so much more fun doing this with others!
Join the Movement
Join our email list to stay up to date about upcoming events and other Sidewalk Talk related news. This is usually something once per month at most.