How to Get involved

Interested in sharing your thoughts and stories about life during Covid-19? Learn how to participate in LVN below.

Participate in a Virtual LVN Conversation

Thank you for your interest in participating in a Local Voices Network Conversation! Our goal is to foster conversation in communities and in the media that improves our understanding of one another. Each conversation is recorded which enables hosts to play speech snippets from other groups in order to share voices and perspectives across community boundaries. The conversations are then transcribed with the goal of offering local community members, media and leaders a new window into the issues important to the community.

Here are a few important details:

  • If you are new to Zoom, you are welcome to join us 15 minutes before the call. We will have staff on the call to provide one-on-one tech support and get you comfortable with the platform before the conversation begins.
  • Virtual Conversations will include a small group of 4 - 8 participants and one volunteer host. If we have less than four people register, we may reschedule the event.
  • Because of the small group size, we request that participants who need to cancel do so at least 48 hours in advance, or as soon as you know you will be unable to participate.
  • Please join on time. It is important that all participants are present for the beginning part of the conversation. Unfortunately, if the conversation begins before you arrive, we’ll need to reschedule you to attend an upcoming conversation.
  • Groups and teams are welcome and encouraged to come to a conversation together! Please feel free to sign up with people who you know.
  • Audio from all conversations are recorded by Zoom and become a part of the public conversation network on lvn.org.

For more info and details:

Click here for info on using Zoom

Click here for the Recording Guidelines & Conversation Agreements

Click Here to Join a Conversation

Gather your own LVN Conversation

Would you like to amplify the voices in your network and connect with your neighbors and friends? Consider signing up to gather people for an LVN Conversation.

This option is ideal for:

  • Non-profit organizations who want to amplify the voices of the people that they serve.
  • Workplaces that want to offer a different type of team-building opportunity for staff to get to know each other in meaningful ways.
  • Groups of friends and family who want to connect with each other in new and different ways. We promise you’ll learn something new about each other!
  • Book clubs that want to take a month off reading to talk about their hopes and concerns for their community.
  • School or neighborhood groups that want to elevate the unique concerns of parents and residents in their community.
  • Faith communities who feel aligned with the LVN mission of fostering healthy public dialogue to improve our understanding of one another.

Your responsibility is to gather 4 - 6 participants and select a convenient time. LVN will provide a facilitator and access to Zoom.

All LVN conversations are recorded and become a part of the Local Voices Network. To gather your own LVN conversation, please email mathias@lvn.org

Attend an Orientation

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Local Voices Network! Before attending a Volunteer Orientation, please participate in a conversation. You can do that by joining a community conversation, or by hosting one of your own. See above for upcoming opportunities.

After participating, you are invited to join us for a volunteer orientation. Volunteers and partners will be oriented in the LVN Conversation structure, how the LVN.org conversation platform works, and resources available for hosts.

Click Here to register for the next Facilitator Training.

LVN Background

Anyone age 18 and up are welcome to participate. We can also accommodate people age 14 - 17 with written consent from their parent or guardian. If you are interested in holding a conversation in a language other than English, please contact us.

LVN is a public conversation network. Recordings of conversations will be made available for public access and we expect excerpts of conversations to occasionally be quoted in newspapers, included in radio and television broadcasts, and included in podcasts.

Although we will not collect and publish detailed personal information about LVN participants, similar to calling in to a local talk radio show, participants should understand that their identity could later be recognized by others who were not part of the conversation.