November 1, 2024 Katie Sutton for the Hingham Unity Council
For most of us, there has been at least one time in our lives when we haven’t felt like we belonged or knew exactly who “our people” were. Maybe it was in middle school (I feel pretty confident there is a therapist somewhere out there who could fund a lovely summer getaway unpacking my eighth grade year). Or perhaps it was starting college, taking a new job, or moving to a new place – including Hingham. It’s not a great feeling, and it can be made harder when there is something about you that doesn’t quite fit the traditional mold of a community. While it’s not possible to prevent folks with a connection to Hingham from feeling this way, we at the Hingham Unity Council (HUC) believe we can all still try – and we want to invite you to join us in pursuing this goal!
For the second year in a row, the HUC invites EVERYONE with a connection to Hingham (including those who work, worship or learn here) to join us for a (free!) cocktail party on Thursday, November 14th from 7:30-9:30pm at Ames Chapel. The Chapel is off South Street in Hingham Cemetery – if you haven’t been, it’s worth coming just to see this beautiful space! The purpose of this unstructured party is for the HUC to get a better understanding of what is important to the community and then use that information to guide future programming, advocacy and initiatives.
This year’s Community Night Out theme is “All Voices, One Vision.” We want to hear your ideas for changes, events or initiatives that you think could help make Hingham a more welcoming, inclusive and diverse community. Importantly, as was the case last year, no one will be expected to talk in front of the whole group. We will take anonymous ideas via paper flip charts and suggestion boxes.
But in addition, the Community Night Out event is a great way to get out and meet some new and different folks who care about our town! We encourage you to join us, regardless of whether you have ever attended a single HUC event in the past. The HUC seeks to cultivate and sustain a culture of curiosity and dialogue, rather than the polarization and binary thinking that have, sadly, become prevalent in our national discourse. We love healthy conversation – and even healthy conflict (enthusiastically suggested reading: Amanda Ripley, High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out). Our board and other HUC leaders have participated in several dialogue facilitation trainings over the past five years.
So please join us! Register here to help us plan https://hinghamunity.org/event/community-night-out-2024/