Let’s Talk, Marathon County
Let’s Talk, Marathon County aims to give a voice to those whose thoughts and ideas have been overshadowed by dominant and polarizing narratives. By bringing together individuals from different backgrounds and viewpoints, this program seeks to create an inclusive space where all voices are heard, valued, and respected.
The Let’s Talk, Marathon County project gathers small groups of residents to meet over the course of two years to engage in conversations about public issues. Participants attend two to four conversations per year with other residents of different backgrounds and viewpoints.
Voting and the U.S. Presidential Election System
In Fall 2024, dialogues were held about how we conduct elections — including security, integrity, and procedures. See below for the reports from this series.
How Do We Address Homelessness In Our Communities?
In March 2024, WIPPS conducted the second set of dialogues, this time on the topic of homelessness. The reports from this series can be found below.
How Do We Support Youth Mental Health In Our Communities?
The first series of dialogues, held in Fall 2023, focused on the topic of youth mental health. The reports from the first series can be found below.
About the program
Let’s Talk, Marathon County is a program aimed at fostering constructive conversations among residents on a variety of public issues.
Let’s Talk has been selected as one of 32 grantees for the Healing Starts Here initiative, a nationwide effort to address and understand divisive forces in communities and promote healing. This initiative is funded by New Pluralists, an organization committed to helping Americans recognize our shared humanity, embrace our differences, and solve challenges together. WIPPS was chosen from a pool of almost 800 applicants.
Like much of America, Central Wisconsin is beset by political division, magnified by digital media, which often portrays citizens in a constant state of disagreement around public issues with a shrinking middle ground. Social and popular media offer podiums to the loudest, most persistent voices, which typically represent the opposite poles of the political spectrum. However, research shows that most Americans do not fall neatly into one political party or the other. A Pew Research poll published in April of 2023 revealed that just 26% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the current Congress.
Project Funding
This project is fully funded by New Pluralists and no taxpayer dollars are being used for this project.
Project Goals:
- Create spaces for residents of Central Wisconsin to address issues that matter in a civil and constructive manner;
- Build and sustain a community culture of civil dialogue around important issues;
- Improve our feelings of trust for fellow residents despite our different viewpoints;
- Train a local group of skilled facilitators who are prepared to address issues as the need arises.
