Nov15
DC session hosted by Ramallah, Lisbon and Cleveland with students from NOVA University of Lisbon (SBE -School of Business and Economics and Humanities) and IB – International Baccaleaurete – students from Planalto College. Here are their testimonies after their experience of sharing experiences and learn from the Ramallah and Cleveland teams. “Hope” was probably the word that echoes more after this session with a DC working in a city where everything is under control. As Sabri, from Ramallah, said the daily life in Ramallah is full of chalenges and … Hope!
IMG 0693 from Dialogue Café on Vimeo.
IMG 0688 from Dialogue Café on Vimeo.
IMG 0694 from Dialogue Café on Vimeo.
IMG 0696 from Dialogue Café on Vimeo.
IMG 0692 from Dialogue Café on Vimeo.
IMG 0691 from Dialogue Café on Vimeo.
Nov12
We are very excited to announce that  the Robert Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights will manage the Dialogue Cafe Florence, in partnership with the Municipality of Florence.
Dialogue Cafe Florence will be located at the Murati, a former prison and is planned to open later this year.
To learn more about the Robert  Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and the amazing work they are doing in Florence, read:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20085559
Nov12
Wow what a week that was!
Since mid August 2012 the Dialogue Cafe project team at the University of Northampton have been working flat out to set up the Dialogue cafe at the University. Despite the odd technical hitch, worrying whether people would turn up, and loads of first night nerves on Wednesday 7th November the cafe was officially launch with a Golbal House Party.
Over 50 students and staff attended a link up with London and Lisbon to explore what a Dialogue Cafe was and brainstorm how the University could use and contribute to the cafe to the best effect.
The evening was a huge success!!!
The enthusisam of the University community for the space exceeded all of our expectations with over 80 ideas for new events and workshops/ topics for discussion as well as social events suggested by those present… from global theatre productions through to workshops on issues around international development, there was some major creative thinking going on!
We all thought we could take a breather once the cafe was up and running; now we realise that the hard work is just beginning… its great fun though and we are working hard to harness the enthusiasm of the University its staff and students to contribute significantly to the network ..
We are all looking forward to working with everyone in the network to develop and contribute to a programme that significantly adds to the conversations already taking place as well as starting some new ones.
Thanks to everyone who was involved with the launch at Northampton and for making it such a success… more pictures to follow
Nov8
We are very excited with the launch of DC Melbourne@ the HUB last Tuesday (pics to follow), but it sure makes organizing events more challenging:-)
Nov7
We are launching today  Dialogue Café Northampton, in partnership with Northampton University and The Social Innovation Exchange!
The launch of the Northampton University Dialogue Café is a very exciting development and  we are delighted and very pleased to welcome Northampton to the network and developing new ways of working with our members.
Nick Petford, Vice Chancellor said ‘the launch of the Dialogue Café provides students of the University with a unique opportunity to expand their understanding of the world and their place in it, and the opportunities out there for them to create the careers they want for the future. It sets the university apart from others and makes a significant contribution to us becoming the No1 University for social enterprise by 2015’.
The Dialogue Café is situated in the in the School of Education’s space in the ground floor of the library, and will be managed by Christine Morgan from the University’s Volunteering unit, U:eNgage.
The Launch will take place today, starting at 6-30 til 8-30 and connecting Northampton, London and Lisbon.
Sara
May16
If not for his premature and tragic death last July, Diogo Vasconcelos would be 44 years old today.
Diogo was much more than the first chairman of Dialogue Café. He was our driving force. He believed that we are what we share and dialogue and collaboration are the most important tools in a world where the challenges we face are increasingly urgent and increasingly global.
His passion for Social Innovation and his dedication to make dialogue Caf̩ reach its maximum potential were a reflection of the way he saw the world Рfull of opportunities, interesting people, amazing projects and ideas. He saw dialogue Caf̩ as a platform to bring all this together in conversation, a place free of prejudice or preconceptions, where people learn from each other and find new solutions for old problems, together.
Many people that worked and supported Dialogue Café over the last few years were touched in many different ways by Diogo’s intelligence, his optimism, his uncompromising belief in the human spirit, his wit and kindness and most of all by is generosity and warm smile.
Diogo was the only person I met that was completely untouched by cynicism. He saw the world with a unique sense of wonder and opportunity where everything was possible and everybody had something good to offer. He had a unique capacity to keep looking at things like it was the first time.
Fantastic, amazing, the best, stunning, great, were words that he used in almost every sentence and about almost everything. And this was not out of exaggeration but out of a desire that we all saw things and people the way he did.
Most of us spend our lives wanting to be liked. Diogo spent his life wanting people to like each other.
Most of us believe that when we share, we loose something. Diogo believed that when we share we end up with more and better that we had originally.
Dialogue Café was Diogo’s dream. And we are working every day to honor his memory and make sure it becomes what Diogo believed it could be. It’s just harder without his guidance, his enthusiasm and his wisdom.
Sara Piteira
