What is Bread & Salt Connections?
Bread and Salt Connections is designed to build deeper community bonds and enhance leadership by organizing intimate Jeffersonian-style dinners. Named after the traditional greeting "bread and salt," symbolizing hospitality, friendship, and trust, these dinners will bring together groups of eight to twelve people to share a meal and participate in guided discussions. Following the Jeffersonian Dinner model, each event will create a space for community members and leaders to connect on a personal level, bridging divides, humanizing leadership, and building a cohesive and resilient community.
Bread and Salt Connections will consist of groups of eight to twelve people who will come together around a central theme, with each person invited to respond in turn to open-ended questions. To maintain intimacy and allow all voices to be heard, the following structure will be used:
- Small Group Size: Each dinner will host 8-12 participants to ensure focused, meaningful dialogue.
- Single, Thematic Conversation: A predetermined question will anchor the evening’s discussion. For example, topics might include “What does a resilient community look like?” or “How can we strengthen trust in our city?”
- Equal Participation: A facilitator will guide each dinner to ensure balanced participation, allowing each guest to share without interruption, fostering a sense of equality and inclusion.
The concept of "bread and salt" resonates across many cultures as a symbol of welcoming, generosity, and community trust. In many traditions, sharing bread and salt signifies peace, friendship, and a commitment to mutual respect. Incorporating this symbol as the foundation of each dinner underscores the project’s mission to connect community members through shared human values. By combining this rich cultural metaphor with the Jeffersonian format, Bread and Salt Connections honors both the heritage of communal dining and the importance of shared conversation as a means of building unity.
Leadership Unlimited is dedicated to strengthening Grand Island's community by supporting current leaders while nurturing future ones. By creating a space for respectful dialogue and bridging differences, we can empower a more connected, resilient community.
Inspiration for Bread & Salt:
Bread & Salt Connections is modeled after Jeffersonian Dinners and Leadership Rhode Island's alumni engagement program, Bread & Salt. Read more about their program here: : https://leadershipri.org/bread-and-salt/
Learn more about Jeffersonian Dinners here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRSK59TIWH8
