Our Mission
How Sidewalk Talk Started
In the Fall of 2014, two San Francisco therapists shared a vision: to help heal that which divides us through the fine art of skilled listening. They gathered 26 of their colleagues, practiced listening skills and came up with a curriculum and model for listening on the sidewalks together.
On May 7th 2015, for 2 hours in 12 locations throughout San Francisco, listeners set up chairs and signs, offering to listen to any passerby who wanted to be seen and heard. The result was amazing. And soon after a group from Los Angeles, CA asked if they could reproduce it. There was never an intention for this thing to grow but we received so many calls from people all over the world asking how to start their own, we decided to make it a non-profit to answer the call.
We still get calls from folks and the way to get our time, is to join our mission. The benefits are community, safety, crisis intervention training, and liability protection. Growing together makes our impact greater.
On May 7th 2015, for 2 hours in 12 locations throughout San Francisco, listeners set up chairs and signs, offering to listen to any passerby who wanted to be seen and heard. The result was amazing. And soon after a group from Los Angeles, CA asked if they could reproduce it. There was never an intention for this thing to grow but we received so many calls from people all over the world asking how to start their own, we decided to make it a non-profit to answer the call.
We still get calls from folks and the way to get our time, is to join our mission. The benefits are community, safety, crisis intervention training, and liability protection. Growing together makes our impact greater.
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TodayToday Sidewalk Talk has over 4000 volunteers world- wide. We have chapters in over 4o cities and 12 countries around the globe. We are 100% volunteer led.
Impact: To date, we have listened to over 12,000 people. We have referred over 400 people to low fee or no fee mental health support. Implicit bias of volunteers goes down. Well-being of our volunteers goes up. Our operating costs include: Monthly software costs: website/ database / email: $400/month Graphics for signs / postcards / chairs events: $100 /month We hired our first hourly people starting next week to automate our database and onboard city leaders / answer emails bc we are too big for Traci to keep doing it all and we like giving a few good people a job: $1500 / month We give away community grants / or gift $400 of supplies to diverse leaders in underserved communities |
What Makes Sidewalk Talk Unique?
Sidewalk Talk was founded by licensed therapists and psychologists and are community driven. No central body grows Sidewalk Talk. You do!
While psychotherapists, psychologists and researchers aren't human connection gurus, we want to honor the training and scholarship behind our methodology. Our founder, Traci Ruble, has been in mental health training for 25 years.
Our diverse team of volunteers from all races, ages, abilities, economic status and belief systems make up our volunteer project. We feel really proud of our efforts towards inclusion and intersectionality.
And finally, community building is a reason for being and listening is our tool. We want coming out to the streets to listen to be a regular ongoing practice of well being as you bond with others in your local chapter. All chapters are led by people who are qualified to handle crises on the street. We want you to commit to this project as your practice of world-changing connecting.
In a world so divided there is no greater form of activism than to stand for connection rather than disconnection.
While psychotherapists, psychologists and researchers aren't human connection gurus, we want to honor the training and scholarship behind our methodology. Our founder, Traci Ruble, has been in mental health training for 25 years.
Our diverse team of volunteers from all races, ages, abilities, economic status and belief systems make up our volunteer project. We feel really proud of our efforts towards inclusion and intersectionality.
And finally, community building is a reason for being and listening is our tool. We want coming out to the streets to listen to be a regular ongoing practice of well being as you bond with others in your local chapter. All chapters are led by people who are qualified to handle crises on the street. We want you to commit to this project as your practice of world-changing connecting.
In a world so divided there is no greater form of activism than to stand for connection rather than disconnection.
Sidewalk Talk is a nonprofit entity fiscally sponsored by SocialGood Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization (EIN: 46-1323531).
