About Us
Mission
Neighbors by Name creates a space where high school students come together to cook dinner and engage in meaningful, bridge-building conversations over a shared meal.
Vision & Method
We imagine a world where every community has a table for open conversation; where listening is as valued as speaking, where differences are met with curiosity instead of conflict, and where the skills to connect across divides are as common as sharing a meal. With the news every day evidencing an increasingly polarized world, we see an urgency in our mission.
As Neighbors by Name dinners become a community staple, individuals will be able to easily access the tools to engage in difficult but meaningful conversations around a co-created meal. Cooking together, quite literally, nourishes the soul and will encourage much needed conversations between individuals who might not otherwise be in a room together. With the guidance of a facilitator, individuals will explore their own inherent bias and start the deep work of respectful debate and civil discourse.
Importantly, our events will all be in person as we seek to move away from the solitary nature of social media and virtual engagement. Boundaries are broken down most easily when people gather and share experiences.
My name is Delilah
My name is Delilah and I’m a Junior at Friends Seminary.
A little bit about me: I am an avid runner and a member of my school’s cross-country and track teams. I am passionate about education and mentoring young students, and I intern for nonprofits focused on closing the education gap within NYC. From a young age, my parents included my sister and me in conversations around the dinner table with our family and circle of friends. As part of the fabric of our family, we were encouraged to participate and speak our minds.
I’d always thought of myself as someone who felt comfortable in various communities and adept at navigating issues outside of my comfort zone. That agility, however, was called into question in a moment I will always remember. It was a summer night at my house, and I was having a heated political disagreement with a very close friend. I recall reaching a point in our conversation where I became so dismayed that I couldn’t continue the discussion. We were at an impasse because of our divergent views on a sensitive subject and, instead of finding common ground, we retreated to our respective corners. Later, my friend and I reflected on that evening and realized we did not have the tools to have a conversation about an issue on which we were deeply divided.
I searched for programs or resources that could help me, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for. That absence made it clear that if such a space didn’t exist, I would need to create one. The urgency of that realization still drives me. We live in a moment when polarization can end friendships, fracture communities, and even put democracy at risk. If my friend and I — two people who cared about each other — couldn’t find a way through, I knew students everywhere must be facing the same challenge.
This experience has since encouraged me to seek opportunities to actually disagree. In my search for dialogue opportunities, I encountered programs designed to connect high school students from different communities. However, none of them actually encouraged disagreement. I felt disheartened by this and decided that the only solution was to create my own.
My vision for Neighbors by Name is to finally create a space in which high school students feel comfortable engaging in difficult conversations. With our unique dialogue model, Neighbors by Name will equip students with the necessary tools to disagree productively; and, more importantly, to walk away from the table with respect intact and relationships strengthened.
Advisory Board
Amanda Lauren
Founder
Chris Lau
Co-Founder
Jennifer Brook
Manager Marketing
Tim Rudolf
Event Specialist