We see A Neighborhood Porch as any porch in a neighborhood which someone intentionally invites their neighbors to join them.

An Open Porch will be in a public space, on a specific day and time, which will be published. There will be a trained Open Porch Host who will help create a safe and respectful space to have discussions about all manner of topics.

Start inviting! We are finding that people are just waiting to be invited. We are in the midst of a “loneliness epidemic” and someone needs to be brave enough to go first. We would love to hear that you are inviting neighbors to your porch. We want to support and encourage you as you get started and cheer you on as you continue. 

Reach out to us through the link at the bottom of the page and we may know someone in your neighborhood who is hosting. We want to help you get connected. 

We will be sharing stories as some of us start inviting to our personal porches. And there is no special training for neighborhood porches. We are happy to offer encouragement or resources to make it easier for you.

Yes – Open Porches, we will have trained Open Porch Hosts. We want to do our best to cultivate a safe and respectful environment for discussions to take place. Anyone can stop by for a visit, this makes training essential.  

The Porch Movement is for all people. We want you to decide what you feel most comfortable or safe with when you are inviting people to your home. Maybe that is all females, all males, co-ed, couples, families, etc. We do ask that you respect the host(s) decision so they can feel safe in their home environment. Open Porches, which will be in public spaces, will most often be open to all. (We will specify if it is limited)

Yes! We welcome and want every generation represented. We all have so much valuable insight, life experience and life stories to share. We can learn so much from one another. We want to cultivate an environment for that to happen. So many of us have family that are spread across the country. Some of us have strained relationships with family members. We could all benefit from those “family like” connections in our lives. Let’s learn how to do this together by being curious and looking for what we can learn from others who were brave enough to show up. 

We love families! We will leave this up to each individual host, so please ask them. If you bring your kiddos, please be in tune with their needs and the needs of the people at the porch. Sometimes kids reach their limit long before adults. We ask you to do what is best for them and the others at the porch setting. 

We believe it is beneficial for all generations to be together, learning with and from one another. 

“Have to stay” –  You are free to come and go as you want or need to. Maybe you can only stop in for a little while to connect. You are welcome even for a short time. Maybe groups are stressful for you and you just need to try it out. You know your own limits and we trust you to make the decision that is best for you. Introverts, we see you and know this takes extra energy. Thanks for showing up! 

“Get to stay” – Hello Extroverts! We know people energize you so you can get caught up in conversation for hours. Please ask your host how long they had in mind for that day. Check in periodically and ask if they need or want to wrap up. Be respectful of their time and space. 

For the Open Porches, we will publish the date and time. If you want to stay after to continue a conversation, great! We encourage connection and community. We will try to Host these at local businesses or public spaces. They may need us to scoot out at a certain point so they can serve others. Please be mindful of that. 

No – The Neighborhood Porches, Open Porches and Host Trainings do not cost anything. 

Yes – We will eventually provide some other kinds of Porch trainings or speciality services which will be on a donation basis. This is down the road a bit. 

No – Everybody is on their own spiritual journey and we respect that. Some people will have a faith of some kind and some people will not. We want each person to be loved and respected right where they are and also have the freedom to talk about their spiritual journey or not. We want to be intentional about looking for common ground not dividing lines. Our goal is to approach conversations with curiosity.