Sidewalk Talk Watch video

Listen with Us on Public Sidewalks to Boost Mental Health, Inclusion, and Compassion in Communities Everywhere

Join Us in Heart-Centered Listening

We offer heart-centered listening to anyone about anything on sidewalks worldwide to promote mental health, social connection, and inclusion.

HOW IT WORKS:

Start a Chapter: We guide you through the process of gathering volunteers, getting supplies, choosing a listening spot, training your listeners, and setting up to listen.

EMBRACE DIFFERENCE: ...

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Join Us in Heart-Centered Listening

We offer heart-centered listening to anyone about anything on sidewalks worldwide to promote menta...

Read more
Funding Available
$550 per new project
Not in United States?
Change your region

To access funding

  • Complete a 30 Day Challenge
  • Report the impact of your project
Start a Sidewal...
$550 per new project
Start project

How to start a project on ChangeX

  • 1

    Create your project page

    Click the green start button to register and set up your project page. It’s quick, free and easy.

  • 2

    Complete a 30 Day Challenge

    Complete simple steps in 30 days to start your project and access funding.

  • 3

    Activate your project

    Follow the 5 Step Guide and your action plan to bring the project to life.

  • 4

    Share impact

    Share an impact summary to access the remaining funding and continue your project.

Great for

  • Anyone ages 18 and older of all faiths, abilities, and identities who loves people.
  • People who want to create more connection, inclusion, and mental health in their community.
  • People who want to meet new people who are kind and compassionate.
  • People who are self starters and want to take something and make it their own.
  • People who care about bridging divides.

Sidewalk Talk project essentials

5 Step Guide

  • ChangeX Challenge
  • Sign Agreement
  • Login To Portal
  • Gather
  • Go Listen

Time

Suggested: 5 hours of initial set up.3 to 6 hours per listening event. Must hold at least 2 events total.We recommend at least one event per month.

Resources

More information on how to get started and any resources shared by the Sidewalk Talk

47 Sidewalk Talk projects have already been started

See where

Meet the Social Innovator

Hi there!

I'm Traci Ruble, the enthusiastic soul who dreamed up this idea in 2014. Since then, I've traveled the world with two fold-up stools and a sign, listening to people across the USA and Europe. I hope you'll join us!

Sidewalk Talk has profoundly impacted my mental health, as I've gathered with my chapter of listeners week after week for many years. Being part of this movement means belonging to something bigger than me. I hope you will feel the same belonging from listening.

Welcome! Roll up your sleeves, start a chapter in your area, and make it your own. Together, we can create connections and foster compassion everywhere.

Traci Ruble

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why a 30 day challenge?

    The 30 Day Challenge was developed by our Team based on our experience working with communities. We’ve learned that the first weeks are critical to build momentum and get off to a good start with any community project. Teams who complete these steps within the first month are much more likely to successfully complete their project!

    The Challenge is a series of simple steps that each applicant has to complete to get their project off the ground and unlock funding, if there is funding currently available for that idea in your region. Steps include watching a video and/or reading content, having a call with a ChangeX team member, forming a team so that you have support, having your first team meeting, sharing a team photo, and sharing a project action plan.

  • What can funding be used for?

    Once funding is received it can be used to cover direct set-up costs of the new community project. For example space rental, insurance fees, seeds and planting materials, tools, training fees; pretty much any materials you might need for a project that benefits your community.

    Funds cannot be used for the costs of work that has already been carried out, costs unrelated to the setup and maintenance of the new project, payments to group members for their work on the project. Funds can’t be used for the promotion of religious causes, non-charitable activities, sponsorship or fundraising events. Please read the terms and conditions for further details.

  • How do I know if there is funding available?

    On idea pages, if there is funding available for the idea in your region you will see “Funding available” and the region listed in the turquoise box. When you first login you will also see a green banner at the top of the screen saying “live funds near you” if there is funding available in your region. The ChangeX homepage will feature those live funds near you.

    A note on the waitlist: when all the funding has been allocated to applicants, new applicants will go on a waitlist. If some applicants that are in the fund don’t successfully complete the 30 Day Challenge their funding will be released and can be then allocated to those on the waitlist. To see if you are going on a waitlist check the main fund page, ideas fully allocated will have the note “Join the waitlist” instead of “Apply to start”.

  • What is ChangeX?

    ChangeX is a platform that connects communities to proven ideas and funding.

    By empowering local changemakers with proven ideas from social innovators and accessible funding from our partners, we aim to build healthier, more inclusive and sustainable communities. Our work is aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and together with our partners, we aim to impact 1 billion people globally by 2030.

    • Communities: Get the funding, resources and support you need to start impactful projects in your community.
    • Social innovators: Connect with local changemakers, access funding to scale your idea, and impact more communities globally.
    • Funders: Fund the themes and regions they care most about, with measurable impact, and at global scale.

    We believe that by bringing the best social innovations and the world’s changemakers together in a shared community, we can accelerate the spread of innovations across the world and have a bigger impact. Together we aim to unleash the potential of changemakers by enabling collaboration, by sharing knowledge and resources, by connecting changemakers across different disciplines and innovations and by opening up access to the world’s best proven social innovations to everyone.

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