Lowcountry on the Table Releases Findings From Pilot Program

Community dialogue highlights education, affordable housing and transportation

Charleston, S.C. (May 7, 2018) – Lowcountry on the Table, a community-wide conversation about issues that matter in the Lowcountry, is pleased to share findings from a successful pilot program launched on May 1. The initiative drew a variety of civic discussions from over 400 Lowcountry residents across 63 tables in private residences, local restaurants and workplaces.

“One of our main goals is to engage people in conversation with those they would not otherwise meet,” said Library Foundation President George Stevens. “After analyzing the surveys, we were delighted to see that 87 percent of participants met someone new while candidly sharing ideas on how to improve our community.”

Initial analysis of social media responses and online questionnaires indicate that 99 percent of participants were satisfied with the quality of the conversations while 75 percent personally committed to taking action to improve the community as a result of the program. The most frequent issues included education, followed by transportation, affordable housing, traffic, flooding and growth. Survey demographics represented residents a mix of ethnicities from rural, suburban and downtown areas in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester Counties.

Janet Segal, Chair of the Library Foundation of the Lowcountry said, “We look forward to expanding the program’s diversity and carrying this momentum into September’s public-facing event.”

Lowcountry On the Table continues this September and is open to all Charleston residents. For more information visit www.lowcountryonthetable.org, call (843) 608-1223 and follow updates on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

About The Library Foundation’s Lowcountry on the Table

Lowcountry On the Table is a region-wide initiative to explore the ways in which we have the power to collaborate in order to make our communities stronger, safer, and more dynamic The initiative allows community members to come together, collaborate and to become more involved and committed to our community. While we know that there’s no “quick fix” to the issues facing the Lowcountry, progress will result from residents and organizations listening to each other and working together to create changes that will add up to help unite the place we call home. For more information, visit www.lowcountryonthetable.org.