The Kettering Foundation’s Dayton Democracy Fellowship is a one-year program that supports innovative leaders, changemakers, and dreamers who are building movements for inclusive democracy in their communities and in our wider world. This series of articles about the Dayton Democracy Fellows highlights their robust work and the powerful narratives that drive the advancement and defense of democracy. 

Keisha Anderson is on a mission, and caring is part of her résumé. Anderson, a Kettering Foundation Dayton Democracy Fellow, is a licensed independent social worker, community advocate, and partner with The Mentoring Collaborative of Montgomery County. 

Strengthening community is not something that she considers a mere 9-to-5 occupation. Anderson calls it her responsibility, and it is something she has pursued no matter what job or title she’s held. She has a passion for supporting youth and families, but she hasn’t always had the freedom to work with them in ways she believes are most beneficial. 

About 11 years ago, Anderson attended a training on Parent Café, and left thinking it was one of the most supportive and empowering tools she’d ever seen. “Since that time, I’ve tried to implement Parent Café through various platforms and employers; however, I just kept running into brick walls,” she said. That all changed when she was invited to become a Dayton Democracy Fellow and partnered with The Mentoring Collaborative of Montgomery County. 

Parent Café is based on the World Café Method of facilitating large and diverse group dialogue. Specific to parents, the goal is to provide a supportive space where caregivers engage in peer-to-peer learning, share experiences, explore strategies for building strong and resilient families, and begin the work of identifying and removing barriers that have historically limited their capacity to thrive. 

Anderson’s face lights up when she talks about Parent Café. 

“It’s a tool to bring people together, to talk about hard things in a safe and brave space but not just to talk about it,” she emphasizes. “As a social worker, I get tired of talking about it. I want to do something about it. Parent Café equips parents with resources and strategies. It builds confidence and capacity so parents become more able to take action,” Anderson said. “Parent Café is for parents, by parents.” 

Parent Cafés are facilitated gatherings where the space is arranged to resemble a café, with small tables spread around the room. Each table has a designated host, and each meeting focuses on a specific topic that is explored through three thought-provoking and reflective questions that are designed to spark constructive discussions. “Not just quick, easy yes or no, right?” Anderson said and smiled. “The whole process of [the café] is to engage in conversations at your table through each round of questioning, and then you report back to the larger group. So, we’re all kind of learning and expanding through the experience,” she said. The gatherings take place over two hours, and meals and childcare are provided to help remove attendance barriers. 

Anderson said she is often surprised at how a roomful of strangers end up having the deepest conversations, and she feels privileged to be present in those moments. “To see and be in a space where you are witnessing someone’s awakening and the transformation that you know is going to come from their experience, because now they’re supported . . . that’s why I do the work that I do,” she said. 

The idea of self-care is still foreign to many parents. “Women are just beginning to have the conversation of what true self-care is, but men aren’t even having that conversation yet,” Anderson said. “There’s a lot of single dads out there.” She works hard to bring men into the meetings. “We need the male perspective, and men need support, too. It’s reciprocal,” she said. 

When asked, “How does Parent Café enhance democracy?” Anderson smiled. 

“How doesn’t it?” she replied, explaining that Parent Café is about returning the power to the people. “But I can’t even say returning, right, because I work a lot with marginalized populations and marginalized populations have never experienced much power . . . Having the courage and confidence to speak up, to say at a meeting that you don’t necessarily agree—that’s simply not everyone’s experience. Parent Café helps parents identify strategies they can apply, then turn into action to help address the problems they see in their communities. That’s Democracy 101 right there,” she said. 

“Parent Café not only gives power to people,” she said, “they learn how, when, and why to use it.” 

Anderson said her aim is simple: “My goal is to literally put myself out of business. I don’t want to be the expert in the room. I want to multiply and strengthen the experts already there. Parents know as much as I do. They just may not recognize it because of various factors. Part of the work I do, the majority of it, is helping people identify their existing strengths.” 

“This is ministry. This is my purpose. This is my giveback,” she said. 

Maura Casey is a former editorial writer for the New York Times and has worked with the Kettering Foundation since 2010.

The Charles F. Kettering Foundation Dayton Democracy Fellowship is a one-year program designed to support innovative leaders, changemakers, and dreamers who are building movements for inclusive democracy in their communities and in our wider world.