What’s Ciao Table?
Ciao Table is a non-profit association aimed at promoting positive social exchanges recognized in Ticino as a public utility association. Founded in 2017 as an initiative of the Psychology and Psychotherapy Research Society (association founded in Geneva in 2014), it was formalized in Lugano in 2019. It is based in Lugano, V. Massagno 32.
It's aims are to promote positive social interactions. Promote the socializing activities of other non-profit associations. Promote scientific studies concerning social exchanges.
We promote shared tables in restaurants and bars: this is good for sparing time by cutting waiting cues and sometimes for making new connections. It's a modern version of the Stammtisch, the traditional Swiss shared table.
We would also like Ciao Table areas in public libraries, parks, community centers.
Why Ciao Table?
Because it’s proven that to be in company extends your life!
How did Ciao Table come about?
The idea of facilitating table sharing in bars and restaurants was brought up in September 2017 during a conversation between a bank manager (Costanza Berghinz) and a clinical psychologist (Piera Serra). The bank manager reported her experience during the midday lunch break at a restaurant: she sees people who are sitting alone and eating silently at their table, but might be willing to exchange a smile and some words with somebody sitting nearby. She complained of the lack of common tables, in restaurants, bars or libraries and public places where people could meet, introduce themselves & communicate.
The psychotherapist was impressed by the idea of public places offering to their customers such an opportunity. She also made the hypothesis that, in spite of the barrier due to the human habit of sharing food just inside the community of relatives and friends, a “meet & greet” area – where you share a smile and a greeting with new people who are willing to meet new people - might be chosen by customers who desire enjoying company as well as by people who also seek new connections for their business.
The non-profit association Psychology and Psychotherapy Research Society was engaged: they conducted a study on the attitudes towards table sharing in Ticino (interviews, focus groups, an online questionnaire, tests on the existing shared tables). Restaurants and bars in Lugano accepted to offer Ciao Table promptly. Some computer science students in Università della Svizzera Italiana built this web site for free and also professionals like designers, event promoters, and project managers volunteered. Some other non-profit associations in Ticino helped to promote Ciao Table. In a few weeks, Lugano Municipality also gave their support.
Any public place all over the world can join the circuit for free.
In May 2019 we created a new project: the active search for venues, clubs, associations, parks where it is possible to gain experience of conviviality.
By "conviviality experience" we mean a conversation, a shared activity or even just a greeting that has generated a positive feeling.
To build the map of friendly clubs, we had the collaboration of many people who, loving company and social exchange, pointed out to us places where they had had a pleasant experience of social exchange with people never met before.
SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCES
In autumn 2019 we promoted the first of our scientific conferences, all aimed at promoting studies in areas that are scarcely or not at all explored by scientific research: The factors that facilitate spontaneous social exchanges.
In 2020, starting from Goffman's observation that in our societies the shame of this condition is associated with the condition of loneliness (Relations in Public, 1971), we asked ourselves whether this shame could not itself be a factor hindering exchanges. social (those who are ashamed of their loneliness tend to avoid situations that can make this loneliness visible, such as joining a club for singles).
The 2022 conference takes place in partnership with the IDUSI Institute of Law, IALS Institute of Argumentation, Linguistics and Semiotics of the Università della Svizzera italiana, Group of Restorative Justice Ticino, Objectif Désistance, Swiss RG Forum. The basic idea of the conference, developed by Ciao Table, is how to offer psycho-social advice to people in the entourage of those who suffer or act violence who wish to counteract such violence, in order to encourage reactions on their part that facilitate a change of behavior of the aggressor; in fact, we have found that this subject is almost completely neglected in the scientific literature. These ideas were shared in January 2022 with the Restorative Justice Association (Bruno Balestra), with Luisella Demartini-Foglia and Marlene Masino from the Ufficio di assistenza riabilitativa and with professors Anna Maria Astrologo and Sara Greco of the Università della Svizzera italiana.
INNOVATIVE PROJECTS
#ancheoltre
In the spring of 2020, due to the social distancing measures resulting from the pandemic, we suspended the campaign to search for friendly places and started the new #ancheoltre campaign.
#ancheoltre started from the observation that many cultural associations had reorganized to maintain different activities with associated people using free internet applications: bridge or chess tournaments, literary cafes, aperitifs, conferences, etc.
These were activities that could gladly also be offered to those who were not yet part of the association.
The person who was interested could then, despite isolation, have the opportunity to create new relationships online that they could cultivate in person when it was possible.
It was thus intended to respond to the needs of people who, despite the harshness of the moment, intended to have fun keeping their intellectual abilities dynamic and at the same time taking care of their relational network.
Countering the interpersonal violence around us
Ciao Table want to address the people in the entourage of those who suffer or act violence who wish to do something to stop the aggression: we offer them psycho-legal advice in a "cultural" context, that is, neither health nor judicial. This project was developed in 2021 and discussed in January 2022 with the Restorative Justice association (Bruno Balestra), with Luisella Demartini-Foglia and Marlene Masino dell'Ufficio di assistenza riabilitativa and with professors Anna Maria Astrologo and Sara Greco from Università della Svizzera italiana. The project will be discussed in the conference "La violenza che non guardiamo/The violence we do not watch" (8 October 2022) before being launched.
Open Doors Ciao Table of cultural and leisure associations
The clubs of the main board games (bridge, chess, local associations such as Giochintavola), choirs such as Coro Lirico, national associations such as Caring Communities, various cultural associations, InterNations, Agorateca have joined. We foresee a corner for children with a snack at 4 pm.
It is a fair for the public of cultural and leisure associations that offer activities conducted by volunteers throughout the year. Each association will have a table to exhibit their promotional materials and meet the public by immediately involving them in games, singing and exchanging information.
It is an original idea of Ciao Table: fairs are held regularly for non-profit sports, humanitarian or cultural associations, but not for leisure ones. And, in the leisure fairs that are held, the exhibitors are professionals, not volunteers.
For the first time in Lugano, it can be replicated in other cities.
The initiative intends to enhance the important role of these associations in promoting culture and social exchanges.
Furthermore, the volunteer people who lead these associations are generally able to animate social interactions with sensitivity, resolve any disagreements with mediation, teach the proposed activities: precious resources offered for free that must be valued.
These associations, not carrying out commercial activities, are almost always without a budget for their own promotion.
SOCIAL RESEARCH PRIZE
From 2020 Ciao Table assigns an international award for research of particular value concerning social exchanges. With an innovative formula, the award consists of a work of art assigned to the institution to which the researcher recipient of the award belongs.