In 2006, a conversation café was held for Hull Child and Family Services in Calgary where educators and community stakeholders joined round table discussions on Hull’s role and long term vision. After 20 minutes of facilitated discussion, guests moved to another table and another discussion. Conversation cafes like this one allow interested individuals to come together around a common theme and engage in powerful idea sharing.

Around that same time, a group of Calgary funders came together to make a difference for vulnerable youth as a direct response to the community asking them to develop a coordinated effort to help at-risk kids.  This group of funders which included the United Way of Calgary and Area, EducationMatters, the City of Calgary Family & Community Support Services (FCSS), and Burns Memorial Fund established themselves as the Vulnerable Youth Funders Table.  Eventually more funders joined including the Calgary Stampede Foundation, the Calgary Foundation, Norlein Foundation, Calgary and Area Child and Family Services and other anonymous supporters -- and their name became The Funders for Youth.

This group decided they wanted to do something that would engage the community in solutions, maximize the impact of their financial investments and result in real change in systems and practices.  They wanted to do something that would allow them to work together and to combine their influence and resources.  They decided initially it would be most powerful to focus on one issue they all cared about deeply -- improving Calgary's high school completion rates. (Recent statistics indicated that only 69.5% of Calgary students complete high school within 5 years of entering grade 10).

The Funders for Youth recognized that improving high school completion rates was a community responsibility - school boards, educators, business leaders, government, service agencies, students and parents all needed a voice in this issue and needed to work together.  They also knew that improving completion rates could have a direct, positive effect on our economy, healthcare, crime rates, drug abuse and homeless problems, and other social issues in the community.

But how would the Funders engage the community?

Playing on the idea of a world café, and a community dialogue, as well as the focus of this initiative being students in kindergarten to Grade 12 -- the Kafé12 concept was born.  This would be a combination of both a virtual and online community; a unique way to tackle pressing issues for students in today’s society and the city of Calgary.

“We already have a good idea of what the issues are. Bringing people together to share their ideas, expertise, hopes, and aspirations on a topic they are passionate about, goes a long way to identifying possibilities and building the capacity for real change,” explains Barbara Burggraf, executive director for EducationMatters, a public education trust in Calgary. EducationMatters' spearheaded the idea and now manages the Kafé12 initiative.  EducationMatters is also one of the Funders for Youth. “A world café format, our online community, as well as dynamic working groups, are going to serve as a catalyst for moving forward on this issue/topic and any others Kafé12 takes on.”