By Kamilah Charters-Gabanek.

On Tuesday, June 5, a group of citizens took part in an enriching dialogue regarding values and what they mean to society today.

Nestled behind the Irish Heather, this casual dialogue took place in a room called the Shebeen.

Over casual drinks and delicious food, Marilyn Taylor, Director of the Institute for Values Based Leadership at Royal Roads University, and SFU Public Square partnered to host an open discussion addressing the role that values play in our personal, societal, and organizational lives.

Martin Sande, Chris Feuk, and Britt-Marie Hedlund, pioneers of the The Swedish National Values Assessment Study, gave short but enlightening talks on their work.

Values are not something considered on a day-to-day basis, but they have an immense effect on how society functions. Finding out which values are most important to a society, or which values a society lacks, can help communities “create cultures that give us the most fulfillment,” stated Martin Sande.

In order to do this, Martin and his fellow researchers conducted The Swedish National Values Assessment Study 2012.

What they found was a strong need for Sweden and its people to branch out of their “rich-inner lives” in order to create stronger community ties and national prosperity.

Using data from the study, the researchers aim to facilitate community dialogues as a way to combat the decreasing social capital in Sweden, and, as Martin stated “stop looking at what divides us, but start looking at what unites us…as this is much more powerful.”

After the presenters spoke about their work, the Shebeen continued to buzz with discussion as Vancouverites spoke of their values and what this term means to Canadian society currently.

The next Citizen’s Engagement Drinks will be held in Fall. Stay tuned for details.