The Sidewalk Talk Listening Bus Tour
Join us as we bring the transformative power of listening to cities across the U.S. this May during Mental Health Awareness Month and our 10th Anniversary!
It’s Impossible Not to Love Someone Whose Story You’ve Heard.
The Sidewalk Talk Listening Bus Tour is an invitation to foster connection, compassion, and belonging—one heartfelt conversation at a time. This is our second Listening Bus Tour, building on the success and lessons learned from our 2017 journey, where we witnessed the incredible power of listening in public spaces to transform communities.
Sidewalk Talk is not just an organization; it is a grassroots, volunteer-led movement. This is your tour. It belongs to all of us who believe in the power of listening to create a kinder, more connected world. There is no "us and them" here—we are one big "we" doing this work together.
This video went viral in 2018 and was seen ten million times.
Why Sidewalk Talk?
Sidewalk Talk was founded with a simple yet profound mission: to create a world where everyone feels heard and valued. Through free listening sessions on sidewalks around the globe, we’ve trained over 10,000 listeners and built a movement that prioritizes human connection in a disconnected world. Listening isn’t just an act; it’s a catalyst for healing and social change. By offering our presence, we can foster empathy, belonging, and hope in our communities.
Why a Bus Tour?
In a world where loneliness and division are deeply felt, the Sidewalk Talk Listening Bus Tour is more than just a journey—it’s a call to heal our communities, foster hope, and remind us of our shared humanity. Over six days, we’ll visit six cities, transforming sidewalks into spaces of profound connection, kindness, and love.
This tour is about:
Healing through Listening: By listening deeply, we create spaces where wounds can begin to heal, and individuals feel valued and seen.
Building Loving Communities: Listening fosters understanding, belonging, and the love that makes communities stronger.
Inspiring Hope and Action: When we hear each other’s stories, we begin to believe in the possibility of a more compassionate world—and take steps to make it real.
Creating a Movement for Mental, Social, and Community Health: Listening is the most powerful practice for reducing loneliness and nurturing health at every level.
It truly is impossible not to love someone whose story you’ve fully heard. By sharing stories, we become more connected, more hopeful, and more united as a global community. This is not about us—it’s about all of us. Together, we can create a world where listening becomes the foundation for love and connection.
Join us in making connection contagious.
Will you help put us in touch with sponsors and partners? bustour@sidewalk-talk.org
Bus Tour Dates and Agenda
“Listening is the most powerful practice for reducing loneliness and nurturing health at every level.”
Mon, May 5
Kansas City, MO
More details coming soon
Tues, May 6
St. Louis, MO
More details coming soon
Wed, May 7
Louisville, KY
More details coming soon
Thurs, May 8
Cincinnati, OH
More details coming soon
Fri, May 9
Columbus, OH
More details coming soon
Sat, May 10
Pittsburgh, PA
More details coming soon
Daily Agenda:
Morning: TV News and Radio Interviews
(Traci and Travia will represent the team. Other participants can rest or join interviews as needed.)Lunchtime: Listener Training at a Partner Location
(Open to the public and a chance for partners to involve their staff.)Evening: Public Listening Event (5–7 PM) followed by a Community Dinner
(After dinner, we’ll travel to the next city.)
Each day will be packed with action, connection, and community building.
How You Can Get Involved
1. Listen With Us
Be part of the tour as a listener! You can join for the entire journey or volunteer in just one city. Applications are now open for both options:
Apply to Join the Whole Tour (coming soon)
Sign Up for One City (coming soon)
2. Sponsor or Partner With Us
Many hands make light work. We need you all to make this tour possible. We are seeking fiscal sponsors, location sponsors for Lunchtime Listening Meet-Ups, and In-Kind potluck donations for community dinners to feed our listeners at the end of our listening events or house us.
3. Purchase Merchandise
Show your support by purchasing our exclusive Bus Tour T-Shirt or Traci’s Little Book of Hope and Listening (coming soon!).
4. Donate
Your contributions make this tour possible. Whether you donate $5 or $5,000, your generosity fuels our mission to foster connection and belonging.
Sponsor or Partner with Us
Help us spread the love of listening by sponsoring or partnering with the Sidewalk Talk Listening Bus Tour. Your support ensures that we can provide free listening sessions to every community we visit.
We have experience running a successful Listening Bus Tour in 2017. During that journey, we learned the incredible power of creating space for stories and connection in public spaces, and we’ve refined our approach to make this year’s tour even more impactful.
We are especially looking for partners who can host lunchtime listening trainings. These sessions will be open to the public and provide an opportunity for your staff to gain valuable listening skills in a welcoming environment.
Sponsorship Levels:
$250: Logo included in a collective post on social media (2x).
$400: Individual logo placement on socials + benefits of the $250 level.
$600: Website URL listed on the Bus Tour or School page + benefits of the $400 level.
$1,500: Logo on printed materials for the bus tour or school program + benefits of the $600 level.
$2,000: Logo on printed materials for BOTH the bus tour AND the school program + benefits of the $1,500 level.
Make Sponsorship Donations Here By Clicking on Donate (One -Time) To See Sponsorship
In-Kind Contributions:
Do you have a space we can use, a discount on hotels, or food to feed our listeners? In 2017 several churches, mosques, and synagogues hosted us for an evening potluck. Is that your organization? Email us at bustour@sidewalk-talk.org
Press
A large part of Sidewalk Talk's success is thanks to the press, who help get people out to the sidewalks. Traci, Travia, and Claire are available to speak with you about our mission and this year’s tour if you are a local news station, newspaper, or podcaster.
We welcome national coverage but are especially eager to connect with press in Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS, St. Louis, MO, Louisville, KY, Cincinnati, OH, Columbus, OH, and Pittsburgh, PA.
For press inquiries, please contact us at bustour@sidewalk-talk.org.
Travia Fitzpatrick, Head of Training and Communication
Traci Ruble, Sidewalk Talk Founder