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This project is an experiment in deep listening. A group of California State University Monterey Bay students enrolled in the Media for Social Change class have engaged in one-to-one conversations with diverse Salinas residents exploring their experience of living and working in the city. Students used questions as civic tools to generate curiosity and conversations about the residents’ sense of place, their role in the future of the city, and the way they imagine a sustainable Salinas. The premise of the project is that genuine social progress happens when there is participation of people who care about their local communities. Top-down policies, programs and initiatives (even with the best of intentions) do not always work if local residents are not being heard and do not have a say in the transformations of their place. That’s why we designed The Big Ear project. To facilitate the communication between city planners, citizens and stake holders interested in building a healthier, welcoming more productive, and sustainable Salinas.

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