La Mesa · An Impact MÁS program
You have a seat at the table.
La Mesa brings a table and two chairs into public parks, an open invitation to sit down, share a story, and be heard, whoever you are and however your day is going.
How it started
A walk, a question, a table.
In October 2025, Miguel and Shane, neighbors who'd become close friends, were walking through a park in Seattle on a Saturday. Talking turned to something simple: how much they appreciated having someone to share stories with, and someone willing to listen back. Not everyone does.
That appreciation turned into a question: what would it take to offer other people that same thing? Just a place to sit down and be heard.
Ten months later, on Sunday, August 2, 2026, Shane carried a folding table and two chairs into Volunteer Park and launched La Mesa.
The need
Why La Mesa?
Simply put, we believe:
- Everyone deserves to be heard.
- Feeling heard builds morale and encourages community.
- Communities that share stories become stronger.
While simple in theory, feeling heard and experiencing meaningful in-person connection remain challenging for many people, and for many reasons.
Enter La Mesa.
On a sunny Seattle afternoon, La Mesa provided a relaxed space for a super-sharp high schooler to unpack the weight of not "succeeding." They arrived timidly and left with a smile and swagger that indicate they are going places. Minutes later, three friends joined the conversation. Successful by any societal definition, each enjoyed the unplanned connection and the reminder of a childhood filled with conversations like this one. Finally, we met a father whose kids are home but no longer present, thanks to social media. The opportunity to share stories from his own upbringing and travels brightened everyone's day at the table.
Having grown up around inspiring storytellers and connectors, both Shane and Miguel learned the importance of building community. And between Shane's years of service as a therapist and Miguel's as a mentor, they both understand the magic of empowering others, something anyone can do if they take the time to listen.
That's why La Mesa isn't a program of trained volunteers. It's community sitting down with community, telling stories and caring for one another.
How it works
Four steps, all of them simple.
01
Find the park
La Mesa sets up in public parks and plazas, places people already pass through, not places they have to seek out.
02
Set the table
A table, two chairs, and a sign that reads "Here to Listen. Sit Down and Relax.": simple enough to notice, easy enough to sit right down.
03
Sit down
Anyone can sit down, tell a story, or just talk. The conversation goes wherever it needs to.
04
Go further, if wanted
Listeners know their community, and when someone needs more than conversation, they help point the way toward it.
Where & when
2 tables so far. More coming.
New tables get announced here the moment they're set. Check back to see where La Mesa shows up next.
Next table · TBD
Date and location coming soon
Date and location coming soon. We'll share it here the moment it's set.
What to expect
Full presence, open to everyone.
Every table offers the same three things, no matter who sits down.
A real, listening ear
La Mesa listeners are community members who show up to listen fully, and to help point toward more support whenever it's wanted.
Full attention, every time
Every person who sits down is met with full presence. Each conversation matters on its own.
Everyone's welcome
Housed or unhoused, having a good day or a hard one, anyone who wants to sit down has a seat at the table.
Who built this
Co-founded by two people who believe in listening first.
Some of my most important work has never happened in an office. It happens the moment someone realizes they don't have to explain themselves before being heard. Shane Mitchell · Co-founder
Co-founder
Shane Mitchell, MA, LMHC
Shane has spent his career showing up for people exactly as they are, meeting them in plain language and building the kind of closeness that helps people feel truly heard.
He brought that same instinct to La Mesa: the conviction that real connection starts at eye level, with just two chairs and a willingness to listen.
MA, Seattle University · Licensed Therapist · Seattle, WA
Co-founder
Miguel Andrés Sossa-Mardomingo
Miguel founded the MÁS Scholarship at the University of Michigan's Erb Institute to bring more voices into the rooms deciding our planet's future. La Mesa grew from the same instinct, aimed somewhere more immediate: the conversations waiting to happen in the parks down the street.
He brought the belief that "meet people exactly where they are" shouldn't stop at a university gate.
Read Miguel's full story ↗Get involved
What you'll find at the table, too.
Listening at La Mesa isn't just something you do for someone else.
- A reason to slow down and really listen, without an agenda
- A community that shows up for itself, not just around it
- Practice being fully present with a stranger
- A seat at the table, same as anyone else who sits down
Right now
Here's how to help.
The program is new, and the most useful things right now are people and places. A giving option is on the way as it grows.
Volunteer as a listener
No experience required, just a willingness to sit down and truly listen. What matters most is showing up and being fully present.
Get in touch ↗Suggest a park
Know a park or plaza where this would matter? Local knowledge is how La Mesa decides where to set the table next.
Suggest a location ↗Bring it to your city
La Mesa started in one city. If you want to help it start in yours, this is where that conversation begins.
Start the conversation ↗