Nearly all sessions are now listed - find the schedule below!
The workshops are a core part of the National Conference on Dialogue and Deliberation. We have two blocks of concurrent sessions daily, and this year will have over 60 sessions in total. Below is an alphabetical listing of most of the sessions, with a few additional sessions to be announced in the coming days.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13: WORKSHOP SESSON A - 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Addressing the Rising Threats to Democracy in Our Work
All Levels
What if the critical threat to democracy right now is the rise of authoritarianism--not polarization? If that’s the case, how might we shape the work of D&D to counter this threat and recommit to the growth of a healthier, egalitarian, and pluralistic democracy? This working session will engage participants in openly sharing and exploring some of the concerns and challenges for addressing this core question. Participants will collaboratively interrogate the basic principles and assumptions for democracy-promoting D&D work, including the questioning of “neutrality,” especially in light of the rising radicalization against democracy.
Participants will work together to share and co-develop different practical approaches and strategies for positively addressing these rising threats. These approaches would include an affirmative (non-neutral) set of D&D principles that embrace the vision, values, and practices necessary to sustain an egalitarian and pluralistic democracy. Such approaches would aim to move beyond the focus on polarization, superficial neutrality, or “both-sides-ism” that is increasingly insufficient to meet the challenges of this moment.
Eve Daniel Pearlman - CEO; Spaceship Media
Jeff Prudhomme - Vice President; Interactivity Foundation
All Levels
What if the critical threat to democracy right now is the rise of authoritarianism--not polarization? If that’s the case, how might we shape the work of D&D to counter this threat and recommit to the growth of a healthier, egalitarian, and pluralistic democracy? This working session will engage participants in openly sharing and exploring some of the concerns and challenges for addressing this core question. Participants will collaboratively interrogate the basic principles and assumptions for democracy-promoting D&D work, including the questioning of “neutrality,” especially in light of the rising radicalization against democracy.
Participants will work together to share and co-develop different practical approaches and strategies for positively addressing these rising threats. These approaches would include an affirmative (non-neutral) set of D&D principles that embrace the vision, values, and practices necessary to sustain an egalitarian and pluralistic democracy. Such approaches would aim to move beyond the focus on polarization, superficial neutrality, or “both-sides-ism” that is increasingly insufficient to meet the challenges of this moment.
Eve Daniel Pearlman - CEO; Spaceship Media
Jeff Prudhomme - Vice President; Interactivity Foundation
Building Capacity through our Work: Facilitative Leadership
All Levels
As members of our NCDD community of practice we engage in the crucial work of helping people engage productively in talking and thinking together in ways that promote understanding of and deliberation and collaboration to address challenging campus, community, and organizational issues. But we also do more than this – we enact and model Facilitative Leadership – an approach to Leadership that focuses on capacity building. Jeffrey Cufaude articulates this as “building the capacity of individuals and groups to do more on their own now and in the future.”
In this session we will explore what Facilitative Leadership is, why it is a crucial mindset and set of skills in today’s world, and how we can cultivate Facilitative Leadership in ourselves and others. A second, related NCDD sponsored session will introduce the emerging NCDD Certification in Facilitative Leadership, and encourage participants to help shape this initiative.
Ana Almanza - Student; Indiana University Political and Civic Engagement Program
Lori Britt - Professor and Director; James Madison University Institute of Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue
Joa'Quinn Griffin - Student; Indiana University Political and Civic Engagement Program
Mariam Ismail - Graduate Student; James Madison University Institute of Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue
Lisa-Marie Napoli - Director, Political and Civic Engagement (PACE) Program; Indiana University
Tzofnat Peleg-Baker, PhD. - Head of Strategy, Conflict Resolution and Mediation Center; Israeli Ministry of Justice
B. Rae Perryman - Development Associate; National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
Pearl Vinard - Student; Indiana University Political and Civic Engagement Program
All Levels
As members of our NCDD community of practice we engage in the crucial work of helping people engage productively in talking and thinking together in ways that promote understanding of and deliberation and collaboration to address challenging campus, community, and organizational issues. But we also do more than this – we enact and model Facilitative Leadership – an approach to Leadership that focuses on capacity building. Jeffrey Cufaude articulates this as “building the capacity of individuals and groups to do more on their own now and in the future.”
In this session we will explore what Facilitative Leadership is, why it is a crucial mindset and set of skills in today’s world, and how we can cultivate Facilitative Leadership in ourselves and others. A second, related NCDD sponsored session will introduce the emerging NCDD Certification in Facilitative Leadership, and encourage participants to help shape this initiative.
Ana Almanza - Student; Indiana University Political and Civic Engagement Program
Lori Britt - Professor and Director; James Madison University Institute of Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue
Joa'Quinn Griffin - Student; Indiana University Political and Civic Engagement Program
Mariam Ismail - Graduate Student; James Madison University Institute of Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue
Lisa-Marie Napoli - Director, Political and Civic Engagement (PACE) Program; Indiana University
Tzofnat Peleg-Baker, PhD. - Head of Strategy, Conflict Resolution and Mediation Center; Israeli Ministry of Justice
B. Rae Perryman - Development Associate; National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
Pearl Vinard - Student; Indiana University Political and Civic Engagement Program
Building Community in Times of Chaos
All Levels
From pandemic-induced social isolation to mass protest, the Kettering Foundation convened an international virtual cohort of librarians to discuss libraries' role in deliberative democracy. Librarians from the US, Ukraine, and Romania shared stories of confronting societal challenges with dialogue. What began as an exchange of ideas evolved into a brave, restorative space where we could face our fears, bolster our courage, and advocate for our communities. Having a community of practice to navigate the shifting societal tectonic plates allowed the cohort to recommit and renew their community-building efforts and leverage partnerships to deepen civic engagements in urban and rural settings.
Erica Freudenberger - Outreach and Engagement Consultant; Southern Adirondack Library System
Ellen Knutson - Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Information Sciences; University of Illinois
Ileana Marin - Program Officer; Kettering Foundation
David Siders - Civic Engagement Coordinator; Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
All Levels
From pandemic-induced social isolation to mass protest, the Kettering Foundation convened an international virtual cohort of librarians to discuss libraries' role in deliberative democracy. Librarians from the US, Ukraine, and Romania shared stories of confronting societal challenges with dialogue. What began as an exchange of ideas evolved into a brave, restorative space where we could face our fears, bolster our courage, and advocate for our communities. Having a community of practice to navigate the shifting societal tectonic plates allowed the cohort to recommit and renew their community-building efforts and leverage partnerships to deepen civic engagements in urban and rural settings.
Erica Freudenberger - Outreach and Engagement Consultant; Southern Adirondack Library System
Ellen Knutson - Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Information Sciences; University of Illinois
Ileana Marin - Program Officer; Kettering Foundation
David Siders - Civic Engagement Coordinator; Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
Collaboration for Abundance: Give What You Have to Get What You Need
All Levels
Many of our organizations are under-resourced and long for more participants, more diversity of participants and measurable impact after dialogue is complete. Dialogue organizations can also be challenged by a philanthropic environment that encourages competition rather than collaboration. Four organizations: Civic Genius, Living Room Conversations, YOUnify, and Mormon Women for Ethical Government will share how they are addressing these challenges through creative partnerships -- and then help participants workshop how they can do the same! This interactive session will help attendees network, reflect on their work and practices, learn new skills, and explore new efforts, projects, and collaborations. Participants will reflect on their work and go through a process of mapping their assets and needs -- and then learn how to address those needs through creative collaborations.
Ibrahim Bazyan - Program Manager; Civic Genius
Becca Kearl - Executive Director; Living Room Conversations
Brandyn Keating - CEO; YOUnify
Jennifer Walker Thomas - Co-Executive Director; Mormon Women for Ethical Government
All Levels
Many of our organizations are under-resourced and long for more participants, more diversity of participants and measurable impact after dialogue is complete. Dialogue organizations can also be challenged by a philanthropic environment that encourages competition rather than collaboration. Four organizations: Civic Genius, Living Room Conversations, YOUnify, and Mormon Women for Ethical Government will share how they are addressing these challenges through creative partnerships -- and then help participants workshop how they can do the same! This interactive session will help attendees network, reflect on their work and practices, learn new skills, and explore new efforts, projects, and collaborations. Participants will reflect on their work and go through a process of mapping their assets and needs -- and then learn how to address those needs through creative collaborations.
Ibrahim Bazyan - Program Manager; Civic Genius
Becca Kearl - Executive Director; Living Room Conversations
Brandyn Keating - CEO; YOUnify
Jennifer Walker Thomas - Co-Executive Director; Mormon Women for Ethical Government
Dialogue for Healing: Truth and Reconciliation in the U.S.
Intermediate
Truth and reconciliation commissions (TRCs) have operated in dozens of countries over the last 50 years but have only come to the U.S. within the last 20 years, and in relatively few numbers. Now, several communities across the U.S. are utilizing the model to explore issues ranging from systemic racism and racial inequities to challenges for law enforcement and beyond. In this session, you'll get an inside look at an active U.S. TRC from its facilitators, a guide to understanding TRCs, and a chance to try your hand at creating a TRC and working through tough decisions.
V Fixmer-Oraiz - Co-facilitator; Iowa City Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Eduardo Gonzalez - Convener; ThinkPeace Learning and Support Hub
Larry Schooler - Senior Director; Kearns & West
Intermediate
Truth and reconciliation commissions (TRCs) have operated in dozens of countries over the last 50 years but have only come to the U.S. within the last 20 years, and in relatively few numbers. Now, several communities across the U.S. are utilizing the model to explore issues ranging from systemic racism and racial inequities to challenges for law enforcement and beyond. In this session, you'll get an inside look at an active U.S. TRC from its facilitators, a guide to understanding TRCs, and a chance to try your hand at creating a TRC and working through tough decisions.
V Fixmer-Oraiz - Co-facilitator; Iowa City Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Eduardo Gonzalez - Convener; ThinkPeace Learning and Support Hub
Larry Schooler - Senior Director; Kearns & West
Indigenized Approaches to Engagement
All Levels
Centering Indigenous ways of knowing and being has profound impacts on engagement projects and can contribute to reconciliation. However, challenges for Indigenous communities persist in civic engagement, such as how dominant deliberation approaches and language restrict who participates, what ideas are shared, and how input is considered. In this session, we will share examples and offer tools that meaningfully weave Indigenous perspectives in engagement and deliberation projects.
Susanna Haas Lyons - Civic Engagement Specialist; Simon Fraser University
Hailey Maria Salazar - Adjunct Faculty, Native Pathways Program; Evergreen State College
All Levels
Centering Indigenous ways of knowing and being has profound impacts on engagement projects and can contribute to reconciliation. However, challenges for Indigenous communities persist in civic engagement, such as how dominant deliberation approaches and language restrict who participates, what ideas are shared, and how input is considered. In this session, we will share examples and offer tools that meaningfully weave Indigenous perspectives in engagement and deliberation projects.
Susanna Haas Lyons - Civic Engagement Specialist; Simon Fraser University
Hailey Maria Salazar - Adjunct Faculty, Native Pathways Program; Evergreen State College
Let’s Reset with Kindness: How Kindness-Informed Dialogue Can Reshape Society
All Levels
With the crisis of loneliness and isolation posing one of our generation’s greatest challenges, the “power of kindness and compassion” is just the antidote we need. International Expressions of Kindness involved 45 countries worldwide, helping establish caring communities of children, parents, educators, college students, faculty, and others. Acts of Kindness Maine is a statewide initiative fostering kindness among individuals, communities, businesses, public institutions, and government. Join us to explore how kindness can be a superpower drawing people to beneficial dialogue; imbuing communities with a sense of belonging; and fostering compassionate leaders of all ages. Take a deep dive into kindness!
Jeff Edelstein - Founder; Acts of Kindness Maine
Amy N. Spangler, MA Ed. - Educational consultant and learning facilitator
Tatyana V. Tsyrlina-Spady, PhD. - Project Director; International Expressions of Kindness
All Levels
With the crisis of loneliness and isolation posing one of our generation’s greatest challenges, the “power of kindness and compassion” is just the antidote we need. International Expressions of Kindness involved 45 countries worldwide, helping establish caring communities of children, parents, educators, college students, faculty, and others. Acts of Kindness Maine is a statewide initiative fostering kindness among individuals, communities, businesses, public institutions, and government. Join us to explore how kindness can be a superpower drawing people to beneficial dialogue; imbuing communities with a sense of belonging; and fostering compassionate leaders of all ages. Take a deep dive into kindness!
Jeff Edelstein - Founder; Acts of Kindness Maine
Amy N. Spangler, MA Ed. - Educational consultant and learning facilitator
Tatyana V. Tsyrlina-Spady, PhD. - Project Director; International Expressions of Kindness
Partners in Conversation and Community: Creating Regional Networks for Dialogue & Deliberation
Advanced
Have you ever felt alone in your dialogue and deliberation efforts? Regional networks are one strategy for creating a community of support. Join members of the Southern Deliberative Democracy Network (SDDN) for a discussion on how regional networks can encourage shared learning and spark creative collaboration among dialogue and deliberation practitioners. SDDN members will briefly share what they’ve learned together in exploring Southern challenges to and opportunities for deliberative democracy. The session will also feature an in-depth conversation on strategies for convening and facilitating regional networks for dialogue and deliberation practitioners.
Mandy Baily - Florida Sea Grant Living Shoreline Program Assistant & Facilitator; University of Florida
Cristin Brawner - Founder; Southern Deliberative Democracy Network & Cristin Brawner LLC
Hollie Cost - Assistant Vice President, University Outreach & Public Service; Auburn University
Herman Lehman - Partner & Community Coach; Keys to the City Community Coaching, LLC
Advanced
Have you ever felt alone in your dialogue and deliberation efforts? Regional networks are one strategy for creating a community of support. Join members of the Southern Deliberative Democracy Network (SDDN) for a discussion on how regional networks can encourage shared learning and spark creative collaboration among dialogue and deliberation practitioners. SDDN members will briefly share what they’ve learned together in exploring Southern challenges to and opportunities for deliberative democracy. The session will also feature an in-depth conversation on strategies for convening and facilitating regional networks for dialogue and deliberation practitioners.
Mandy Baily - Florida Sea Grant Living Shoreline Program Assistant & Facilitator; University of Florida
Cristin Brawner - Founder; Southern Deliberative Democracy Network & Cristin Brawner LLC
Hollie Cost - Assistant Vice President, University Outreach & Public Service; Auburn University
Herman Lehman - Partner & Community Coach; Keys to the City Community Coaching, LLC
The Civic Lab – Strengthening Youth Engagement in Your Community
All Levels
Come join us for an interactive session with Troy University students as they demonstrate activities from our Civic Lab Toolkit. The Civic Lab engages students in grades 3 through 8, as well as college students, in dialogue and learning experiences with a strong focus on civic education, community inclusion, understanding bias, and current public issues. In this session, participants will learn how to foster civic engagement in their communities through meaningful partnerships with local youth organizations.
Lauren Cochran - Coordinator, Office of Civic Engagement; Troy University
Reyna Harris - Student and Civic Scholar, Office of Civic Engagement; Troy University
Chauntina Whittle - Troy University Student; Intern, David Mathews Center for Civic Life
All Levels
Come join us for an interactive session with Troy University students as they demonstrate activities from our Civic Lab Toolkit. The Civic Lab engages students in grades 3 through 8, as well as college students, in dialogue and learning experiences with a strong focus on civic education, community inclusion, understanding bias, and current public issues. In this session, participants will learn how to foster civic engagement in their communities through meaningful partnerships with local youth organizations.
Lauren Cochran - Coordinator, Office of Civic Engagement; Troy University
Reyna Harris - Student and Civic Scholar, Office of Civic Engagement; Troy University
Chauntina Whittle - Troy University Student; Intern, David Mathews Center for Civic Life
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13: WORKSHOP SESSON B - 3:00 – 4:30 pm
AI and Your Dialogue and Deliberation Practice: Partnering for Content Development and Decision Making
All Levels
This workshop will be in two parts. In the first section, we will explore using GPT-4 for idea generation around communication strategies for addressing various contexts of dialogue and deliberation. Special attention will be given to prompt development, prompt followup and fact checking. The second section will explore how AI integrations with meeting software like Read.ai offer summaries and action items. Participants are encouraged to share their experience with AI platforms.
Philip Bakelaar, PhD. - Adjunct Professor; Montclair State University School of Communication and Media
Stephen Buckley - Collaboration Engineer; Independent Consultant
All Levels
This workshop will be in two parts. In the first section, we will explore using GPT-4 for idea generation around communication strategies for addressing various contexts of dialogue and deliberation. Special attention will be given to prompt development, prompt followup and fact checking. The second section will explore how AI integrations with meeting software like Read.ai offer summaries and action items. Participants are encouraged to share their experience with AI platforms.
Philip Bakelaar, PhD. - Adjunct Professor; Montclair State University School of Communication and Media
Stephen Buckley - Collaboration Engineer; Independent Consultant
Cultivating Ongoing Public Discourse
All Levels
This session will focus on one format, namely a town meeting that has provided members of a very culturally, racially, ethnically and religiously diverse urban college community an opportunity to come together to engage in talk each month since 1989. In this setting, the town meeting has been a structured, facilitated forum with simple ground rules where everyone can air concerns, raise questions, seek or provide information, and make comments. Participants will discuss how this forum has been sustained, copied, and withstood a wide range of challenges in modality including transitioning from in-person to online during the pandemic, to a hybrid format in the past year. The participants will be engaged to experience how a simple format can be readily operationalized in most any context.
Elton Beckett - Department of Africana Studies Lecturer; John Jay College of Criminal Justice - City University of New York
Maria R. Volpe - Professor of Sociology and Dispute Resolution Program Director; John Jay College of Criminal Justice - City University of New York
All Levels
This session will focus on one format, namely a town meeting that has provided members of a very culturally, racially, ethnically and religiously diverse urban college community an opportunity to come together to engage in talk each month since 1989. In this setting, the town meeting has been a structured, facilitated forum with simple ground rules where everyone can air concerns, raise questions, seek or provide information, and make comments. Participants will discuss how this forum has been sustained, copied, and withstood a wide range of challenges in modality including transitioning from in-person to online during the pandemic, to a hybrid format in the past year. The participants will be engaged to experience how a simple format can be readily operationalized in most any context.
Elton Beckett - Department of Africana Studies Lecturer; John Jay College of Criminal Justice - City University of New York
Maria R. Volpe - Professor of Sociology and Dispute Resolution Program Director; John Jay College of Criminal Justice - City University of New York
Facilitating Democracy from Campus: The Role of Colleges and Universities and their Students in Supporting Local Dialogue and Deliberation
All Levels
Faculty, staff, and students connected to several on-campus centers and institutes that serve as local resources for deliberative civic engagement will reflect on their work, how they incorporate students, and how they collaborate with the community. Materials and resources will be shared. The session will be geared both to those on campuses interested in supporting the work, as well as those off campus hoping to collaborate with their local colleges and universities.
Chris Anderson - Director; Wabash College Democracy and Public Discourse
Jennifer Borda - Professor and Co-Director; University of New Hampshire Civil Discourse Lab
Graham Bullock - Faculty Director; Davidson College Deliberative Citizenship Initiative
Martin Carcasson - Director; Colorado State University Center for Public Deliberation
Windy Lawrence - Director; University of Houston Downtown Center for Public Deliberation
Nicholas Longo - Professor; Providence College
Lisa-Marie Napoli - Director, Political and Civic Engagement (PACE) Program; Indiana University
Timothy J. Shaffer - Stavros Niarchos Foundation Chair of Civil Discourse; University of Delaware
All Levels
Faculty, staff, and students connected to several on-campus centers and institutes that serve as local resources for deliberative civic engagement will reflect on their work, how they incorporate students, and how they collaborate with the community. Materials and resources will be shared. The session will be geared both to those on campuses interested in supporting the work, as well as those off campus hoping to collaborate with their local colleges and universities.
Chris Anderson - Director; Wabash College Democracy and Public Discourse
Jennifer Borda - Professor and Co-Director; University of New Hampshire Civil Discourse Lab
Graham Bullock - Faculty Director; Davidson College Deliberative Citizenship Initiative
Martin Carcasson - Director; Colorado State University Center for Public Deliberation
Windy Lawrence - Director; University of Houston Downtown Center for Public Deliberation
Nicholas Longo - Professor; Providence College
Lisa-Marie Napoli - Director, Political and Civic Engagement (PACE) Program; Indiana University
Timothy J. Shaffer - Stavros Niarchos Foundation Chair of Civil Discourse; University of Delaware
From Head to Heart and Hands: Engaging Intellectuals in Dialogue
All Levels
Intellectuals are often trapped on the treadmill of ideas. Academic success in the form of funding, advancement, external rewards and internal satisfaction all hinges on the life of the mind. Given this, how to meaningfully engage intellectuals in the balance of head, heart, and hands that is required for dialogue? This session tells the story of Game Changer Academies, a program developed for the National Science Foundation to support deliberative democracy in the peer review process. We will describe and demonstrate how we have engaged engineers in reflection and dialogue to improve group process, understand the importance of social identity, and be productive participants in conflict and deliberation for the public good.
Diana Kardia - Founder and Lead Designer; Kardia Group LLC: Leadership and Change in Academia
Kelly Mack - Vice President, Undergraduate STEM Education; Project Kaleidoscope Executive Director, American Association of Colleges and Universities
All Levels
Intellectuals are often trapped on the treadmill of ideas. Academic success in the form of funding, advancement, external rewards and internal satisfaction all hinges on the life of the mind. Given this, how to meaningfully engage intellectuals in the balance of head, heart, and hands that is required for dialogue? This session tells the story of Game Changer Academies, a program developed for the National Science Foundation to support deliberative democracy in the peer review process. We will describe and demonstrate how we have engaged engineers in reflection and dialogue to improve group process, understand the importance of social identity, and be productive participants in conflict and deliberation for the public good.
Diana Kardia - Founder and Lead Designer; Kardia Group LLC: Leadership and Change in Academia
Kelly Mack - Vice President, Undergraduate STEM Education; Project Kaleidoscope Executive Director, American Association of Colleges and Universities
Harnessing the Power of Narrative Storytelling for D&D: Lessons from Podcasting and Beyond
Beginner
Think about the connection you feel listening to podcasts or watching documentaries with a strong storytelling focus. Narrative media provides an opportunity for people to share their stories on their own terms and for the people who hear that story to develop a meaningful connection to the people telling it. However, not everyone doing D&D work has the media skills necessary to create long-form narrative projects. This session will cover the nuts and bolts of how to approach narrative work and why you should consider adding it to your organization's strategy.
John Biewen - Director of Storytelling and Public Engagement; Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University
Jenna Spinelle - Communications Specialist; Penn State McCourtney Institute for Democracy
Beginner
Think about the connection you feel listening to podcasts or watching documentaries with a strong storytelling focus. Narrative media provides an opportunity for people to share their stories on their own terms and for the people who hear that story to develop a meaningful connection to the people telling it. However, not everyone doing D&D work has the media skills necessary to create long-form narrative projects. This session will cover the nuts and bolts of how to approach narrative work and why you should consider adding it to your organization's strategy.
John Biewen - Director of Storytelling and Public Engagement; Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University
Jenna Spinelle - Communications Specialist; Penn State McCourtney Institute for Democracy
Processes for Intragroup and Affinity Conflicts
All Levels
Almost all groups have internal conflicts, and sometimes these conflicts mean that they can accomplish less together. The Sustained Dialogue Institute seeks to bridge divides through a dialogue process, and has had to increasingly provide tools and methods for advocacy and affinity groups since 2016. In this interactive session we will look at a few recent case examples, and share a conflict analysis tool others can use to bridge internal relationships. Internal strife is often considered private, awkward, and even "dirty laundry" that group members can't talk about publicly. This workshop is meant to bring these divides into focus in the hopes of increasing the NCDD network's ability to bolster the power of advocacy and affinity groups.
Rhonda Fitzgerald - Executive Director; Sustained Dialogue Institute
All Levels
Almost all groups have internal conflicts, and sometimes these conflicts mean that they can accomplish less together. The Sustained Dialogue Institute seeks to bridge divides through a dialogue process, and has had to increasingly provide tools and methods for advocacy and affinity groups since 2016. In this interactive session we will look at a few recent case examples, and share a conflict analysis tool others can use to bridge internal relationships. Internal strife is often considered private, awkward, and even "dirty laundry" that group members can't talk about publicly. This workshop is meant to bring these divides into focus in the hopes of increasing the NCDD network's ability to bolster the power of advocacy and affinity groups.
Rhonda Fitzgerald - Executive Director; Sustained Dialogue Institute
Seeing the Whole Picture As a Blind Facilitator - Lessons That Transform Your Impact
All Levels
Jeremy Grandstaff is a blind person who’s been facilitating large scale change for 22 years. Whether working with clients to design collaborative meetings or working on long-term, engaging, change journeys, he has worked with the sighted public using a collaborative change and facilitation process that could be seen as challenging for a blind person.
In this workshop, he'll share powerful insights that he has learned, which will help you better connect, empower, and enable participants to own action going forward. Participants will gain: Increased understanding of successful facilitation and meeting design techniques; Insights that strengthen facilitation approach for better results and increased ownership; and Real-Time learning and practice activities to reinforce the techniques learned.
Jeremy Grandstaff - Collaboration & Organizational Consultant
All Levels
Jeremy Grandstaff is a blind person who’s been facilitating large scale change for 22 years. Whether working with clients to design collaborative meetings or working on long-term, engaging, change journeys, he has worked with the sighted public using a collaborative change and facilitation process that could be seen as challenging for a blind person.
In this workshop, he'll share powerful insights that he has learned, which will help you better connect, empower, and enable participants to own action going forward. Participants will gain: Increased understanding of successful facilitation and meeting design techniques; Insights that strengthen facilitation approach for better results and increased ownership; and Real-Time learning and practice activities to reinforce the techniques learned.
Jeremy Grandstaff - Collaboration & Organizational Consultant
The Challenge of Making Memories: Dialogue and Deliberation on Memorials
Intermediate
Across the U.S., communities are grappling with a variety of questions about memorials--including how to memorialize deeply tragic moments. Decisions about these memorials have benefitted from thoughtfully- and strategically-designed dialogue and deliberation processes. In this session, you'll hear firsthand from both the facilitator of one such process, the chairperson of a 2nd community's memorial committee, and an expert in trauma healing about how to approach these sensitive endeavors. You'll also participate in an exercise where you assume a role based on a type of visitor to a future memorial and consider your needs and wants.
Anne Seymour - Associate Academic Program Director; National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center
Larry Schooler - Senior Director; Kearns & West
Tennille Pereira - Director; Vegas Strong Resiliency Center & 1 October Memorial Committee Chair
Intermediate
Across the U.S., communities are grappling with a variety of questions about memorials--including how to memorialize deeply tragic moments. Decisions about these memorials have benefitted from thoughtfully- and strategically-designed dialogue and deliberation processes. In this session, you'll hear firsthand from both the facilitator of one such process, the chairperson of a 2nd community's memorial committee, and an expert in trauma healing about how to approach these sensitive endeavors. You'll also participate in an exercise where you assume a role based on a type of visitor to a future memorial and consider your needs and wants.
Anne Seymour - Associate Academic Program Director; National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center
Larry Schooler - Senior Director; Kearns & West
Tennille Pereira - Director; Vegas Strong Resiliency Center & 1 October Memorial Committee Chair
The Ripple Effects of Evaluation: Making Space for Unintended Dialogue
All Levels
We plan to begin by sharing a basic understanding of what evaluating the impacts of two coalitions with appreciative inquiry and Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) looked like. We will engage the room with a REM mini-session to offer a sense of what was involved in this work. From there we will discuss a few frameworks of social change evaluation and the questions that arose in our experience of coding these story-points. Lastly, time will be devoted to group discussion around the inherent tensions that exist within qualitative evaluation, such as how to balance respect for peoples’ in-depth stories and connection to each other with the need to produce reports and a finite capturing of data.
Mandy Baily - Florida Sea Grant Living Shoreline Program Assistant & Facilitator; University of Florida
Ramona Madhosingh-Hector - Regional Specialized Agent; University of Florida IFAS Extension
All Levels
We plan to begin by sharing a basic understanding of what evaluating the impacts of two coalitions with appreciative inquiry and Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) looked like. We will engage the room with a REM mini-session to offer a sense of what was involved in this work. From there we will discuss a few frameworks of social change evaluation and the questions that arose in our experience of coding these story-points. Lastly, time will be devoted to group discussion around the inherent tensions that exist within qualitative evaluation, such as how to balance respect for peoples’ in-depth stories and connection to each other with the need to produce reports and a finite capturing of data.
Mandy Baily - Florida Sea Grant Living Shoreline Program Assistant & Facilitator; University of Florida
Ramona Madhosingh-Hector - Regional Specialized Agent; University of Florida IFAS Extension
Thinking Outside the Branch: Dialogue as a Tool to Reconnect
All Levels
When the pandemic briefly closed the doors of The New York Public Library’s 92 locations, library patrons had their connection to a core public service, and each other, interrupted. During this time, community conversations continued as a core programming tool, and helped to shape our understanding of the need for new approaches to community engagement. The subsequent creation of a new Community Outreach and Engagement office (COE) is part of a strategy to rebuild and reinvigorate the library’s focus on community partnerships.
NYPL’s community conversation programming is an ever-evolving model for connecting and (re)connecting with communities through authentic and meaningful dialogue. Join the Library for an interactive discussion on how we have adapted our dialogue and conversation programming to engage diverse audiences, forge meaningful local relationships, and reinvigorate the impact of our community outreach.
Lauren Deering - Coordinator of Civic Engagement Programming; The New York Public Library
Anita Favretto - Director, Community Outreach and Engagement; The New York Public Library
All Levels
When the pandemic briefly closed the doors of The New York Public Library’s 92 locations, library patrons had their connection to a core public service, and each other, interrupted. During this time, community conversations continued as a core programming tool, and helped to shape our understanding of the need for new approaches to community engagement. The subsequent creation of a new Community Outreach and Engagement office (COE) is part of a strategy to rebuild and reinvigorate the library’s focus on community partnerships.
NYPL’s community conversation programming is an ever-evolving model for connecting and (re)connecting with communities through authentic and meaningful dialogue. Join the Library for an interactive discussion on how we have adapted our dialogue and conversation programming to engage diverse audiences, forge meaningful local relationships, and reinvigorate the impact of our community outreach.
Lauren Deering - Coordinator of Civic Engagement Programming; The New York Public Library
Anita Favretto - Director, Community Outreach and Engagement; The New York Public Library
When Beliefs Cannot be Mandated: Facilitating Dialogue in Family Therapy
All Levels
In this session, we will describe the use of dialogue (from Essential Partners, formerly Public Conversations Project) to train family therapy students on how to engage in conversations across differences and polarization. For us, dialogue is an innovative way to train therapists who must work with clients and families from all different backgrounds and experiences. We discuss how dialogue is systemic in nature and hold the notion that people cannot be told or mandated to value diversity. Rather, we hope to provide students training to become therapists the opportunity to learn how to cherish diversity, by embracing uncertainty and curiosity about their beliefs and others. Through reflective structured dialogue, students experience how beliefs are shaped by one’s social world and how they would have evolved to hold different beliefs had they been born into a different social world. To exemplify our ideas, we share a case example in which a fishbowl-style of dialogue is used to train therapists, and will engage workshop participants in practicing a curious posture and crafting their own questions from a place of curiosity.
Lana Kim - Program Director; Lewis and Clark College
Martha Laughlin - Program Director; Valdosta State University
Hoa Nguyen - Associate Professor; Valdosta State University
Kate Warner - Associate Dean; Valdosta State University
All Levels
In this session, we will describe the use of dialogue (from Essential Partners, formerly Public Conversations Project) to train family therapy students on how to engage in conversations across differences and polarization. For us, dialogue is an innovative way to train therapists who must work with clients and families from all different backgrounds and experiences. We discuss how dialogue is systemic in nature and hold the notion that people cannot be told or mandated to value diversity. Rather, we hope to provide students training to become therapists the opportunity to learn how to cherish diversity, by embracing uncertainty and curiosity about their beliefs and others. Through reflective structured dialogue, students experience how beliefs are shaped by one’s social world and how they would have evolved to hold different beliefs had they been born into a different social world. To exemplify our ideas, we share a case example in which a fishbowl-style of dialogue is used to train therapists, and will engage workshop participants in practicing a curious posture and crafting their own questions from a place of curiosity.
Lana Kim - Program Director; Lewis and Clark College
Martha Laughlin - Program Director; Valdosta State University
Hoa Nguyen - Associate Professor; Valdosta State University
Kate Warner - Associate Dean; Valdosta State University
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14: WORKSHOP SESSON C - 9:00 – 10:30 am
Adding Polarity Management to Your Deliberative Toolkit
All Levels
Too often, issues are framed to drive us apart with “either-or” answers. But a “both-and” mindset is achievable, especially at the local level. This workshop will introduce wicked problems and polarity management and share stories of how these tools can be applied. Participants will then work in smaller groups to engage with key polarities, whether they’re tough public issues or tensions within the field of dialogue and deliberation itself. See how polarities can be used as a liberating lens for leaders, a generative frame for facilitation, and a hands-on tool for navigating issues and ultimately, identifying more sustainable solutions.
Martin Carcasson, PhD. - Director; Colorado State University Center for Public Deliberation
Susan Clark - Community Consultant; Author of Slow Democracy
All Levels
Too often, issues are framed to drive us apart with “either-or” answers. But a “both-and” mindset is achievable, especially at the local level. This workshop will introduce wicked problems and polarity management and share stories of how these tools can be applied. Participants will then work in smaller groups to engage with key polarities, whether they’re tough public issues or tensions within the field of dialogue and deliberation itself. See how polarities can be used as a liberating lens for leaders, a generative frame for facilitation, and a hands-on tool for navigating issues and ultimately, identifying more sustainable solutions.
Martin Carcasson, PhD. - Director; Colorado State University Center for Public Deliberation
Susan Clark - Community Consultant; Author of Slow Democracy
Facilitation as an Organizing Strategy: Using Dialogue and Deliberation as a Tool for Advocacy
All Levels
Though dialogue and deliberation practitioners take seriously the imperative for principled impartiality, scholars studying deliberative systems have begun to identify the ways that deliberative principles might be implemented in other methods of engagement, such as advocacy and interest group organizing. Over the past five years, the Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University has developed new public programming aimed at helping historically excluded communities understand, express, and act in relation to their interests as well as new models for linking advocates to deliberative decision making. In all of these programs, facilitation plays a key role, with the CPD helping to train community leaders in facilitation and working with them to organize conversations within their own communities.
This session will explore three case studies that provide different mechanisms for utilizing facilitation as a tool for community organizing, offering insights for how facilitation may be used to better center public voice in interest identification, advocacy, and collective action. In addition to offering our own insights, we will ask session participants to discuss the ways that their own practices intersect with more advocacy-based forms of public work and collectively create a set of values and guidelines that practitioners of dialogue and deliberation might utilize when practicing in these spaces.
Katie Knobloch - Associate Director; Colorado State University Center for Public Deliberation
Sabrina Slagowski-Tipton - Managing Director; Colorado State University Center for Public Deliberation
All Levels
Though dialogue and deliberation practitioners take seriously the imperative for principled impartiality, scholars studying deliberative systems have begun to identify the ways that deliberative principles might be implemented in other methods of engagement, such as advocacy and interest group organizing. Over the past five years, the Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University has developed new public programming aimed at helping historically excluded communities understand, express, and act in relation to their interests as well as new models for linking advocates to deliberative decision making. In all of these programs, facilitation plays a key role, with the CPD helping to train community leaders in facilitation and working with them to organize conversations within their own communities.
This session will explore three case studies that provide different mechanisms for utilizing facilitation as a tool for community organizing, offering insights for how facilitation may be used to better center public voice in interest identification, advocacy, and collective action. In addition to offering our own insights, we will ask session participants to discuss the ways that their own practices intersect with more advocacy-based forms of public work and collectively create a set of values and guidelines that practitioners of dialogue and deliberation might utilize when practicing in these spaces.
Katie Knobloch - Associate Director; Colorado State University Center for Public Deliberation
Sabrina Slagowski-Tipton - Managing Director; Colorado State University Center for Public Deliberation
Introducing the Collaborative Discussion Certificate Program
Intermediate
This will be an interactive session designed to introduce participants to the Collaborative Discussion Project (CDP). Participants will learn about different types of certificate programs in collaborative discussion. Participants will be invited to help us imagine how we can expand our certificate program designs to include more participants and diverse sectors of our communities. This exploration will be facilitated by using CDP toolkit activities. Participants will leave this session with 1) a greater awareness of the CDP, 2) a preview of toolkit activities, and 3) an invitation to join our community of practice by becoming a collaborative discussion coach, curriculum contributor, or user of the toolkit.
Lori Britt - Director; James Madison University Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue
Kara Dillard - Associate Director; James Madison University Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue
Shannon Wheatley Hartman - Vice President; Interactivity Foundation
Lydia Smith - Assistant Director of Campus Engagement & Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue; Emory University
Megan Smith - Assistant Teaching Professor; University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Ritu Thomas - Associate and Assistant Director of the Collaborative Discussion Project; Interactivity Foundation
Intermediate
This will be an interactive session designed to introduce participants to the Collaborative Discussion Project (CDP). Participants will learn about different types of certificate programs in collaborative discussion. Participants will be invited to help us imagine how we can expand our certificate program designs to include more participants and diverse sectors of our communities. This exploration will be facilitated by using CDP toolkit activities. Participants will leave this session with 1) a greater awareness of the CDP, 2) a preview of toolkit activities, and 3) an invitation to join our community of practice by becoming a collaborative discussion coach, curriculum contributor, or user of the toolkit.
Lori Britt - Director; James Madison University Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue
Kara Dillard - Associate Director; James Madison University Institute for Constructive Advocacy and Dialogue
Shannon Wheatley Hartman - Vice President; Interactivity Foundation
Lydia Smith - Assistant Director of Campus Engagement & Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue; Emory University
Megan Smith - Assistant Teaching Professor; University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Ritu Thomas - Associate and Assistant Director of the Collaborative Discussion Project; Interactivity Foundation
Is There a Role For Artificial General Intelligence in National-Scale Dialogue and Deliberation Practices?
All Levels
Can artificial general intelligence benefit civic dialogue, or will it erode democracy? How might dialogue practitioners use AI right now, and in the future? This session will explore how emerging artificial intelligence tools might responsibly distill themes from participant input, identify alignment or differences of opinion, support people to consider ideas different than their own, and build - or deteriorate - trust among people. In this interactive session, we will imagine together how to make engagement activities more insightful and responsive.
Duncan Autrey - Founder and Host, Omni-Win Project
Susanna Haas Lyons - Civic Engagement Specialist; Simon Fraser University
Tzofnat Peleg-Baker, PhD. - Head of Strategy, Conflict Resolution and Mediation Center; Israeli Ministry of Justice
John Spady - President; Forum Foundation and the National Dialogue Network
Scott Vineberg - Founder & CEO; PeoplePower.tv
All Levels
Can artificial general intelligence benefit civic dialogue, or will it erode democracy? How might dialogue practitioners use AI right now, and in the future? This session will explore how emerging artificial intelligence tools might responsibly distill themes from participant input, identify alignment or differences of opinion, support people to consider ideas different than their own, and build - or deteriorate - trust among people. In this interactive session, we will imagine together how to make engagement activities more insightful and responsive.
Duncan Autrey - Founder and Host, Omni-Win Project
Susanna Haas Lyons - Civic Engagement Specialist; Simon Fraser University
Tzofnat Peleg-Baker, PhD. - Head of Strategy, Conflict Resolution and Mediation Center; Israeli Ministry of Justice
John Spady - President; Forum Foundation and the National Dialogue Network
Scott Vineberg - Founder & CEO; PeoplePower.tv
Joke Around and Find Out
All Levels
Is everything so heavy these days that we’ve forgotten how to lighten up? Can humour bring us together—maybe even to be more civil? What if the joke is on us? Humour is a perspective—a state of mind, a way of perceiving the world and ourselves. Can we cultivate it to connect more with ourselves and each other? See how empathy, humility and wonder—building blocks for civility and dialogue—are also the essence of humour. Or don’t. Who are we to tell you what to do?
Marc Engel - Founder; Engel Research Partners; Writer/Comedian
Eliah Thomas - Executive Director; Institute for Civility in Government
All Levels
Is everything so heavy these days that we’ve forgotten how to lighten up? Can humour bring us together—maybe even to be more civil? What if the joke is on us? Humour is a perspective—a state of mind, a way of perceiving the world and ourselves. Can we cultivate it to connect more with ourselves and each other? See how empathy, humility and wonder—building blocks for civility and dialogue—are also the essence of humour. Or don’t. Who are we to tell you what to do?
Marc Engel - Founder; Engel Research Partners; Writer/Comedian
Eliah Thomas - Executive Director; Institute for Civility in Government
Key Questions in Dialogue and Deliberation Programs in Higher Education: Insights from North Carolina
All Levels
Dialogue and deliberation is taking root in higher education throughout North Carolina. Three practitioner-scholars doing the work in diverse contexts - a statewide network, a public institution, and a private institution will explore the history, context, goals, infrastructure, challenges, and outcomes of their dialogue and deliberation initiatives. Participants will engage with key questions related to implementation and gain insights on how to effectively design, build, and sustain dialogue and deliberation initiatives in higher education institutions.
Graham Bullock PhD. - Faculty Director; Davidson College Deliberative Citizenship Initiative
Leslie Garvin - Executive Director; North Carolina Campus Engagement
Kevin Marinelli PhD. - Executive Director of the Program for Public Discourse; UNC-Chapel Hill
All Levels
Dialogue and deliberation is taking root in higher education throughout North Carolina. Three practitioner-scholars doing the work in diverse contexts - a statewide network, a public institution, and a private institution will explore the history, context, goals, infrastructure, challenges, and outcomes of their dialogue and deliberation initiatives. Participants will engage with key questions related to implementation and gain insights on how to effectively design, build, and sustain dialogue and deliberation initiatives in higher education institutions.
Graham Bullock PhD. - Faculty Director; Davidson College Deliberative Citizenship Initiative
Leslie Garvin - Executive Director; North Carolina Campus Engagement
Kevin Marinelli PhD. - Executive Director of the Program for Public Discourse; UNC-Chapel Hill
Lessons for Dialogue Facilitators from Wounded Healers: Resilience, Trauma Healing, Violence Interruption and Aikido
All Levels
In trauma healing they say: hurt people hurt people. Unhealed trauma is directly connected to cycles of violence (physical and verbal). Almitra Gasper, a trainer for the NYC Violence Interrupters, Rashan "Tank" Brown, a violence interrupter and founder of GangstasGivingBack, Rachel Goldberg, a Peace and Conflict Studies professor and Brian Blancke, Associate with Essential Partners and Aikidoka have worked together for several years connecting trauma, mental well being, and reducing violence. They will share skills for Multidimensional nourishment (skills for building internal resilience), not just medicine (skills for crises) to build resilience for dialogue designers and facilitators.
Brian Blancke - Associate; Essential Partners
Rashaan "Tank" Brown - NYC Violence Interrupter & Founder of GangstasGivingBack
Almitra Gaspar - Coordinator of Trainings and Staff Development; NYC Health Department
Rachel Goldberg, PhD. - Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies; Depauw University
All Levels
In trauma healing they say: hurt people hurt people. Unhealed trauma is directly connected to cycles of violence (physical and verbal). Almitra Gasper, a trainer for the NYC Violence Interrupters, Rashan "Tank" Brown, a violence interrupter and founder of GangstasGivingBack, Rachel Goldberg, a Peace and Conflict Studies professor and Brian Blancke, Associate with Essential Partners and Aikidoka have worked together for several years connecting trauma, mental well being, and reducing violence. They will share skills for Multidimensional nourishment (skills for building internal resilience), not just medicine (skills for crises) to build resilience for dialogue designers and facilitators.
Brian Blancke - Associate; Essential Partners
Rashaan "Tank" Brown - NYC Violence Interrupter & Founder of GangstasGivingBack
Almitra Gaspar - Coordinator of Trainings and Staff Development; NYC Health Department
Rachel Goldberg, PhD. - Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies; Depauw University
Reflecting on the Past, Recommitting to the Future: Deliberating Difficult History in the South
All Levels
In the South, history is never far from the present. Join us as we explore spaces and opportunities for repairing the harm of history told from the settler colonial perspective. Experience a deliberative conversation on a difficult moment in Southern history. Learn strategies and tools from experienced practitioners for embracing hard history, while building civic skills essential for contemporary democracy. Session leaders will share their experiences, as well as tools and resources for, incorporating historic deliberations into a variety of community spaces and educational contexts.
Cristin Brawner - Founder; Southern Deliberative Democracy Network & Cristin Brawner LLC
Nicole Moore - Director of Education; National Center for Civil & Human Rights
Mark Wilson PhD. - Director; Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities, Auburn University
All Levels
In the South, history is never far from the present. Join us as we explore spaces and opportunities for repairing the harm of history told from the settler colonial perspective. Experience a deliberative conversation on a difficult moment in Southern history. Learn strategies and tools from experienced practitioners for embracing hard history, while building civic skills essential for contemporary democracy. Session leaders will share their experiences, as well as tools and resources for, incorporating historic deliberations into a variety of community spaces and educational contexts.
Cristin Brawner - Founder; Southern Deliberative Democracy Network & Cristin Brawner LLC
Nicole Moore - Director of Education; National Center for Civil & Human Rights
Mark Wilson PhD. - Director; Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities, Auburn University
Twenty-Five Years of Deliberative Pedagogy in the Whisenton Public Scholars Program
All Levels
The Whisenton Public Scholars Program promotes community-engaged scholarship and teaching at schools and programs with a mission to serve Black, Indigenous and Students of Color and their communities. As the program celebrates its 25th anniversary, it is an opportune time to reflect on the use of deliberative pedagogy in classrooms, on campus, and in the community. This session will bring together a diverse group of scholars who will share their insights into how dialogue and deliberation have enhanced student learning and civic engagement, and how they have addressed issues of social justice, health equity, and Indigenous sovereignty through this approach. Participants will leave with new ideas and tools for promoting dialogue and deliberation in their own work and with a greater appreciation for the value of this approach for higher education and civic engagement.
Terrica Arnold - Director of Operations, Innovation and Community Initiatives; Meharry Medical College
Carma Corcoran - Director, Indian Law Program; Lewis and Clark Law School
James Ford - Assistant Professor Journalism; Hampton University
Casandra Hawkins - Associate Director of Data and Quality Management; Univ. of Mississippi
Ellen Knutson - Research Associate; Kettering Foundation
Ileana Marin - Program Officer; Kettering Foundation
Bryant Marks - Founder; National Training Institute on Race & Equity at Morehouse University
Hailey Maria Salazar - Adjunct Faculty, Native Pathways Program; Evergreen State College
All Levels
The Whisenton Public Scholars Program promotes community-engaged scholarship and teaching at schools and programs with a mission to serve Black, Indigenous and Students of Color and their communities. As the program celebrates its 25th anniversary, it is an opportune time to reflect on the use of deliberative pedagogy in classrooms, on campus, and in the community. This session will bring together a diverse group of scholars who will share their insights into how dialogue and deliberation have enhanced student learning and civic engagement, and how they have addressed issues of social justice, health equity, and Indigenous sovereignty through this approach. Participants will leave with new ideas and tools for promoting dialogue and deliberation in their own work and with a greater appreciation for the value of this approach for higher education and civic engagement.
Terrica Arnold - Director of Operations, Innovation and Community Initiatives; Meharry Medical College
Carma Corcoran - Director, Indian Law Program; Lewis and Clark Law School
James Ford - Assistant Professor Journalism; Hampton University
Casandra Hawkins - Associate Director of Data and Quality Management; Univ. of Mississippi
Ellen Knutson - Research Associate; Kettering Foundation
Ileana Marin - Program Officer; Kettering Foundation
Bryant Marks - Founder; National Training Institute on Race & Equity at Morehouse University
Hailey Maria Salazar - Adjunct Faculty, Native Pathways Program; Evergreen State College
You like Patriotism, You like Activism, We like Unity: Exploring Similarities and Differences in How American Voters Resonate with Key Civic Terms
All Levels
Knowing how different groups of Americans perceive civic terms can be helpful in designing and facilitating inclusive dialogue and deliberation experiences. In 2021, PACE fielded a national survey to understand how Americans perceive 21 commonly used civic terms. In this session, participants will explore themes from the PACE survey and engage in conversations about some of the key questions and areas of curiosity that arise from the data.
Amy McIsaac - Managing Director of Learning and Experimentation; Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement
All Levels
Knowing how different groups of Americans perceive civic terms can be helpful in designing and facilitating inclusive dialogue and deliberation experiences. In 2021, PACE fielded a national survey to understand how Americans perceive 21 commonly used civic terms. In this session, participants will explore themes from the PACE survey and engage in conversations about some of the key questions and areas of curiosity that arise from the data.
Amy McIsaac - Managing Director of Learning and Experimentation; Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement
Youth and Opportunity: How Best to Engage Young Adults in Future-Focused Deliberation
Intermediate
Colleges and universities are to be open forums for expressing ideas. But current controversies over speakers, protest tactics, and so-called cancel culture raise questions about the freedom and quality of discourse on campus and highlight tensions between inclusion and free speech. Post-pandemic, society at large and students especially say they are weary of Zoom and other forms of digital mediation, yet people’s ability to engage in-person seems compromised after most of civic life went online in spring 2020. On campus, poor class attendance serves as evidence that, while people say they want face-to-face interaction, they are anxious about it. Alternatively, young adults might be more comfortable online, and it is conveners and facilitators who must adjust to the digital realm.
This workshop directly addresses the conference theme in the context of young adults and their weighing of solutions for public problems. Our workshop is built on research and practice from a student-deliberation study sponsored by the Kettering Foundation and conducted on three university campuses. We consider the strengths and weaknesses of face-to-face and online forums for cross-cutting conversations and how practitioners can promote authentic deliberation with young adults.
Saya Kakim, PhD. - Program Officer; Kettering Foundation
Windy Lawrence - Director; University of Houston Downtown Center for Public Deliberation
Colene Lind - Director of Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy; Kansas State University
Ekaterina (Katya) Lukianova - Program Officer; Kettering Foundation
Keyhan Shams - Doctoral Candidate in Leadership Communication Staley School of Leadership; Kansas State University
Intermediate
Colleges and universities are to be open forums for expressing ideas. But current controversies over speakers, protest tactics, and so-called cancel culture raise questions about the freedom and quality of discourse on campus and highlight tensions between inclusion and free speech. Post-pandemic, society at large and students especially say they are weary of Zoom and other forms of digital mediation, yet people’s ability to engage in-person seems compromised after most of civic life went online in spring 2020. On campus, poor class attendance serves as evidence that, while people say they want face-to-face interaction, they are anxious about it. Alternatively, young adults might be more comfortable online, and it is conveners and facilitators who must adjust to the digital realm.
This workshop directly addresses the conference theme in the context of young adults and their weighing of solutions for public problems. Our workshop is built on research and practice from a student-deliberation study sponsored by the Kettering Foundation and conducted on three university campuses. We consider the strengths and weaknesses of face-to-face and online forums for cross-cutting conversations and how practitioners can promote authentic deliberation with young adults.
Saya Kakim, PhD. - Program Officer; Kettering Foundation
Windy Lawrence - Director; University of Houston Downtown Center for Public Deliberation
Colene Lind - Director of Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy; Kansas State University
Ekaterina (Katya) Lukianova - Program Officer; Kettering Foundation
Keyhan Shams - Doctoral Candidate in Leadership Communication Staley School of Leadership; Kansas State University
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14: WORKSHOP SESSON D - 11:00 – 12:30 pm
Democracy-Makers: The Arts as Acts of Citizenship
All Levels
While often thought of as an aesthetic experience or entertainment, the arts are innately political. Their multi-sensory and diverse forms express the breath of human experience and support creative inquiry into how we live and govern ourselves. As democratic “acts of citizenship” are available to everyone, art questions how the world is organized and opens up possibilities for change. Art-makers can be democracy-makers who publicly confront challenges such as authoritarianism, polarization, and voter suppression. During this session we will look at some examples and then discuss how the arts can become part of how participants affirm and advance democracy.
Joni Doherty - Senior Program Office for Democracy and the Arts; Kettering Foundation
Brad Rourke - Director of External Affairs and DC Operations; Kettering Foundation
All Levels
While often thought of as an aesthetic experience or entertainment, the arts are innately political. Their multi-sensory and diverse forms express the breath of human experience and support creative inquiry into how we live and govern ourselves. As democratic “acts of citizenship” are available to everyone, art questions how the world is organized and opens up possibilities for change. Art-makers can be democracy-makers who publicly confront challenges such as authoritarianism, polarization, and voter suppression. During this session we will look at some examples and then discuss how the arts can become part of how participants affirm and advance democracy.
Joni Doherty - Senior Program Office for Democracy and the Arts; Kettering Foundation
Brad Rourke - Director of External Affairs and DC Operations; Kettering Foundation
Dialogue as Co-Construction in an Adaptation to Climate Change Project
All Levels
All over our states and provinces, people are confronted with the effects of climate change and have to adapt. In a five year research program in collaboration with a Regional Municipal County in the southern part of Québec, we managed to work with stakeholders of different kinds. Challenges of mutual understanding and of "translation" from the technical to the vernacular and vice-versa were part of the game. After having presented our project in its main lines, I want to focus on some experiences of dialogue, by getting back to actual exchanges that took place (by use of transcripted material).
Alain Letourneau - Professor, Philosophy and Applied Ethics Department; Université de Sherbrooke
All Levels
All over our states and provinces, people are confronted with the effects of climate change and have to adapt. In a five year research program in collaboration with a Regional Municipal County in the southern part of Québec, we managed to work with stakeholders of different kinds. Challenges of mutual understanding and of "translation" from the technical to the vernacular and vice-versa were part of the game. After having presented our project in its main lines, I want to focus on some experiences of dialogue, by getting back to actual exchanges that took place (by use of transcripted material).
Alain Letourneau - Professor, Philosophy and Applied Ethics Department; Université de Sherbrooke
Dialogue for Daily Use: How Monastic Rules of Life Can Inform Approaches to Civil Discourse
Intermediate
How can everyone learn from the reflective and disciplined practices faith groups have used at the center of conflict resolution around the world? Join this session to explore how the Christian monastic concept of "a rule of life" can help shape our approach to dialogue in a way that helps people build better habits that align with their daily life experience while reminding ourselves of the need to commit to conflict resolution throughout our daily practice.
Alan Yarborough - Founder; Habits of Discourse
Intermediate
How can everyone learn from the reflective and disciplined practices faith groups have used at the center of conflict resolution around the world? Join this session to explore how the Christian monastic concept of "a rule of life" can help shape our approach to dialogue in a way that helps people build better habits that align with their daily life experience while reminding ourselves of the need to commit to conflict resolution throughout our daily practice.
Alan Yarborough - Founder; Habits of Discourse
Disruption, Dialogue, and Deliberation: A Pathway to Community Healing
All Levels
Disruption is unavoidable. Each of us is a member of a community that faces tragic events, social pressures, and political polarization. Whether or not you are a practitioner or individual trying to make a difference, this highly interactive workshop outlines a pathway for each of us to recommit to bringing dialogue and deliberation to our communities. We will use current events as a backdrop to collectively ideate solutions, explore research backed tools, and walk away with possible next steps to bring healing to the places we live.
Becca Kearl - Executive Director; Living Room Conversations
D.G. Mawn - President; National Association for Community Mediation
All Levels
Disruption is unavoidable. Each of us is a member of a community that faces tragic events, social pressures, and political polarization. Whether or not you are a practitioner or individual trying to make a difference, this highly interactive workshop outlines a pathway for each of us to recommit to bringing dialogue and deliberation to our communities. We will use current events as a backdrop to collectively ideate solutions, explore research backed tools, and walk away with possible next steps to bring healing to the places we live.
Becca Kearl - Executive Director; Living Room Conversations
D.G. Mawn - President; National Association for Community Mediation
Embodied Dialogue: From the Present to the Emerging Future
All Levels
There are many ways to dialogue but a powerful one that is often overlooked is to move our bodies without words. What does it look like to put a system in motion that's experiencing an immovable situation and watch it transform toward its aspirational self in embodied dialogue? It's enlightening and diagnostic in ways that a mental thought process can never be. We will explore and learn how to shape what is currently stuck and move it toward innovative possibility while revealing insights that open us to emergent and creative ways forward.
Kristin Leydig Bryant - Principal; Clarity at Work
Julie Stuart - Founder & CEO; Making Ideas Visible
All Levels
There are many ways to dialogue but a powerful one that is often overlooked is to move our bodies without words. What does it look like to put a system in motion that's experiencing an immovable situation and watch it transform toward its aspirational self in embodied dialogue? It's enlightening and diagnostic in ways that a mental thought process can never be. We will explore and learn how to shape what is currently stuck and move it toward innovative possibility while revealing insights that open us to emergent and creative ways forward.
Kristin Leydig Bryant - Principal; Clarity at Work
Julie Stuart - Founder & CEO; Making Ideas Visible
Facilitation to Fix Politics, Democracy by Assembly
All Levels
We are AssembleAmerica.org, and we believe that together we can activate true democracy in America through Citizens’ Assemblies. Come to hear our vision and our call to rally everyday Americans behind bringing the Deliberative Wave, that’s flourishing across the world, to America. Learn about our plan to build deliberative democratic capacity in your own community. Participants will engage in a discussion about how we can restore faith in democracy and heal the dysfunction and divides debilitating our national political agency. Our question to you: What are the opportunities and challenges to bringing democracy assembly and facilitated dialogue and deliberation to the American people as a tool to address our most urgent political crises?
Duncan Autrey - Founder and Host, Omni-Win Project
Nick Coccoma - Communications; Assemble America
Seth Adam Cohen - Executive Director; Assemble America
Geo Stokes - Grassroots Organization; Assemble America
All Levels
We are AssembleAmerica.org, and we believe that together we can activate true democracy in America through Citizens’ Assemblies. Come to hear our vision and our call to rally everyday Americans behind bringing the Deliberative Wave, that’s flourishing across the world, to America. Learn about our plan to build deliberative democratic capacity in your own community. Participants will engage in a discussion about how we can restore faith in democracy and heal the dysfunction and divides debilitating our national political agency. Our question to you: What are the opportunities and challenges to bringing democracy assembly and facilitated dialogue and deliberation to the American people as a tool to address our most urgent political crises?
Duncan Autrey - Founder and Host, Omni-Win Project
Nick Coccoma - Communications; Assemble America
Seth Adam Cohen - Executive Director; Assemble America
Geo Stokes - Grassroots Organization; Assemble America
Freedom Fortnight: An Emergent Opportunity for Dialogue Practitioners to Address the Nation’s Struggle to Produce a Unifying National Narrative
All Levels
Freedom Fortnight is the period between Juneteenth Freedom Day and July 4th Independence Day - both permanent national holidays. This period is two weeks, i.e. a fortnight. Freedom Fortnight is a term that a number of geographically disparate and disconnected social change advocates are coalescing around as they attempt to leverage this interregnum as a time for collective celebration, reflection and dialogue about the nation's messy past and common future.
This session will review the broad potential for the change makers can use Freedom and Independence - both deeply American values that are similar but not identical - to provide an umbrella organizing framework for useful dialogue across divides based on ideology, race, orientation, and other often intractable divisions. This workshop will illustrate the way that these concepts can be used as a way of highlighting the underlying dilemmas that all humans face when confronting unfairness; in addition, the workshop will review existing activities from around the country and provide an opportunity for participants to do facilitated visioning of how they might leverage Freedom Fortnight for productive activities in their own communities.
David Campt, PhD. - Founder & President; The Dialogue Company
All Levels
Freedom Fortnight is the period between Juneteenth Freedom Day and July 4th Independence Day - both permanent national holidays. This period is two weeks, i.e. a fortnight. Freedom Fortnight is a term that a number of geographically disparate and disconnected social change advocates are coalescing around as they attempt to leverage this interregnum as a time for collective celebration, reflection and dialogue about the nation's messy past and common future.
This session will review the broad potential for the change makers can use Freedom and Independence - both deeply American values that are similar but not identical - to provide an umbrella organizing framework for useful dialogue across divides based on ideology, race, orientation, and other often intractable divisions. This workshop will illustrate the way that these concepts can be used as a way of highlighting the underlying dilemmas that all humans face when confronting unfairness; in addition, the workshop will review existing activities from around the country and provide an opportunity for participants to do facilitated visioning of how they might leverage Freedom Fortnight for productive activities in their own communities.
David Campt, PhD. - Founder & President; The Dialogue Company
Gaining Insight Through Mindfulness, Systems Thinking, & Dialogue
Advanced
In this session, participants will learn about various mindful meditation practices and engage in a couple of those practices. Participants will also gain an overview of systems thinking and participate in an exercise that emphasizes various aspects of systems thinking. The facilitator will then weave together how mindfulness and a systems perspective are complementary processes that can enhance the effectiveness of dialogue. The session will culminate with a dialogue about how to integrate mindfulness and systems thinking into our dialogue practice.
Marty Jacobs - Transformative Change Consultant; Social Impact Consulting
Advanced
In this session, participants will learn about various mindful meditation practices and engage in a couple of those practices. Participants will also gain an overview of systems thinking and participate in an exercise that emphasizes various aspects of systems thinking. The facilitator will then weave together how mindfulness and a systems perspective are complementary processes that can enhance the effectiveness of dialogue. The session will culminate with a dialogue about how to integrate mindfulness and systems thinking into our dialogue practice.
Marty Jacobs - Transformative Change Consultant; Social Impact Consulting
National Dialogue: Building a Framework for Inclusive Dialogue in Haiti Through Participatory-Action Research
All Levels
How do we build the deliberative capacity of those that lack a culture of dialogue? This session provides insights on a participatory-action research project that explores how public deliberation and social capital can lead to the development of a participant-generated framework for an inclusive dialogue in Haiti. The presenters will share preliminary findings and lessons learned through the action-research project and discuss how the framework can be applied to other similar situations.
Kimberley Allonce - Doctoral Candidate; University of Central Florida
Saurel Quettan - Board Development Chair; Georgia Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce
All Levels
How do we build the deliberative capacity of those that lack a culture of dialogue? This session provides insights on a participatory-action research project that explores how public deliberation and social capital can lead to the development of a participant-generated framework for an inclusive dialogue in Haiti. The presenters will share preliminary findings and lessons learned through the action-research project and discuss how the framework can be applied to other similar situations.
Kimberley Allonce - Doctoral Candidate; University of Central Florida
Saurel Quettan - Board Development Chair; Georgia Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce
Sustainable Connections: Building an Undergraduate Student Facilitators Network
All Levels
What would it take to create a national network of undergraduate student facilitators? Drawing on this framing question, our interactive session will describe our efforts to build a student facilitator network and then invite our audience to become participants in sharing strategies for how to make such a network sustainable.
Over the past year, our team hosted two virtual summits for undergraduate student facilitators. These summits focused on helping students to reflect on their experiences as facilitators and to inspire meaningful connections across campuses. Our initial observations suggest that students long to be part of something bigger than themselves and value the opportunities to connect with like-minded peers. We also learned that while students would agree that they work as facilitators, some aren’t likely to refer to themselves as facilitators because they feel too young and inexperienced. Many of us who work in this field view undergraduate students as a huge gift to solving community problems and so this finding reveals a sizable disconnect between how effective students are as facilitators and how they feel a lack of ownership in that role.
After a brief reflection on this work, we will shift to a series of small group discussions in different formats so that we can learn from the community. What do students, staff, and faculty want to see in a reflective, connective network? How might colleges and universities incentivize students, staff, and faculty to maintain cross-campus collaborations? And, ultimately, how might this network equip a generation of students to envision themselves as life-long facilitators—in their work, neighborhoods, and communities?
Deborah Dunn - Director; Center for Dialogue and Deliberation, Westmont College
Marla Kanengieter - (recently) Chair, Department of Communication Studies; St. Cloud University
Lisa-Marie Napoli - Director, Political and Civic Engagement (PACE) Program; Indiana University
Rachel Rains Winslow - Director, Faculty Development; George Fox University
All Levels
What would it take to create a national network of undergraduate student facilitators? Drawing on this framing question, our interactive session will describe our efforts to build a student facilitator network and then invite our audience to become participants in sharing strategies for how to make such a network sustainable.
Over the past year, our team hosted two virtual summits for undergraduate student facilitators. These summits focused on helping students to reflect on their experiences as facilitators and to inspire meaningful connections across campuses. Our initial observations suggest that students long to be part of something bigger than themselves and value the opportunities to connect with like-minded peers. We also learned that while students would agree that they work as facilitators, some aren’t likely to refer to themselves as facilitators because they feel too young and inexperienced. Many of us who work in this field view undergraduate students as a huge gift to solving community problems and so this finding reveals a sizable disconnect between how effective students are as facilitators and how they feel a lack of ownership in that role.
After a brief reflection on this work, we will shift to a series of small group discussions in different formats so that we can learn from the community. What do students, staff, and faculty want to see in a reflective, connective network? How might colleges and universities incentivize students, staff, and faculty to maintain cross-campus collaborations? And, ultimately, how might this network equip a generation of students to envision themselves as life-long facilitators—in their work, neighborhoods, and communities?
Deborah Dunn - Director; Center for Dialogue and Deliberation, Westmont College
Marla Kanengieter - (recently) Chair, Department of Communication Studies; St. Cloud University
Lisa-Marie Napoli - Director, Political and Civic Engagement (PACE) Program; Indiana University
Rachel Rains Winslow - Director, Faculty Development; George Fox University
Using Dialogue to Meet Emergent Moments in Secondary Schools
All Levels
Teachers and school leaders face intense, unprecedented challenges today. They have to meet their core educational and civic goals. They are also crucial for the emotional and psychological development of students. They strive to cultivate cultures of belonging in one of the most diverse spaces in our society. They work in often tense collaboration with parents and community stakeholders. And they serve as the unofficial first responders in moments of national crisis.
What teachers and leaders need are tangible, practical tools to meet these challenges in the particular ways they show up in their own classrooms, schools, and districts. EP's Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) is one such tool, currently being used by middle and high schools, educators, students and administrators across the country to create more inclusive, open, and resilient school cultures. In this interactive presentation, participants will hear real-world cases of students, teachers, and administrators deploying RSD to meet challenges, empower students, and enrich the cultures of their middle and high schools. Speakers will share their own stories and challenges as well as the innovations they have developed and insights from their practice.
Participants of the session will then have the chance to strategize the application of frameworks, strategies, and insights—those drawn from the speakers as well as those they themselves bring—in small groups, with several scenarios as prompts. The hope is to bridge the gap between abstract learning and real-world application in their own contexts.
Nadiya Brock - Program Manager; Essential Partners
Danielle Johnson-Webb - Director of Equity and Community Engagement, Cary Academy
Stacey Lee - Chief of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action; Mount Vernon School
Eric Schildge - 8th grade ELA teacher; Newburyport Middle School
Thavish Sindhwani - 12th Grade Student Dialogue Leader; Cary Academy
All Levels
Teachers and school leaders face intense, unprecedented challenges today. They have to meet their core educational and civic goals. They are also crucial for the emotional and psychological development of students. They strive to cultivate cultures of belonging in one of the most diverse spaces in our society. They work in often tense collaboration with parents and community stakeholders. And they serve as the unofficial first responders in moments of national crisis.
What teachers and leaders need are tangible, practical tools to meet these challenges in the particular ways they show up in their own classrooms, schools, and districts. EP's Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) is one such tool, currently being used by middle and high schools, educators, students and administrators across the country to create more inclusive, open, and resilient school cultures. In this interactive presentation, participants will hear real-world cases of students, teachers, and administrators deploying RSD to meet challenges, empower students, and enrich the cultures of their middle and high schools. Speakers will share their own stories and challenges as well as the innovations they have developed and insights from their practice.
Participants of the session will then have the chance to strategize the application of frameworks, strategies, and insights—those drawn from the speakers as well as those they themselves bring—in small groups, with several scenarios as prompts. The hope is to bridge the gap between abstract learning and real-world application in their own contexts.
Nadiya Brock - Program Manager; Essential Partners
Danielle Johnson-Webb - Director of Equity and Community Engagement, Cary Academy
Stacey Lee - Chief of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Action; Mount Vernon School
Eric Schildge - 8th grade ELA teacher; Newburyport Middle School
Thavish Sindhwani - 12th Grade Student Dialogue Leader; Cary Academy
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15: WORKSHOP SESSION E - 9:00 – 10:30 am
Beyond Unity and Forgiveness: Creating Space for Conflict in the Classroom
All Levels
How do we create classroom environments – and other dialogic spaces – where people can engage in conflict in a productive manner? In this session, we will share stories of conflict from our class on dialogue that challenge the notion that unity and forgiveness are the most desirable goals in dialogue. Students experience greater growth and learning when their views are challenged, but how do facilitators create a safe environment for conflict to occur while also attending to the dynamics of race, power and worldview differences? Moreover, how do facilitators teach students to attend to these dynamics, to become more aware of, and have a deeper understanding of the ways that race, power, and worldview differences shape our experiences and narratives? How do we learn from these differences, and grow in our understanding of one another, without striving for the kind of unity that silences important differences?
Alison Castel, PhD. - Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Communications; Regis University
Erin Nourse, PhD. - Associate Professor of Religious Studies; Regis University
All Levels
How do we create classroom environments – and other dialogic spaces – where people can engage in conflict in a productive manner? In this session, we will share stories of conflict from our class on dialogue that challenge the notion that unity and forgiveness are the most desirable goals in dialogue. Students experience greater growth and learning when their views are challenged, but how do facilitators create a safe environment for conflict to occur while also attending to the dynamics of race, power and worldview differences? Moreover, how do facilitators teach students to attend to these dynamics, to become more aware of, and have a deeper understanding of the ways that race, power, and worldview differences shape our experiences and narratives? How do we learn from these differences, and grow in our understanding of one another, without striving for the kind of unity that silences important differences?
Alison Castel, PhD. - Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Communications; Regis University
Erin Nourse, PhD. - Associate Professor of Religious Studies; Regis University
Building Dialogue Based on the Uniqueness of Your Campus
All Levels
As we seek to build dialogue opportunities on different campuses, we at Emory University have latched on to the uniqueness of our climate to create a cocurricular dialogue team. We want to share how we utilized the essence of the debate program to build a six-year going program. We will share the origin of the Emory Conversation Project and show how you can apply these practices at your university or community. Participants will hear directly from participants in the program and get to model a dialogue that we do on campus for one of our signature programs.
Kozbi Bayne - Emory Conversation Project Facilitator; Emory University Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue
RW Poole II - Debate and Dialogue Specialist; Emory University Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue
Lydia Smith - Assistant Director of Campus Engagement & Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue; Emory University
All Levels
As we seek to build dialogue opportunities on different campuses, we at Emory University have latched on to the uniqueness of our climate to create a cocurricular dialogue team. We want to share how we utilized the essence of the debate program to build a six-year going program. We will share the origin of the Emory Conversation Project and show how you can apply these practices at your university or community. Participants will hear directly from participants in the program and get to model a dialogue that we do on campus for one of our signature programs.
Kozbi Bayne - Emory Conversation Project Facilitator; Emory University Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue
RW Poole II - Debate and Dialogue Specialist; Emory University Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue
Lydia Smith - Assistant Director of Campus Engagement & Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue; Emory University
Dialogue Across Differences in the Classroom
Beginner
Go back to school and experience Mismatch as if you were a high school student. Mismatch is a matching, scheduling, and real time video conferencing platform purpose-built for civil discourse. During a live demo of the Mismatch platform session participants will experience a real lesson being used in high schools around the country. During the Mismatched conversation participants will also get the opportunity to network with another participant in the session. After the demo, participants can join a brief Q&A with Mismatch co-creators from Living Room Conversations and AllSides to learn about how they approached building the platform.
John Gable - Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer; AllSides
Becca Kearl - Executive Director; Living Room Conversations
Samantha Shireman - Director of Product; AllSides
Beginner
Go back to school and experience Mismatch as if you were a high school student. Mismatch is a matching, scheduling, and real time video conferencing platform purpose-built for civil discourse. During a live demo of the Mismatch platform session participants will experience a real lesson being used in high schools around the country. During the Mismatched conversation participants will also get the opportunity to network with another participant in the session. After the demo, participants can join a brief Q&A with Mismatch co-creators from Living Room Conversations and AllSides to learn about how they approached building the platform.
John Gable - Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer; AllSides
Becca Kearl - Executive Director; Living Room Conversations
Samantha Shireman - Director of Product; AllSides
Expanding the Movement: Beyond Dialogue & Deliberation
All Levels
As we reconnect and reflect, we are also invited to renew our commitment to bring the wisdom of dialogue & deliberation to address the urgent needs of democracy. Nonetheless, the dialogue & deliberation movement can't make the necessary changes alone. There are adjacent movements striving to save democracy and it is time to expand. These other movements hold parts of the puzzle that we need, and we have the pieces of the puzzle that they need.
This session will explore how the dialogue & deliberation movement can deepen and expand collaboration with other movements to generate true transformation. Join with leaders from various fields to learn about the work they're doing and explore the ways we can grow our impact through cross-sector collaboration. The adjacent movements of interest include conflict transformation (addressing the root issues & bridging divides), popular media (raising mainstream awareness), technology (large scale collaboration & sensemaking), and politics & governance (citizen participation and postpartisan independent politics).
This session will invert the standard panel presentation. Participants and field leaders will begin in open discussion and transition into a structured participatory Q&A discussion, where we can envision what's possible. The session will conclude with the leaders speaking on a panel sharing about the ideas they heard and the best ways to seed potential collaborations into the future.
Duncan Autrey - Founder and Host; Omni-Win Project
Nick Coccoma - Communications; Assemble America
Seth Adam Cohen - Executive Director; Assemble America
Kayla Evans - Social Computing PhD. Student; Georgia Institute of Technology
Bo Harmon - Campaign Advisor; RepresentUs
Raye Rawls - Fanning Institute Senior Public Service Associate; University of Georgia
Scott Vineberg - Founder and CEO; PeoplePower.tv
All Levels
As we reconnect and reflect, we are also invited to renew our commitment to bring the wisdom of dialogue & deliberation to address the urgent needs of democracy. Nonetheless, the dialogue & deliberation movement can't make the necessary changes alone. There are adjacent movements striving to save democracy and it is time to expand. These other movements hold parts of the puzzle that we need, and we have the pieces of the puzzle that they need.
This session will explore how the dialogue & deliberation movement can deepen and expand collaboration with other movements to generate true transformation. Join with leaders from various fields to learn about the work they're doing and explore the ways we can grow our impact through cross-sector collaboration. The adjacent movements of interest include conflict transformation (addressing the root issues & bridging divides), popular media (raising mainstream awareness), technology (large scale collaboration & sensemaking), and politics & governance (citizen participation and postpartisan independent politics).
This session will invert the standard panel presentation. Participants and field leaders will begin in open discussion and transition into a structured participatory Q&A discussion, where we can envision what's possible. The session will conclude with the leaders speaking on a panel sharing about the ideas they heard and the best ways to seed potential collaborations into the future.
Duncan Autrey - Founder and Host; Omni-Win Project
Nick Coccoma - Communications; Assemble America
Seth Adam Cohen - Executive Director; Assemble America
Kayla Evans - Social Computing PhD. Student; Georgia Institute of Technology
Bo Harmon - Campaign Advisor; RepresentUs
Raye Rawls - Fanning Institute Senior Public Service Associate; University of Georgia
Scott Vineberg - Founder and CEO; PeoplePower.tv
Facts Don’t Change Minds; Considering the Unarguable
Intermediate
Journalists (and others) tend to sit firmly in the belief that facts matter more than anything and they are absolute, unarguable. And because of this, journalists (and others) tend to believe they should be trusted for their objectivity or neutrality. A growing body of research is teaching us more about how humans make decisions, how we create and hold opinions: we take our cues from those around us, we are tribal and social in our "knowing." Facts matter far less than we thought; a blow to traditional practices of journalism, a blow to how many of us like to think of ourselves as we navigate dialogue and deliberation. Knowing that relationships precede trust and facts don't change minds, how can we work most effectively to restore the civil and community fabric of our communities? What strategies are most helpful? What does work?
What if the unarguable is not, as Dr. Julie Colwell, founder of the Evolutionary Power Institute, a piece of information or a fact, but rather feelings and sensations, the way our breath catches, our stomach aches. What can we learn for the field of dialogue and deliberation when the unarguable is internal, somatic? Our fear or worry more real than the federal budget, more real than the facts of the school board policy on books? Join Spaceship Media's Eve Pearlman and Dr. Colwell for an exploration of what we can learn by grounding ourselves in our bodies as we design, create and host dialogues.
Julie Colwell, PhD. - Founder; Evolutionary Power Institute
Eve Daniel Pearlman - CEO; Spaceship Media
Intermediate
Journalists (and others) tend to sit firmly in the belief that facts matter more than anything and they are absolute, unarguable. And because of this, journalists (and others) tend to believe they should be trusted for their objectivity or neutrality. A growing body of research is teaching us more about how humans make decisions, how we create and hold opinions: we take our cues from those around us, we are tribal and social in our "knowing." Facts matter far less than we thought; a blow to traditional practices of journalism, a blow to how many of us like to think of ourselves as we navigate dialogue and deliberation. Knowing that relationships precede trust and facts don't change minds, how can we work most effectively to restore the civil and community fabric of our communities? What strategies are most helpful? What does work?
What if the unarguable is not, as Dr. Julie Colwell, founder of the Evolutionary Power Institute, a piece of information or a fact, but rather feelings and sensations, the way our breath catches, our stomach aches. What can we learn for the field of dialogue and deliberation when the unarguable is internal, somatic? Our fear or worry more real than the federal budget, more real than the facts of the school board policy on books? Join Spaceship Media's Eve Pearlman and Dr. Colwell for an exploration of what we can learn by grounding ourselves in our bodies as we design, create and host dialogues.
Julie Colwell, PhD. - Founder; Evolutionary Power Institute
Eve Daniel Pearlman - CEO; Spaceship Media
How Can Dialogue Change Institutionalized Forms of Injustice?
All Levels
How do we bring dialogue into the places where structures and systems are created? Into spaces where decisions are made? Into the practice of busy people who already define their world through strong expertise - but not the kind that lends to dialogue? How can professional development strategies make use of dialogue principles to help dismantle institutionalized forms of injustice? In this session we will (1) demonstrate curricular designs we’ve developed to address these questions, (2) engage participants in brief experiments that demonstrate the underlying principles, and (3) foster exchange of ideas and strategies. The goal of this work is to support those in positions of expertise, power, and influence to understand and embed dialogue in the heart of their work in order to create a just, equitable, and meaningfully diverse society.
Elizabeth Cole - Director, National Center for Institutional Diversity; Professor, University of Michigan
Diana Kardia - Founder and Lead Designer; Kardia Group LLC: Leadership and Change in Academia
All Levels
How do we bring dialogue into the places where structures and systems are created? Into spaces where decisions are made? Into the practice of busy people who already define their world through strong expertise - but not the kind that lends to dialogue? How can professional development strategies make use of dialogue principles to help dismantle institutionalized forms of injustice? In this session we will (1) demonstrate curricular designs we’ve developed to address these questions, (2) engage participants in brief experiments that demonstrate the underlying principles, and (3) foster exchange of ideas and strategies. The goal of this work is to support those in positions of expertise, power, and influence to understand and embed dialogue in the heart of their work in order to create a just, equitable, and meaningfully diverse society.
Elizabeth Cole - Director, National Center for Institutional Diversity; Professor, University of Michigan
Diana Kardia - Founder and Lead Designer; Kardia Group LLC: Leadership and Change in Academia
Organizing Online Community Conversations Using Exploratory Discussions
All Levels
This workshop will focus on how to organize online community conversations using exploratory discussions. Three different organizations will share their 3+ years of experience in organizing ongoing, interactive, online community conversations. Come to learn how we did it and what we learned, take facilitation plans and how-to guides for your own discussions. In this workshop, you will also take part in an exploratory discussion where you can share your own experiences of participating in and/or organizing online discussions. We will share our best practices and learn from each other’s experiences. In developing and leading this workshop, we are open to collaborating with other organizations that have been doing online exploratory discussions.
Laura Black - Communication Studies Professor; Ohio University
Ieva Notturno - Fellow & Facilitator; Interactivity Foundation
Sarah Star - Founder, Democracy Lab; Carroll Community College
All Levels
This workshop will focus on how to organize online community conversations using exploratory discussions. Three different organizations will share their 3+ years of experience in organizing ongoing, interactive, online community conversations. Come to learn how we did it and what we learned, take facilitation plans and how-to guides for your own discussions. In this workshop, you will also take part in an exploratory discussion where you can share your own experiences of participating in and/or organizing online discussions. We will share our best practices and learn from each other’s experiences. In developing and leading this workshop, we are open to collaborating with other organizations that have been doing online exploratory discussions.
Laura Black - Communication Studies Professor; Ohio University
Ieva Notturno - Fellow & Facilitator; Interactivity Foundation
Sarah Star - Founder, Democracy Lab; Carroll Community College
Pathways & Roadblocks: Building Momentum for a Dialogic Campus
All Levels
College campuses have become more polarized, dysfunctional, and divided than ever— but it doesn't have to be that way. For 30 years, Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) has helped educators, students, administrators, and leaders build classroom and campus cultures where tough topics can be discussed with dignity and honesty, where community resilience allow a campus to navigate divisive events, where all students feel they belong regardless of their identities, perspectives, or values. Essential Partners has developed effective models both for classroom teaching and co-curricular engagement, which work hand-in-hand to transform the larger campus culture.
In this interactive presentation, participants will hear stories and research from several different campuses who are unlocking the potential of their campus community by weaving RSD into every corner of campus life and teaching. Faculty and administrators will share their roadblocks and stuck places, as well as strategies and pathways that build momentum. With those stories and data as a starting point, participants will identify their own roadblocks and will workshop pathways for building momentum for a dialogic campus. Participants will leave with a better sense of what might work on their own campus and one to two next steps.
Jill DeTemple - Academic Associate; Essential Partners & Professor, Southern Methodist University
Meg Griffiths - Director of Programs; Essential Partners
Kevin Minister - Assistant Director of Shenandoah Conversations, Shenandoah University
Sarah Stroup - Director; Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation, Middlebury College
All Levels
College campuses have become more polarized, dysfunctional, and divided than ever— but it doesn't have to be that way. For 30 years, Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) has helped educators, students, administrators, and leaders build classroom and campus cultures where tough topics can be discussed with dignity and honesty, where community resilience allow a campus to navigate divisive events, where all students feel they belong regardless of their identities, perspectives, or values. Essential Partners has developed effective models both for classroom teaching and co-curricular engagement, which work hand-in-hand to transform the larger campus culture.
In this interactive presentation, participants will hear stories and research from several different campuses who are unlocking the potential of their campus community by weaving RSD into every corner of campus life and teaching. Faculty and administrators will share their roadblocks and stuck places, as well as strategies and pathways that build momentum. With those stories and data as a starting point, participants will identify their own roadblocks and will workshop pathways for building momentum for a dialogic campus. Participants will leave with a better sense of what might work on their own campus and one to two next steps.
Jill DeTemple - Academic Associate; Essential Partners & Professor, Southern Methodist University
Meg Griffiths - Director of Programs; Essential Partners
Kevin Minister - Assistant Director of Shenandoah Conversations, Shenandoah University
Sarah Stroup - Director; Davis Collaborative in Conflict Transformation, Middlebury College
Visual Practice for Dialogue and Deliberation
Beginner
Graphic facilitation has a unique ability to enhance communication and understanding during dialogue and deliberation. Visual aids play a crucial role in clarifying complex ideas and fostering a shared understanding among parties. By learning graphic facilitation techniques, you can create visual representations of key concepts, helping all parties grasp the intricacies of the discussion more effectively. This streamlines the group processes and reduces the chances of misunderstandings that could lead to conflicts or breakdowns in communication.
Philip Bakelaar, PhD. - Montclair State University adjunct professor and International Forum of Visual Practitioners President
Julie Stuart - Founder & CEO; Making Ideas Visible
Brian Tarallo - Managing Director; Lizard Brain
Beginner
Graphic facilitation has a unique ability to enhance communication and understanding during dialogue and deliberation. Visual aids play a crucial role in clarifying complex ideas and fostering a shared understanding among parties. By learning graphic facilitation techniques, you can create visual representations of key concepts, helping all parties grasp the intricacies of the discussion more effectively. This streamlines the group processes and reduces the chances of misunderstandings that could lead to conflicts or breakdowns in communication.
Philip Bakelaar, PhD. - Montclair State University adjunct professor and International Forum of Visual Practitioners President
Julie Stuart - Founder & CEO; Making Ideas Visible
Brian Tarallo - Managing Director; Lizard Brain
Who We Are, What We Have Done, Let's Talk
Beginner
Our focus is to sustain with others an engaged public to improve the quality of life of residents in Bolivar County and the MS Delta. In 2016 we used primarily national issues to publicly involve residents throughout the Mississippi Delta. We formed in April 2021 the Bolivar County Group (BCG). Our initial objectives were to practice having "good conversations", and how to incorporate attentive listening and weighing different perspectives into our discussions. With the broader public in mind, we later identified and prioritized community violence, education, and economic and health disparities as daunting community problems worthy of exploring with others in pursuit of meaningful change. Join us in this conversation on how you expanded your public to include diversity - age, gender, ideology, and race; what have you done to ensure continued member involvement; how have you used the abilities assembled within your group and the community; and how have you built your networks to align with strategic partners? At the end of our conversation, we should better understand how to welcome and engage those who are not predisposed to participate in addressing community concerns.
James (Ike) Adams - Co-convenor; Bolivar County Group (BCG) - MS Delta
DeGail Hadley PhD. - Owner and Physician; DeGail J. Hadley Wellness Medical Clinic
Felicia Penilton - Manager and Owner; Dr. DeGail J. Hadley Wellness Medical Clinic
Beginner
Our focus is to sustain with others an engaged public to improve the quality of life of residents in Bolivar County and the MS Delta. In 2016 we used primarily national issues to publicly involve residents throughout the Mississippi Delta. We formed in April 2021 the Bolivar County Group (BCG). Our initial objectives were to practice having "good conversations", and how to incorporate attentive listening and weighing different perspectives into our discussions. With the broader public in mind, we later identified and prioritized community violence, education, and economic and health disparities as daunting community problems worthy of exploring with others in pursuit of meaningful change. Join us in this conversation on how you expanded your public to include diversity - age, gender, ideology, and race; what have you done to ensure continued member involvement; how have you used the abilities assembled within your group and the community; and how have you built your networks to align with strategic partners? At the end of our conversation, we should better understand how to welcome and engage those who are not predisposed to participate in addressing community concerns.
James (Ike) Adams - Co-convenor; Bolivar County Group (BCG) - MS Delta
DeGail Hadley PhD. - Owner and Physician; DeGail J. Hadley Wellness Medical Clinic
Felicia Penilton - Manager and Owner; Dr. DeGail J. Hadley Wellness Medical Clinic
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15: WORKSHOP SESSION F - 11:00 – 12:30 pm
A Human-Centered Approach to Being a Catalyst for Change
All Levels
We are gathering together to connect, learn, and explore the power of collective energy and dialogue. This workshop focuses on the individual experience within that gathering. We will explore a human-centered approach to how we might show up as singular humans aiming to be catalysts for change that cascades through our lives, work, culture, and society.
In this visually facilitated workshop, we will reflect on how we show up as our complex selves, and explore how we might re-integrate our learnings, connections, and takeaways into our home lives. An interactive session with guided reflection, small group conversations, and meaningful sharing, this workshop will help you integrate your conference experience into action.
Rachel Thompson - Founder & CEO; Daring Studios
All Levels
We are gathering together to connect, learn, and explore the power of collective energy and dialogue. This workshop focuses on the individual experience within that gathering. We will explore a human-centered approach to how we might show up as singular humans aiming to be catalysts for change that cascades through our lives, work, culture, and society.
In this visually facilitated workshop, we will reflect on how we show up as our complex selves, and explore how we might re-integrate our learnings, connections, and takeaways into our home lives. An interactive session with guided reflection, small group conversations, and meaningful sharing, this workshop will help you integrate your conference experience into action.
Rachel Thompson - Founder & CEO; Daring Studios
Act Before You Think - Using Drama to Uncover the Issues
Beginner
August Boal was one of the first to use dramatic technique aligned with Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, to break the “fourth wall” of dramatic performance and invite the audience into the play space as co-creators of potential solutions to issues of injustice. So many times, the issues we chose to bring to dialogue are embedded in the cultural bodies of the participants, and invoked feelings seek physical as well as mental expression. Participants will experience and learn a series of introductory theater exercises that lead into issues work in a Boalian dramatic space. The group will choose and work through a social issue through this technique, having the facilitation modeled by the instructor, then debrief with a discussion about the possible applications of this work as a precursor or tool for social justice dialogue.
Michael Wallace - Associate Professor & Regional Specialist; Washington State University
Beginner
August Boal was one of the first to use dramatic technique aligned with Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, to break the “fourth wall” of dramatic performance and invite the audience into the play space as co-creators of potential solutions to issues of injustice. So many times, the issues we chose to bring to dialogue are embedded in the cultural bodies of the participants, and invoked feelings seek physical as well as mental expression. Participants will experience and learn a series of introductory theater exercises that lead into issues work in a Boalian dramatic space. The group will choose and work through a social issue through this technique, having the facilitation modeled by the instructor, then debrief with a discussion about the possible applications of this work as a precursor or tool for social justice dialogue.
Michael Wallace - Associate Professor & Regional Specialist; Washington State University
Connecting Campus and Community: Collaborative Dialogues for Community-Based Racial Repair
All Levels
How might communities have the difficult conversations surrounding topics of racial repair, equity, and reparations? And how can colleges and universities become better facilitators and motivators for their local communities in these efforts? These questions are especially important today, as communities struggle to come to terms with their contested histories—while they also face mounting pressures to ignore or disavow those histories. Wesleyan College has used the Interactivity Foundation’s model of collaborative discussions to change our campus climate over the past decade. In this workshop, we will share how this same collaborative discussion model helped us to forge new ties with our local community in Macon, Georgia.
Over the past two years, as part of our work with the Mellon Foundation’s Crafting Democratic Futures project, we’ve partnered with the Tubman African American Museum to create community discussions around racial repair and reparations, particularly symbolic reparations related to telling the marginalized histories of Macon's African American communities. Members of Wesleyan College’s Lane Center for Social and Racial Equity, Tubman Museum leadership, and our Macon community partners will share how our community engagement was structured in this interactive, dialogue-based session. As a small Southern U.S. college taking on big issues in solidarity with our local community, we will engage the session participants in a participatory dialogue about the challenges and successes of our work, and share how this approach could extend to similar work elsewhere.
Jeff Bruce - Director of Exhibitions; Tubman African American Museum
Holly Cole - Associate Professor of Psychology; Wesleyan College
Melanie Doherty - Rufus K. and Jane Mulkey Green Professor of English; Wesleyan College
Tonya Parker - Chief Diversity Officer; Wesleyan College
All Levels
How might communities have the difficult conversations surrounding topics of racial repair, equity, and reparations? And how can colleges and universities become better facilitators and motivators for their local communities in these efforts? These questions are especially important today, as communities struggle to come to terms with their contested histories—while they also face mounting pressures to ignore or disavow those histories. Wesleyan College has used the Interactivity Foundation’s model of collaborative discussions to change our campus climate over the past decade. In this workshop, we will share how this same collaborative discussion model helped us to forge new ties with our local community in Macon, Georgia.
Over the past two years, as part of our work with the Mellon Foundation’s Crafting Democratic Futures project, we’ve partnered with the Tubman African American Museum to create community discussions around racial repair and reparations, particularly symbolic reparations related to telling the marginalized histories of Macon's African American communities. Members of Wesleyan College’s Lane Center for Social and Racial Equity, Tubman Museum leadership, and our Macon community partners will share how our community engagement was structured in this interactive, dialogue-based session. As a small Southern U.S. college taking on big issues in solidarity with our local community, we will engage the session participants in a participatory dialogue about the challenges and successes of our work, and share how this approach could extend to similar work elsewhere.
Jeff Bruce - Director of Exhibitions; Tubman African American Museum
Holly Cole - Associate Professor of Psychology; Wesleyan College
Melanie Doherty - Rufus K. and Jane Mulkey Green Professor of English; Wesleyan College
Tonya Parker - Chief Diversity Officer; Wesleyan College
DEI Dialogue and Collective Action: Tackling the Challenges of Working within the Higher Education System
All Levels
How can Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Dialogue be used to collectively re-imagine policies, practices, and processes in higher education? What tensions exist between individual change and systemic change? This session will highlight a staff to staff dialogue and deliberation model being used on a university campus to work towards DEI policy and process change. We will share the story of our project and lessons learned. Highlighting the ways we have been attentive to power relationships, we will also discuss the ways we are working to design DEI Dialogue that aims to disrupt traditional patterns of power.
We will open it up to the group for an interactive dialogue to investigate how others in the field are thinking about: a) the challenges of centering dialogue in collective action; b) balancing individual and systemic change; and c) working to decolonize the decision making process within a culture of white supremacy. Participants will gain an understanding of how dialogue has been used with staff to center DEI action. They will also get a chance to participate in dialogue, thinking together about challenges of this work. Collective imagining and sharing hope is an additional goal of the session.
Nancy Maingi Ngwu - Co-Lead Researcher and Dialogue Designer; University of Colorado Boulder
Jennifer Pacheco - Co-Lead Researcher and Dialogue Designer; University of Colorado Boulder
Karen Ramirez, PhD. - Program Director of the CU Dialogues Program; University of Colorado Boulder
All Levels
How can Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Dialogue be used to collectively re-imagine policies, practices, and processes in higher education? What tensions exist between individual change and systemic change? This session will highlight a staff to staff dialogue and deliberation model being used on a university campus to work towards DEI policy and process change. We will share the story of our project and lessons learned. Highlighting the ways we have been attentive to power relationships, we will also discuss the ways we are working to design DEI Dialogue that aims to disrupt traditional patterns of power.
We will open it up to the group for an interactive dialogue to investigate how others in the field are thinking about: a) the challenges of centering dialogue in collective action; b) balancing individual and systemic change; and c) working to decolonize the decision making process within a culture of white supremacy. Participants will gain an understanding of how dialogue has been used with staff to center DEI action. They will also get a chance to participate in dialogue, thinking together about challenges of this work. Collective imagining and sharing hope is an additional goal of the session.
Nancy Maingi Ngwu - Co-Lead Researcher and Dialogue Designer; University of Colorado Boulder
Jennifer Pacheco - Co-Lead Researcher and Dialogue Designer; University of Colorado Boulder
Karen Ramirez, PhD. - Program Director of the CU Dialogues Program; University of Colorado Boulder
Learning to Create Together: Participatory Design of K-12 Civics Education for the 21st Century
All Levels
Schools offer a critical opportunity for kids to gain knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to be active, engaged, and constructive members of the community and society. This would include skills in dialogue and collaborative problem-solving. Unfortunately, the focus of much of the discussion about "civics" focuses on the principles of American democracy and the processes of government, which by themselves do little to actually prepare kids for democracy.
Learning to Create Together is a proposed process for school districts to engage communities in the design of a comprehensive and systemic civics education experience students, at all levels (K-12), and it begins with creating the desired image of a civic life -- something that only the members of the community have the right to do. Participants in this session will help to pilot that crucial step, experiencing the process of making choices about a desired civic life, as if they were the community doing the design. Participants who are interested in civics education might wish to take this concept to their own schools and school districts.
Matthew Shapiro - Organizer; Boisevolve
All Levels
Schools offer a critical opportunity for kids to gain knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to be active, engaged, and constructive members of the community and society. This would include skills in dialogue and collaborative problem-solving. Unfortunately, the focus of much of the discussion about "civics" focuses on the principles of American democracy and the processes of government, which by themselves do little to actually prepare kids for democracy.
Learning to Create Together is a proposed process for school districts to engage communities in the design of a comprehensive and systemic civics education experience students, at all levels (K-12), and it begins with creating the desired image of a civic life -- something that only the members of the community have the right to do. Participants in this session will help to pilot that crucial step, experiencing the process of making choices about a desired civic life, as if they were the community doing the design. Participants who are interested in civics education might wish to take this concept to their own schools and school districts.
Matthew Shapiro - Organizer; Boisevolve
Meeting the Moment: NCDD & The Future
All Levels
We are at an inflection point in the history of humanity. How we communicate and gather has changed, and NCDD seeks to meet this moment. Come-and-go or come-and-stay at this session, where we seek your input and encourage conversation and ideas about how NCDD's members, programming, staff, volunteers, and board can keep the organization healthy, relevant, and positioned for impact and longevity. The future is now, and we want you with us. We need your ideas, your commitment, your resolve, your network, and your energy to make NCDD the best coalition it can be. This session will feature some guiding questions for conversation, and we encourage all who are committed to the future of NCDD to bring a bright mind and attitude as we coalition about the coalition. Some NCDD staff and board members will be present to hear you and take notes on these conversations to continue as we move forward. This is a session you won't want to miss, as it will help us shape the next years of our practice community and our impact!
Courtney Breese - Executive Director; National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
Keiva Hummel - Communications Coordinator; National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
B. Rae Perryman - Development Associate; National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
All Levels
We are at an inflection point in the history of humanity. How we communicate and gather has changed, and NCDD seeks to meet this moment. Come-and-go or come-and-stay at this session, where we seek your input and encourage conversation and ideas about how NCDD's members, programming, staff, volunteers, and board can keep the organization healthy, relevant, and positioned for impact and longevity. The future is now, and we want you with us. We need your ideas, your commitment, your resolve, your network, and your energy to make NCDD the best coalition it can be. This session will feature some guiding questions for conversation, and we encourage all who are committed to the future of NCDD to bring a bright mind and attitude as we coalition about the coalition. Some NCDD staff and board members will be present to hear you and take notes on these conversations to continue as we move forward. This is a session you won't want to miss, as it will help us shape the next years of our practice community and our impact!
Courtney Breese - Executive Director; National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
Keiva Hummel - Communications Coordinator; National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
B. Rae Perryman - Development Associate; National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
Testimony and Listening as Wellness Practices: Reimagining Presence
All Levels
How can crafting and sharing your story support wellness? How can we learn to listen to another's story without trying to extract something from it? In this interactive, multi-modal session, we will explore what it means to bring a testimonial ethos to dialogue -- and how doing so facilitates individual and collective healing by restoring autonomy to the speaker and presence to the listener. Aided by visual media and recorded testimonies, we will practice skills for non-extractive, embodied listening and learn an effective model for sharing and receiving testimony.
Lia Howard, PhD. - Student Advising and Wellness Director; SNF Paideia Program, University of Pennsylvania
Sarah Ropp - Dialogue Director; SNF Paideia Program, University of Pennsylvania
All Levels
How can crafting and sharing your story support wellness? How can we learn to listen to another's story without trying to extract something from it? In this interactive, multi-modal session, we will explore what it means to bring a testimonial ethos to dialogue -- and how doing so facilitates individual and collective healing by restoring autonomy to the speaker and presence to the listener. Aided by visual media and recorded testimonies, we will practice skills for non-extractive, embodied listening and learn an effective model for sharing and receiving testimony.
Lia Howard, PhD. - Student Advising and Wellness Director; SNF Paideia Program, University of Pennsylvania
Sarah Ropp - Dialogue Director; SNF Paideia Program, University of Pennsylvania
The Power of Language: Speaking to Difference & Similarity
All Levels
Storytelling, through dialogue, has the power to set the foundation for the more challenging, yet necessary conversations. Without basic understanding of each other first, such as the core values of who we are as people, anything else becomes unproductive for the collective and potential of future relationship building. This roundtable will begin with us sharing about our experience in polarized political dynamics, but also include experiences of working in communities where people use social justice "buzzwords" as well as how both ends of the spectrum call for internalizing the work as humans through storytelling.
Marquelle Ogletree - Student Co-Director; University of Florida Changemakers' Dialogue Program
Joey Puell - Student Co-Director; University of Florida Changemakers' Dialogue Program
Arleen Rodriguez-Portal - Student Co-Director; University of Florida Changemakers' Dialogue Program
Manda Wittebort - Program Coordinator, Brown Center for Leadership & Service; University of Florida Changemakers' Dialogue Program
All Levels
Storytelling, through dialogue, has the power to set the foundation for the more challenging, yet necessary conversations. Without basic understanding of each other first, such as the core values of who we are as people, anything else becomes unproductive for the collective and potential of future relationship building. This roundtable will begin with us sharing about our experience in polarized political dynamics, but also include experiences of working in communities where people use social justice "buzzwords" as well as how both ends of the spectrum call for internalizing the work as humans through storytelling.
Marquelle Ogletree - Student Co-Director; University of Florida Changemakers' Dialogue Program
Joey Puell - Student Co-Director; University of Florida Changemakers' Dialogue Program
Arleen Rodriguez-Portal - Student Co-Director; University of Florida Changemakers' Dialogue Program
Manda Wittebort - Program Coordinator, Brown Center for Leadership & Service; University of Florida Changemakers' Dialogue Program