The below message was sent to the Bryn Mawr community on Friday, April 15.
The Dialogue Project
The Challenge:
Understanding and exploring multiple perspectives and ideas can be hard, but it is critical to creating a community where all viewpoints are heard and understood and where all members can thrive and feel that they belong. The College is committed to offering opportunities for our community members to build their capacities to listen actively, examine complex ideas, and engage in open exchange, and we are fortunate to have a number of faculty and staff with professional training and skills that can help us in this work.
The Opportunity:
Six faculty and staff facilitators are planning an intensive workshop this spring to create The Dialogue Project, a program launching on campus this fall that will offer a cohort of students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to develop and strengthen skills for engaging and facilitating multi-perspective conversations and meaningful exchange.
What is involved?
- Interested students, faculty, and staff (about 14 participants in all) will participate in a campus workshop Monday-Thursday the week of May 16.
- Sessions will involve participation in activities and discussion designed to develop capabilities for active listening, responding with understanding, facilitating constructive engagement, and reflection in support of personal development and campus program development. Feedback will assist in developing the fall campus program.
- Dates and times: May 16-19 (Monday鈥揟hursday), 9-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-4 p.m. Participants will attend all sessions. Lunch will be provided. We will work with supervisors to arrange release time for staff participants.
- Student, faculty and staff stipend for participation: $350
- Facilitators of the workshop and fall program: Darlyne Bailey, Professor of Social Work and Dean Emeritus GSSWSR; Alison Cook-Sather, Professor of Education and Director of the Teaching and Learning Institute; Dee Matthews, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing; AT Ort铆z, Associate Dean for Equity, Inclusion and Community Life; Jennifer Walters, Dean of the Undergraduate College; Rabbi Nora Woods, Interfaith Chaplain.
If you are interested in helping to build this program, please fill out the brief online by Monday, April 25. This program is supported by the President鈥檚 Office. Please direct any questions to Ruth Lindeborg: rlindebo@brynmawr.edu.