Campus Tools
It’s rare to be in an environment surrounded by diverse individuals with different backgrounds, ideologies, and experiences, all generally willing to share their thoughts and opinions. College is a great place to create dialogue on a wide variety of topics that students may be interested in discussing. With some colleges having small, close-knit communities and others having large, extremely diverse populations, communication needs can vary. Developing ways in which students, professors, administrators, and organizations on campus can create a safe space, in which people feel comfortable communicating about difficult and complex issues is paramount in creating a healthier, more peaceable society. These methods may take various forms.
An environment centered on open dialogue helps students feel more comfortable voicing their opinions. Dialogue at its best is a highly inclusive process– welcoming diverse viewpoints and ideas. It is also a learning experience. Empathy is another important aspect of dialogue, which may flourish best in a neutral, respectful setting. This process changes the way people communicate and listen. Listed below are examples of different activities that organizations on campus can use to advance open dialogue.
-Peace Circle
A Peace Circle aids in conflict resolution by encouraging open, respectful dialogue among all individuals affected by a particular incident or situation. Peace Circles “need a minimum of 3 participants sitting in a circle of chairs, ideally without tables or other obstructions between them. They use a talking stick (or other object) to take turns speaking and determine (1) what happened and why, and (2) how it can be fixed”. Using a peace circle can be beneficial to everyone involved, as everyone is viewed as equal to one another and the format aims to minimize or eliminate power inequalities that may exist when normally interacting with other students, professors, or administrators. Discussing issues in a relatively open environment allows everyone participating to have a voice and be heard. To use a peace circle, a group of three or more is needed, with one individual being a trained facilitator and monitoring the circle.
More about peace circles can be found at: http://www.cehd.umn.edu/ssw/RJP/Projects/Victim-Offender-Dialogue/Peacemaking_Healing_Circles/The_Circle_Process.pdf
-Check-Ins
Educators can incorporate check-ins in their classes at the beginning of each week to see how their students are doing. By stating and naming our emotions, we can often better process what we are feeling. Students as well as their teachers can share what is causing them stress and/or anything that may be bothering them at the time. This can also be a time to share accomplishments or goals. Support from classmates and professors can be extremely encouraging and helpful when trying to attain goals. This activity can help to build empathy among students and aid in understanding between professors and students.
Peace Circles and check-ins can also be incorporated at the administrative level at colleges and universities. Faculty and staff are often stressed and at times, overworked. Checking in with each other can help relieve stress and create a more inclusive, connected, and effective workplace.
-World Cafés
World Café is a communication tool that can be used to discuss a wide range of topics. Any topic or issue that students are passionate about and want to discuss in a group setting is perfect for World Café’s model of dialogue. To host a World Café, multiple small tables sitting 4 to 5 people each are needed (of course, this can be done without actual tables, but tables may help to define the space). After the host introduces the World Café process and topic of discussion, the small groups will shuffle among tables as different questions from the host, focused on the topic of discussion, prompt new thoughts and ideas. This method of discussion allows for connectedness, but also new ideas to form as the group dynamic changes during each new question. At the end of a World Café, the groups come together to talk about what they heard, learned, and discussed.
More information on World Cafés can be found at: http://www.theworldcafe.com/key-concepts-resources/world-cafe-method/
-Town Hall Meeting
A town hall meeting is optimally a place for thoughtful dialogue to respectfully be shared about issues affecting the campus. Attendee participation is encouraged Students are able to speak and know their voices are being heard by high ranking members of their college administration and community members. The primary purpose of a town hall meeting is to collect feedback from the community and to provide the community information.
More information on holding a town hall meeting can be found at: https://www.acep.org/uploadedFiles/ACEP/advocacy/state/Guide%20to%20Hosting%20a%20Town%20Hall%20Meeting.pdf
-Implementing Dialogue Tools on Campus
Listed below are different ways in which individuals and organizations can implement the dialogue tools to help create an environment of open communication and peacebuilding on campus.
· Create a Club focused on discussing controversial issues. An example of a club that used the Peace Circles is the Dialogue and Difference club at George Mason University.
Start a Student Peace Alliance Chapter at your school, where open dialogue and restorative practices can be used. Creating a chapter or an affiliation with the Student Peace Alliance can support campus advocacy initiatives surrounding restorative dialogue implementation.
· Start a “Sustained Dialogue” chapter. The Sustained Dialogue Institute is an organization that has helped transform conflictual relationships around the world. Sustained Dialogue Institute is active in 12 countries and 44 campuses. With its 5 step process, Sustained Dialogue is able to help foster change and understanding for people trying to address strained relationships. The goal of Sustained Dialogue is to create changes that will be impactful and last. Individuals can start a chapter on their campus.
More information on Sustained Dialogue Institute and how to start a chapter at your school can be found at: http://sustaineddialogue.org/
· Start a Student Journal on campus dedicated to publishing open-minded essays on controversial topics. This can lead to more discussions on campus between students interested in the issues covered in the journal. An example to look at for inspiration is Dialogue, a journal published by undergraduates at Boston College.
· Blog with Us. Write about RJPs’ successes and/or challenges on your campus by submitting a post for the Student Peace Alliance blog. Share with us the benefits of using sustained and open dialogue as a means to better understanding each other and finding peace within controversial issues. Send blog posts to Dan Kahn at dan@peacealliance.org.
· Host a Diversity Dialogue week. Events can include documentaries focused on relevant issues, dance performances from different cultures, guest speakers, and a picnic with food from different countries. Each event can end in a World Café or peace circle, allowing students to reflect on their experiences. If this sounds like too much for a single student organization to host, look to other organizations similar in mission. Multiple organizations can co-host this event.
University of Portland hosts an annual Diversity Dialogue Week and has examples of previous events’ schedules on their website. http://www.up.edu/activities/default.aspx?cid=3542&pid=168
If you have more resources to suggest to add to our page, please send them to us here!
An environment centered on open dialogue helps students feel more comfortable voicing their opinions. Dialogue at its best is a highly inclusive process– welcoming diverse viewpoints and ideas. It is also a learning experience. Empathy is another important aspect of dialogue, which may flourish best in a neutral, respectful setting. This process changes the way people communicate and listen. Listed below are examples of different activities that organizations on campus can use to advance open dialogue.
-Peace Circle
A Peace Circle aids in conflict resolution by encouraging open, respectful dialogue among all individuals affected by a particular incident or situation. Peace Circles “need a minimum of 3 participants sitting in a circle of chairs, ideally without tables or other obstructions between them. They use a talking stick (or other object) to take turns speaking and determine (1) what happened and why, and (2) how it can be fixed”. Using a peace circle can be beneficial to everyone involved, as everyone is viewed as equal to one another and the format aims to minimize or eliminate power inequalities that may exist when normally interacting with other students, professors, or administrators. Discussing issues in a relatively open environment allows everyone participating to have a voice and be heard. To use a peace circle, a group of three or more is needed, with one individual being a trained facilitator and monitoring the circle.
More about peace circles can be found at: http://www.cehd.umn.edu/ssw/RJP/Projects/Victim-Offender-Dialogue/Peacemaking_Healing_Circles/The_Circle_Process.pdf
-Check-Ins
Educators can incorporate check-ins in their classes at the beginning of each week to see how their students are doing. By stating and naming our emotions, we can often better process what we are feeling. Students as well as their teachers can share what is causing them stress and/or anything that may be bothering them at the time. This can also be a time to share accomplishments or goals. Support from classmates and professors can be extremely encouraging and helpful when trying to attain goals. This activity can help to build empathy among students and aid in understanding between professors and students.
Peace Circles and check-ins can also be incorporated at the administrative level at colleges and universities. Faculty and staff are often stressed and at times, overworked. Checking in with each other can help relieve stress and create a more inclusive, connected, and effective workplace.
-World Cafés
World Café is a communication tool that can be used to discuss a wide range of topics. Any topic or issue that students are passionate about and want to discuss in a group setting is perfect for World Café’s model of dialogue. To host a World Café, multiple small tables sitting 4 to 5 people each are needed (of course, this can be done without actual tables, but tables may help to define the space). After the host introduces the World Café process and topic of discussion, the small groups will shuffle among tables as different questions from the host, focused on the topic of discussion, prompt new thoughts and ideas. This method of discussion allows for connectedness, but also new ideas to form as the group dynamic changes during each new question. At the end of a World Café, the groups come together to talk about what they heard, learned, and discussed.
More information on World Cafés can be found at: http://www.theworldcafe.com/key-concepts-resources/world-cafe-method/
-Town Hall Meeting
A town hall meeting is optimally a place for thoughtful dialogue to respectfully be shared about issues affecting the campus. Attendee participation is encouraged Students are able to speak and know their voices are being heard by high ranking members of their college administration and community members. The primary purpose of a town hall meeting is to collect feedback from the community and to provide the community information.
More information on holding a town hall meeting can be found at: https://www.acep.org/uploadedFiles/ACEP/advocacy/state/Guide%20to%20Hosting%20a%20Town%20Hall%20Meeting.pdf
-Implementing Dialogue Tools on Campus
Listed below are different ways in which individuals and organizations can implement the dialogue tools to help create an environment of open communication and peacebuilding on campus.
· Create a Club focused on discussing controversial issues. An example of a club that used the Peace Circles is the Dialogue and Difference club at George Mason University.
Start a Student Peace Alliance Chapter at your school, where open dialogue and restorative practices can be used. Creating a chapter or an affiliation with the Student Peace Alliance can support campus advocacy initiatives surrounding restorative dialogue implementation.
· Start a “Sustained Dialogue” chapter. The Sustained Dialogue Institute is an organization that has helped transform conflictual relationships around the world. Sustained Dialogue Institute is active in 12 countries and 44 campuses. With its 5 step process, Sustained Dialogue is able to help foster change and understanding for people trying to address strained relationships. The goal of Sustained Dialogue is to create changes that will be impactful and last. Individuals can start a chapter on their campus.
More information on Sustained Dialogue Institute and how to start a chapter at your school can be found at: http://sustaineddialogue.org/
· Start a Student Journal on campus dedicated to publishing open-minded essays on controversial topics. This can lead to more discussions on campus between students interested in the issues covered in the journal. An example to look at for inspiration is Dialogue, a journal published by undergraduates at Boston College.
· Blog with Us. Write about RJPs’ successes and/or challenges on your campus by submitting a post for the Student Peace Alliance blog. Share with us the benefits of using sustained and open dialogue as a means to better understanding each other and finding peace within controversial issues. Send blog posts to Dan Kahn at dan@peacealliance.org.
· Host a Diversity Dialogue week. Events can include documentaries focused on relevant issues, dance performances from different cultures, guest speakers, and a picnic with food from different countries. Each event can end in a World Café or peace circle, allowing students to reflect on their experiences. If this sounds like too much for a single student organization to host, look to other organizations similar in mission. Multiple organizations can co-host this event.
University of Portland hosts an annual Diversity Dialogue Week and has examples of previous events’ schedules on their website. http://www.up.edu/activities/default.aspx?cid=3542&pid=168
If you have more resources to suggest to add to our page, please send them to us here!
