Blogs

By Yana Crossland

The Dialogue Zone has big things on the horizon! This year we are blessed to be able to interact with our campus community through the implementation of the 2021-2022 Facilitator Cohort. 

The 2021-2022 Facilitator Cohort is a diverse group, consisting of students, faculty, and staff from multiple departments and backgrounds. Members of the cohort assist the Dialogue Zone in developing and facilitating  programming as well as fostering a culture of dialogue across UD’s campus. Throughout their time in the program, facilitators attend monthly workshops to gain experience with using dialogic practices and approaches. They also attend monthly sessions during which they read key essays or articles on dialogue to build their knowledge of dialogic principles.  As the year progresses, members will gradually take on facilitating programs, in the hopes of independently delivering DZ programs beginning in the spring semester. 

Before they dive head first into dialogue, cohort members participated in a two-day retreat.  We heard presentations from fellow members of the UD community with advanced experience in facilitating dialogue, such as Merida Allen, Associate Dean of Students and Executive Director of the Multi-Ethnic Education and Engagement Center; Nick Cardilino, Associate Director of Campus Ministry and Director for the Center for Social Concern; Sangita Gosalia, Director of Campus Engagement in the Center for International Programs; and Paul Morrow, a faculty member in the Philosophy Department who also works within the Human Rights Center. Topics included multipartiality, the differences between dialogue and other common forms of communication, and how to successfully set up our very own dialogues! Nick also prepared an activity used in the monthly dialogue series, Table of Plenty. Members were given the opportunity to participate in a facilitated dialogue and practice skills learned earlier in the day. 

Throughout the year, we are excited to see this cohort begin its work and help others on campus to build their capacity for dialogue. If you are interested in becoming a member of next year’s cohort , please visit our website for a link to the application when we begin accepting applications in March. Also on our website, you can find a schedule of upcoming programming, as well as on our social media.