Training and Supporting Facilitators of Intergroup Dialogue

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Training and Supporting Facilitators of
Intergroup Dialogue

• A New Frontier in Diversity, Learning, and
  Leadership for Undergraduate Students
• The Program on Intergroup Relations
• University of Michigan

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What is Intergroup Dialogue?

• a face-to-face meeting between members from two
  (or more) different social groups that have a
  history of conflict or potential conflict. The
  groups are broadly defined by race, ethnicity,
  gender, sexual orientation, ability, religion,
  socio-economic class and other social group
  identities. Participants engage in a
  semi-structured process to explore commonalities
  and differences, intergroup conflicts and
  possibilities for alliance and coalition building
  for social justice action. The dialogues occur
  over an extended period of time and are
  facilitated by trained peers.

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Intergroup Dialogue Philosophy

• Based on social groups with a history of conflict
  
• Target/Agent group status (power privilege)
• Balanced representation of groups
• Recognizing conflict as part of the process
• Four-Stage Model (time reflection)

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Training-Support Sequence

• Undergraduate Peer Facilitators
• Training and Practicum coursesnot the same as
  intergroup dialogue
• Balancing social identity, social justice, and
  facilitation learning
• Experiential, student-centered pedagogy
• Recruiting and selecting student facilitators

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Training Facilitators

• The Training Course
• The goals of this course are to develop students
  knowledge and skills as potential facilitators of
  intergroup dialogues. As such, the course builds
  upon, but does not replicate, the principles and
  content of intergroup dialogues themselves.

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Training Facilitators

• Specific Course Goals
• A grounded understanding of intergroup dialogue
  and dialogic processes
• Increased understanding of social justice
  principles such as social identity, privilege and
  oppression, power and conflict
• Facilitation skills and competencies
• Explorations of the roles of social justice
  education and advocacy.

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Training FacilitatorsDeveloping - PASK

• PASSION
• AWARENESS
• SKILLS
• KNOWLEDGE

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Training Facilitators Stages of Training

• Getting to Know One Another. Who Are We and What
  is Intergroup Dialogue?
• Principles of Social Justice Education and
  Intergroup Dialogues
• Practice Facilitating an Intergroup Dialogue on
  Specific Topics
• Teamwork, Alliances and Coalition
  BuildingDialogue Co-facilitation

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Training Facilitators Stage 1Getting to Know
One Another. Who Are We and What is Intergroup
Dialogue?

• Social identity explorations
• Team building
• What does it mean to facilitate intergroup
  dialogues and social justice education?
• What is intergroup dialogue and how is it used as
  a method of social justice education?
• Becoming an intergroup dialogue facilitator.

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Training FacilitatorsStage 1 (cont.)

• Small group dynamics
• Feedback
• Comfort zones and learning edges
• Importance of dissonance
• Intergroup communication/interaction and group
  processes

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Training Facilitators Stage 2 Principles of
Social Justice Education and Intergroup Dialogues

• Forms of Justice
• Power Oppression
• Oppression and privilege
• Modern forms of prejudice, discrimination, and
• -isms
• Internalized -isms
• Facilitating dialogue
• The uses and management of conflict
• Co-facilitating intergroup dialogues

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Training Facilitators Stage 3Practice
Facilitating an Intergroup Dialogue on Specific
Topics

• Trainees are required to do 1 out-of-class mock
  co-facilitation and 1-2 in-class mock
  co-facilitations and to provide their reflections
  on process and content
• Instructors then provide feedback on their
  facilitation (esp. inquiry, surfacing, conflict,
  multipartiality, and triggers)

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Training Facilitators Stage 4Teamwork, Alliances
and Coalition Building.Dialogue Co-facilitation

• Being an ally
• Teamwork, alliances and coalition-building

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Training FacilitatorsAssessing Facilitator
Competency Readiness

• Trainees are evaluated by instructors on their
  readiness as it relates to PASK
• -We use a Personal Resource Assessment Chart for
  this purpose

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Facilitator Support

• The Practicum Course
• A 3-credit course for trained peer facilitators
  to help develop and improve their skills as
  dialogue facilitators
• Taken during the semester that they facilitate an
  intergroup dialogue

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Facilitator Support

• Course Goals
• To discuss and prepare facilitators for their
  role in the dialogue groups
• To strengthen students own understanding of
  intergroup relations
• To further develop the co-facilitation
  relationship and experience
•      

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Facilitator Support

• To discuss theory and practice of group
  observation, conflict intervention, intergroup
  communication and community building
• To continue their own personal growth and
  development in the areas of social justice
  education

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Facilitator Support

• Beginning Retreat
• Co-facilitation exercises and development
• Experiential exercises about the meaning of
  intergroup dialogue
• Experiential exercises or lecturette about how
  conflict can be a necessary and useful step in
  building social justice
• Workshop exercises
• Logistical information about running a dialogue

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Facilitator Support

• Coaching groups
• Small groups consisting of one coach (instructor)
  and 4-8 student facilitators
• Review weekly dialogue session
• Continue facilitation skill-building
• Continue social justice skill-building
• Prepare for upcoming dialogue session

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Facilitator Support

• Observations
• Coaches observe dialogues for content and process
  issues
• Consultations
• Meet with co-facilitator pairs for continued
  support and development
• Closing the Loop-Meeting with the current
  training class to share experiences

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Facilitator Support

• Practicum Assignments
• Weekly attendance at practicum sessions and
  intergroup dialogues
• Weekly planning and preparation
• Weekly dialogue feedback
• Occasional journals
• Final report about the facilitation experience

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The Program on Intergroup RelationsUniversity of
Michigan

• Monita C. Thompson, Co-Director
• Kelly E. Maxwell, Ph.D., Associate Director
• Contacting us
• monitact_at_umich.edu
• kmax_at_umich.edu
• www.igr.umich.edu