The CU Dialogues Program, housed under CU Engage: The Center for Community-Based Learning and Research within the School of Education, serves the campus at large by providing facilitated dialogue coaching and dialogue practice for students, staff and faculty at CU-Boulder and the broader CU community. The CU Dialogues Program is committed to the practice of designed dialogue that intentionally focuses on equity, justice, and the inclusion of diverse voices. We believe dialogue must be coupled with research, learning, reflection and assessment.​

A dialogue is a facilitated conversation that invites participants to share their own perspectives and experiences and listen to others with curiosity.  Dialogue promotes mutual understanding of an issue even when participants disagree. The goal of a dialogue is not to persuade or push a certain perspective but rather to help participants understand varying viewpoints. The facilitator promotes introspection and critical thinking about the perspectives participants hold.

The program engages five primary work areas that intersect and strengthen one another to advance a culture of dialogue at CU Boulder and the surrounding community:

1. Dialogues Curriculum: We offer a 3-credit undergraduate course, “Dialogue Across Difference,” which provides students the opportunity to learn what dialogue entails, practice dialogue, and be trained as dialogue facilitators.
2. Facilitated Dialogues: We facilitate classroom dialogues, developed in consultation with faculty, that extend learning about course topics​ and community dialogues held outside of CU classes.
3. ​Staff-to-staff DEI Dialogues: We develop staff-to-staff diversity, equity and inclusion dialogue programming, in consultation and collaboration with requesting units​. Our current focus in this area is collaborating with CU’s Finance and Business Strategy Unit to develop the FBS Dialogue Project.
4. ​Professional Development: We offer professional development for graduate students and faculty in dialogic pedagogy and dialogue practices.
5. Research and Development: We conduct assessment on our classroom dialogues and contribute to the fields of dialogue practice and dialogue as a pedagogy through funded research, conference presentations, publications and networking with colleagues at CU and around the country.

Our current outreach initiative is partnering with Boulder Valley School District’s (BVSD) Youth Equity Council (YEC) to offer dialogue training for YEC members to help advance youth-adult partnerships in the district. These dialogues will be grounded in storytelling work around issues of inequity in the district and will serve as a foundation for action-oriented partnership between youth and adults.

For further information about the program, please visit our website.

• Classroom Dialogues

  Additional Info

  Dialogues are single-session dialogues held with CU classes and with community members. The dialogues are scheduled upon request.

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  Location

  in colorado

  Boulder

  Dates

  Ongoing

  Public or Private

  Private Program (by request only or for a specific audience or group)

  Program Fee

  No charge to attend/participate in activity or program

• BVSD Youth Equity Council Members and Adult Partners Dialogues

  Additional Info

  CUD will partner with Boulder Valley School District's Youth Equity Council (YEC) to offer dialogue training for YEC members and facilitate dialogues that advance youth-adult partnerships in the district. These dialogues address issues of inequity in the district and will serve as a foundation for action-oriented partnerships between youth and adults.

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  Location

  in colorado

  Lafayette

  Dates

  10/1/2022 - 4/30/2023

  Public or Private

  Public Program (open to the public)

  Program Fee

  Not Applicable