Faculty, staff and students from South Dakota State University and Brookings community members participated in a successful five-week group dialogue event. Co-hosted by the Brookings Inclusive Collaborative and the Brookings Public Library, the small groups offered participants the chance to have honest conversations about difficult topics.
Brookings Inclusive Collaborative is a community-based research coalition funded through a Bush Foundation Community Innovation grant. The coalition includes the following community partners: Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce, Brookings Economic Development Corporation, Brookings Human Rights Commission, Vision Brookings and SDSU.
The intergroup dialogues kick-off event was on Sept. 13 at the Brookings Public Library. At the kick-off, participants learned about the structure of the dialogues, observed a mock dialogue and signed up for small groups and potential discussion topics.
The seven groups, led by trained co-facilitators, met weekly at the Brookings Public Library or agreed upon locations on campus or in the community. Facilitators received training from an expert trainer in intergroup dialogues, Dr. Jesus Trevino. The training was funded as part of the Bush Foundation grant. The dialogues themselves were supported by the Brookings Public Library.
Becky Kuehl, associate director and professor in the School of Communication and Journalism and principal investigator on the Bush Foundation grant, hoped participants learned more about the issues that are important to the SDSU campus and Brookings communities. "We hope that the participants deeply learn about other perspectives and about how to communicate effectively across cultural differences, which can include race/ethnicity, language, and nation of origin, but can also include age, educational background, socio-economic status and so on," said Kuehl. "We also hope that everyone has takeaways that they can apply to other areas of their life, including effective listening skills and perspective-taking."
Students from Kuehl's intercultural communication class also participated in the groups over the five weeks. One of those students, Faye Wooden, said that she was grateful to participate in an event like this. Wooden, a senior from Hillsboro, Ohio, was in a group of six undergraduate students that discussed K-12 education in America.
"Although many of us had similar experiences in the K-12 education system, we all came from different backgrounds and regions of the country," explained Wooden. "This allowed for meaningful discussions and the sharing of different viewpoints."
"Though we all came from different places, with varying perspectives, we were still able to come together in that one hour, sharing our stories and laughing over each other's own grievances against high school," Wooden continued. "What was most powerful was that we were all either acquaintances or strangers, yet still open to connecting over our lives and humanity."
Wooden said that in a time where it feels that people are often at odds with one another, these small group discussions offered hope and understanding.
"The intergroup dialogue allowed everyone to have a voice, regardless of their viewpoint. In a society full of noise and misunderstandings, these sessions allowed for genuine listening and empathy. To truly see life through the eyes of someone else is incredibly powerful. Our country and world would stand to benefit from these sessions."
Categories: South Dakota, Education