At the Duke Center for International Development, Democracy Fellows from the Middle East and North Africa spent a month exploring models for civic participation and democracy. As part of their curriculum, I facilitated a full-day dialogue to change the pace and structure of the conversations – techniques to listen, reflect, and collaborate, rather than double down on conflicting opinions and escalation tactics.

 

We shone light on participants’ individual and country-specific experiences on issues such as stability and conflict, economic empowerment and development, and nationality and identity. Through the course of the dialogue, participants demonstrated understanding and empathy for their counterpart’s experiences and points of view – shifting the conversation and group dynamic from a place of conflict to collaborating on shared approaches for regional impact.