The first iteration of Leadership Dialogues began as a convening of colleges – Duke University, University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Central University (Durham’s Historically Black University) – to foster civil and political discourse.

 

Students from across the political spectrum took part in facilitated conversations that focused on listening to and understanding diverse points of view, on crowdsourced topics such as safety, national history, and confederate statues.

 

Following a two-day workshop, participants stated a shared commitment to facilitating hard conversations and reducing polarization in their own communities.

 

With follow-up skills training, many graduates of the program have gone onto facilitate dialogues between policy makers and community groups, non-profit organizations, and other civil society actors.

 

View the video below to learn more about the genesis of these dialogues.