FREE Facilitated Dialogue for Your Group!

[David Gafron Savage]

Community Mediation is currently in the position to offer one local community group, agency or non-profit a four session, facilitated dialogue on the topic of their choice, Free of Charge! You supply the people and the space and we will provide the facilitators and the food.

What is a dialogue and why would I need it?
A dialogue is a facilitated group discussion created for the face-to-face exchange of personal stories, values, and perspectives. Because of its roots in community organizing, dialogue works very well for moving from talk to action. A typical dialogue lasts approximately 2 hours per session and moves through a process of:

• Story-telling
• Problem clarification
• Identification of strategies
• Action steps

What can be the topic?
You can choose the topic that best meets your needs. There are a number of areas where this process can be useful. Some examples of past dialogues we have done:

• Youth-police relations
• Community groups that need assistance with moving from grand ideas to concrete action steps
• Neighborhood groups that wanted to identify ways to better their community
• Church groups looking for consensus on issues
• Schools looking to address teen alcohol and drug use

To apply send us the following information on the topic you would choose for a dialogue by noon on August 25, 2010:

• Tell us something about the group you are working with.
• How big is it?
• What are its goals?
• How would you implement the action steps that might come out of this dialogue?
• Who will do the follow-up?

We will choose a project based on how well it is suited for the dialogue process. The selected organization will be notified by CM Staff no later than September 1, 2010. Please send your proposal to [e-mail].