Herstory: My Journey as a Dialogue Facilitator
I have spent almost 20 years facilitating dialogue. Even in the years when I was not formally facilitating the skills of listening to understand and compassion towards difference are values that I learned through dialogue and that stayed with me.
This week I will begin facilitating an 8-week dialogue intraracial dialogue with a returning University client. I am reminded that dialogue can be a transformative experience if one approaches it with curiosity and a willingness to be vulnerable. I’ve never fully shared my herstory with dialogue and what I’ve accomplished in the last 18 years. Here is a look back and what motivates me to continue this often difficult work.
My passion for inclusive dialogue was sparked by my time as a student at Emory University. During my first year in 2003, I helped co-found Crossroads, a first-year diversity orientation retreat to combat self-segregation.
Image shows evolution of Crossroads since it was first founded in 2003. Shown are three different program offerings for first-yeaar students, weekly and discussion groups.
In 2005 I first began moderating dialogue with Emory University’s Transforming Community Project (TCP), a 5-year strategic initiative that enabled students, faculty, staff, and alumni to engage in Community Dialogues exploring Emory’s racial history. In 2006 I was a founding Leadership Team Member and Dialogue Moderator for Emory University Sustained Dialogue Campus Network (SDCN). As a student, I was an Affiliate Member of Emory University’s National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) where I met monthly with the chapter to practice NCBI’s model of community building and healing.
Some of the original founding leadership team members for Emory’s SDCN in 2007. L-R: Mary C. Parker, Scott Seitx, Sedrick Lakpa, and Stephen Deaderick
After graduating I continued my involvement as an alumna. I co-led workshops for the NCBI chapter on controversial issues process for Emory faculty, staff, and students. I was able to attend my first Crossroads retreat and support retreat planning and training of Crossroads Interns in 2010. I also served as a High School Dialogue Consultant for TCP where I authored first of its kind high school dialogue curriculum on race pairing historical events with dialogue discussions. In this role, I collaborated with the YMCA of Metropolitan Atlanta to pilot activities and build relationships with high school youth. I continued collaborating with SDCN through their parent organization, Sustained Dialogue Institute as a Special Projects Researcher for the Executive Director where I researched new initiatives on chapter expansion, the AmeriCorps education award program, and 9/11 curriculum. I also presented and collaborated in planning the inaugural SDCN alumni training retreat in June 2011.
In 2012 I became involved with Soliya, a New York-based international non-profit that combines technology and the science of dialogue to offer proven cross-cultural exchange and learning opportunities for students around the world. I had several roles at Soliya including Senior Facilitator, Coach, Fellow (2x), and now Trainer. In these roles, I support folx to learn how to approach differences constructively and lead with empathy, in order to thrive in an interconnected world. My impact with the First Year Connect (1YC) Program can be viewed by roles I had:
Trainer: Trained 8 new 1YC facilitators in over 20 hours of advanced training
Coach: 50 hours spent coaching 8 1YC facilitators
Dialogue Co-Facilitator: 50 hours co-facilitating dialogue that engaged 50 participants across 2 US Colleges and Universities.
Curriculum Designer: 20 hours designing customize a curriculum for dialogue sessions for 6 different dialogue groups
My dedication led me to be named by my peers as a 1YC All-Star Facilitator and All-Star Coach. 1YC All-Star Facilitators are awarded to facilitators who overcame challenges and achieved success by being resilient in the face of such difficulties. They had to work hard at finding the right balance between differences across working styles and availability. All 1YC All-Star facilitators went above and beyond to make the 1YC Pilot a success! 1YC All-Star Coach is a team of coaches who went an extra mile beyond the requirements of their role and helped provide support to facilitators that lead them to success!
Additionally, I have earned certifications from Soliya Advanced Training Facilitation (United Nations Alliance of Civilizations), Inclusive Facilitation Training on Transforming Relationships and Creating Change (International Institute for Sustained Dialogue), Prejudice Reduction (National Coalition Building Institute), and Professional Coach Certification (Duquesne University’s Palumbo Donahue School of Business).
All of these certifications have deepened my understanding of dialogue to be a transformative process.