The University of Pittsburgh's School of Social Work is sponsoring an Intergroup Dialogue workshop, which will take place this weekend (Saturday, February 16th & Sunday, February 17th) from 9-4 on both days.
The School of Social Work can only accommodate 30 students for this workshop. Interested attendees must e-mail Cindy Vicente (cjv33@pitt.edu) to register. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Those who attend both full days will also receive a certificate of completion. Workshop participants must be able to attend BOTH full days to register.
If anyone has questions please feel free to contact Cindy Vicente directly (cjv33@pitt.edu) or at 412-624-6304.
About IGD:
Intergroup Dialogue is a "face to face facilitated conversation between members of two or more social identity groups that strives to create new levels of understanding, relating and action. Through this training, students will learn how to engage in appropriate and successful intergroup dialogue, which they can use in their future professions.
Stage 1: Creating a Shared Meaning of Dialogue
This stage focuses on group formation and trust building. Participants learn how to dialogue and what differentiates dialogue from debate. The conversations acknowledge participants’ multiple identities and recognize the particular identity that will be the focus of these dialogue sessions.
Stage 2: Identity, Social Relations, and Conflict
The sessions in this stage invite participants to explore identity on both a personal and group level. The material helps folks identify not only inter- and intra-group differences, but also the similarities of their experiences. Conversations also address differences in group privilege and discrimination, particularly when groups are comprised of individuals with greater and lesser degrees of privilege. Stage 2 also addresses structural racism and related social justice issues.
Stage 3: Issues of Social Justice / Hot Topics
Stage 3 delves into “hot topic” real-world issues that tend to be divisive. Participants generate possible hot topics based on relevant subjects that are controversial or ways in which they feel misunderstood. One of the overarching lessons of this phase is that groups-allying-together is not simply a matter of allying as friends; it is often a matter of allying together even when self-interests differ. How can we be in community together even when someone else’s perspective on a topic irritates me? Can I still listen to you and remain in dialogue mode with you even during moments when I may be upset by your viewpoint? The “hot topics” often produce divisions and provide opportunities for participants to work through conflicts.
4. Stage 4: Alliances and Other Next Steps
The sessions in this final stage invite participants to consider ways in which they see the groups working together productively. Questions that the participants consider include: What would that look like? What kind of allying would be helpful and productive? What specific steps can we take to work together in a positive manner? Participants are challenged to move beyond the insights they have gained and use/build upon their new understandings.