Dialogue for Shared Futures Pilot

There are currently few opportunities to explore controversial and polarizing issues productively on campus in an environment where university campuses are feeling the effects of rising polarization, anger, and people acting on ideologies motivated by fear. The pilot project will pair dialogue with community-based research to design, conduct, and evaluate multiple forms of dialogue on the University of Waterloo campus. Informed by research, the dialogues may take on arts-based and narrative approaches, engaging faculty, students, or other on-campus groups. The pilot phase of the project will run for approximately 18 months and focus on dialogue that fosters constructive engagement across difference. The pilot will serve as a steppingstone to creating a more broad-based and transformative approach to dialogue on campus.

The project is led by Dr. Reina Neufeldt, Chair and Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Conrad Grebel University College, affiliated with the University of Waterloo. In partnership with Dr. Neufeldt’s research team, CCBR will support the research design, implementation, analysis, and reporting as a consultant, coach, and team member. The research methods will be selected and designed alongside the dialogue, living out of a developmental approach to research.