What does an SD Program Look Like?
Consistent
Dialogue Meetings
Students are asked
to meet regularly and explore topics of their
choice with individuals who they wouldn't have
otherwise had any space to interact. These
discussions are held frequently. Some groups
meet once per week while other groups meet
every other week for dialogue and every other
week for service or a social component.
Sustained Participation
Each
SD group consists of 6-12 participants who are
asked to repeatedly meet with each other. This
group is most well-suited for SD when it is
reflective of community diversity.
Run by
Students
Two students, trained by
SDCN, moderate each groups' dialogue meetings.
Professors, faculty, and staff have
participated in SD, but do not lead the student
groups. SD student leaders organize the
dialogues and the tasks surrounding creating an
active student group on campus.
Purposeful
Content
Dialogues focus on probing a
particular subject that divides the community,
especially those that are often ignored or seen
as normal. Each group of students works
towards a collective action designed to engage
others and address these problems in the larger
campus community. SDCN member schools receive
access to our curriculum and
tools.
Student-created Events and
Action
SD students serve as a
resource to their campus and community. As part
of Stages 4 and 5 of SD, dialogue participants
and SD student leaders organize events aimed at
turning their dialogue content into useful
changes in the university community. Some
groups choose to make recommendations to
administrators, some choose to hold
well-publicized, awareness-building events,
others choose to hold film screenings, forums,
and town-hall meetings. The resulting action is
created with the input of the diverse members
of dialogue groups.