In the face of ever-increasing polarization and divisiveness, there is a great need and desire for an effective, accessible, and inclusive tool for diverse people to engage across difference in pursuit of common ground for action on major social issues. A Deliberative Dialogue Forum brings people together in a small gathering to deliberate about challenging public issues. The process is guided by a neutral moderator and a discussion guide that presents multiple approaches to addressing the problem. Deliberative Dialogue provides an effective framework for mutual understanding and a common purpose that allows people to discuss difficult issues, weigh options, and ultimately take action.

 

This workshop will provide an overview of the National Issues Forum deliberative dialogue model and allow participants to engage in a brief practice Forum. Since 2013, NC Campus Compact as trained over 550 faculty, staff, students, and community members from 71 colleges and universities, representing 12 states, to moderate deliberative dialogues.

 

Presenter:

Since 2015, Garvin has been the Executive Director of North Carolina Campus Compact. She served as Associate Director of North Carolina Campus Compact from 2005-2014. Garvin leads the Compact’s deliberative dialogue initiative and has trained hundreds of faculty, staff, students, and community partners across the state and country in this method. She is a member of the Service Year NC Advisory Council and the Advisory Committee on Civic Health for the Institute for Emerging Issues. Garvin was named a 2016 White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellow to study afterschool/expanded learning policy and develop and implement state-level policy projects in partnership with the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs (NCCAP) and the national Afterschool Alliance. Garvin holds a Master of Social Work with a concentration in social and economic development and a specialization in management, as well as a B.A. in political science, both from Washington University in St. Louis.