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The Art of Facilitating Difficult Conversations in Charged Environments

An NWAIS Workshop Series to support teachers, staff and leaders in navigating and facilitating civil conversations across difference in preparation for the election season and geopolitical complexity .

Tuesday, September 24

Tuesday, October 8

Tuesday, October 22

3:00 - 4:30 PM PT

Audience

The three-session series is designed to be broadly applicable to teachers, staff and school leaders.  All who are interested are welcome to participate. 

Workshop Series Description

This three-part series will give participants a chance to explore skills and formats to navigate and facilitate difficult conversations across difference. In a time of tumult and strife practice guiding important conversations with confidence.

Outcomes

After the completion of the workshop series, participants will develop a deeper understanding of and practice with participating and guiding difficult conversations. Many of the activities demonstrated will be able to be utilized in classrooms and professional contexts such as faculty, departmental or grade level meetings. 

They will accomplish this through: 

1. Activities to find values, build bridges and support deep listening 
2. Engaging across difference without oversimplifying or polarizing the viewpoints present 
3. Learning strategies and techniques for bridge building dialogue  
4. Exploring skillful responses to different challenging situations 
5. Growing facilitation skills including building a safe container and boundaries 

Session Descriptions  

September 24, 2024 | 3:00 - 4:30 PM PT

Navigating Difficult Conversations

Participants will receive an overview of approaching difficult conversations. There will be an opportunity for pair and small group practice, including a deep listening activity with a focus on finding values to build bridges. To conclude the workshop participants will explore best strategies for navigating difficult conversations. 

In this custom, interactive, in-depth dialogue support training module, participants will engage in knowledge and skill development as well as experiential learning to support navigating difficult conversations. Participants bring their own experience of facing difficult conversations and practice a specific listening strategy. Educators and school admin and report this is immediately relevant to their work with students, faculty and parents. 

October 8, 2024 | 3:00 - 4:30 PM PT

Civil Conversations

This session is an excellent introduction to best practices for engaging in conversations where strong differences of perspective are present. In this workshop participants will have a shared listening experience that will be the foundation for practicing civil conversations. The focus will be on building skills for engaging across difference without oversimplifying or polarizing the viewpoints present.   

Participants will have a structured experience of a civil conversation, where there is a container established in which to learn more about the way you approach conflict and how to build connection through a posture of curiosity.  This is a practice session to prepare for engaging in conversations with more skill and curiosity.  

About Interfaith Philadelphia 

Christian, Muslim, Baháʼí, Jewish, Buddhist, and beyond, Interfaith Philadelphia is led by a professional team and Board of Directors whose members reflect a broad spectrum of religious, ethnic, and racial communities.  These leaders advance the agency’s mission by drawing on their collective experience in interfaith relations and diversity work conducted in civic, governmental, community, and educational settings. 

Interfaith Philadelphia’s holistic approach to learning engages the head, the heart, and the hands through teaching, dialogue, and service.  Their work creates communities of hope and reconciliation—in workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods.   

Based on the social-ecological model, Interfaith Philadelphia focuses on changing attitudes and increasing knowledge at the individual level, developing relationships across differences at the interpersonal level, building bridges between diverse communities at the community level, and creating a new public narrative at the societal level.  

Bronwen Henry (she/her), Director of Curricular Innovation 

Bronwen develops and facilitates workshops and trainings for the Leadership Institute including the Foundations Live Certificate in Interfaith Leadership.  She came into involvement at Interfaith Philadelphia through Encountering Others Faiths and the Visionary Women program. 

She has spent much of her career in the faith sector in content development, leadership training, small group facilitation, and event planning. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Bronwen received a Bachelor's of Science in Education from Bryn Athyn College and a certificate in Social Impact Strategy from UPenn.  In addition to her work at Interfaith Philadelphia, she is also a contemplative painter and studying to be a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher.  She lives in Montgomery County with her family. 

Asheq Fazlullah (he/him), Director, Leadership Institute of Interfaith Philadelphia 

At Interfaith Philadelphia, Asheq helps develop and deliver programming, while expanding the organization's reach via partnerships. Programming includes efforts to increase religious literacy and help develop dialogue skills. Partnerships include local congregations as well as national institutions like Interfaith America. His involvement with Interfaith Philadelphia started in 2017 with the Walking the Walk program followed by 3 years on the Board and Diversity Committee. More recently as a consultant and lastly as staff from the summer 2022. 

Asheq serves with Campus Ministry at Villanova University in the role of Muslim Student Advisor and Affiliate Advisor with the Interfaith Center at Swarthmore College and the IMPACT Center at Bryn Mawr College. He has taken Graduate coursework in Theology and Ministry at Villanova University and is working towards a Master of Arts in Interreligious Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace (formerly Hartford Seminary).  

Asheq serves on the Board of Interfaith Alignment, an online community sharing contemplative spiritual practices. Additionally, he has served as a Public Speaker for the Delaware Valley Speakers Bureau, the local affiliate of the Islamic Networks Groups (ING). In this capacity, he has given nearly a hundred presentations on Islam and Muslim Americans at a variety of venues including faith groups, public schools, private schools, universities, senior centers, law enforcement and local civic organizations, across the Greater Delaware Valley. Previously, Asheq has served on the Executive Committee of CAIR-Philadelphia, the Board of Muslims Serve and the Board of the Main Line Muslim Society. 

Before beginning work in religious life and pastoral care, Asheq worked in institutional finance analyzing, managing and trading Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities (CMBS) in Boston, Hartford and New York; most recently as a Senior Vice President for Real Estate Derivatives trading at KBC Financial Products. He earned a B.S. in economics from Penn State, University Park and is a graduate of Conestoga Senior High School in Berwyn, PA. 

Registration 

Registration is NOW OPEN

Participants will register for the full series. In the case that you are not able to attend all three sessions in real time, all registrations include access to session recordings. Registrations are non-transferable and access is limited to the person who has registered. Recordings should not be shared.  

Pricing 

Registration includes access to all three workshops and recording* 

Member Schools - $255 

Non-Members - $325 

  * Link to recordings will remain active for 30 days following each session 

Cancellation 

Substitutions may be made any time prior to the first workshop. Written cancellations received for courses prior to the first workshop are eligible for a refund after a $50 cancellation fee.