Bring people, communities, and organizations together for dialogue instead of debate to resolve conflict.
Large-group facilitation brings together people of opposing viewpoints and diverse backgrounds for a civil discussion facilitated by a conflict-resolution professional so healing, reconciliation, and problem solving can begin.
What is a large-group facilitated dialogue and why it is important?
Large-group facilitation is a consensus-building process where a facilitator, a neutral third party, facilitates dialogue between a large group of people, to resolve conflict. Facilitators have no decision-making authority and do not create solutions. They simply conduct the process. All participants involved get the opportunity to voice their concerns, issues, positions, and viewpoints. The goal is for all participants to understand the conflict, learn how everyone has been affected, identify important issues and areas of common ground, problem solve; and, when a consensus can be reached, create an agreement that prevents further conflict.
Large-group facilitation can be between, but not limited to:
(1) Police and community
(2) Parents and school staff
(3) Representatives of different organizations
(4) Community residents
The facilitator may help identify the people and groups who need to be involved in the discussion, which could be parents, teachers, school staff members, neighbors, police, organization representatives, etc. The facilitator may assist in the location selection, planning and structure of the meetings. Meetings can be done virtually as well.
Contact EYC for more details.