COMMUNITY DIALOGUES
About
Community Dialogues are opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to come together to develop a comprehensive and better-informed understanding of our community's most pressing and often controversial issues in a space that is safe for all perspectives to share, listen, and learn. In small groups with trained facilitators, participants discuss different ways we can look at and address these issues as a group.
Each community dialogue session is 90 minutes long and begins with an overview of participant expectations as well as the role of the facilitator. An introduction to the background guide and dialogue topic is given, followed by an activity for the participants to introduce themselves and build a community in their small-group cohorts. The discussion questions are split into two sections which are each 20 minutes long. The session concludes by bringing back all the participants for a share back opportunity.
Dialogue topics are thoughtfully selected at the start of each semester and by the students and staff at the Center for Civic Justice based on the national and local climate, to ensure we are creating space for students to engage in timely and pressing issues that are impacting them and the world around them. The background guides for each topic are created—for students, by students— with informative graphics, key terms, historical context and resources to continue the conversation beyond the dialogue. Students from the Center for Civic Justice conduct research to design and create these guides over the course of 4 to 6 weeks leading up to each conversation.
Community members are asked to think critically about issues affecting their communities and the different perspectives and perceptions that exist within a single community about any given issue.
Upcoming Community Dialogues
Spring 2026
March Community Dialogue- Wednesday, March 11th, 6:30pm-8:00pm - Union Ballroom
April Community Dialogue- Thursday, April 16th, 6:30pm-8:00pm - SAC Ballroom B
Visit our SB Engaged page for more information about all of our upcoming events!
Past Community Dialogues
The Political Pulse: Checking America's Heartbeat in the Face of the 2024 Election, October 1st, 2024
Beyond the Ballot: What's Next After the 2024 Election, November 7th, 2024
Advocacy to Action, February 28th, 2024
Barriers to Voting and Civic Engagement, April 10th, 2024
Artificial Intelligence in Education and the Workforce, November 29th, 2023
The Supreme Court & Women's Right, March 18th, 2023
Origins of Freedom: The First Amendment, April 19th, 2023
Midterm Elections and the Long-Term Effects, October 19th, 2022
Polarizing Politics: How does it affect you?, November 29th, 2022
Social Media's #Age of Activism, April 13th, 2022
Accessing Healthcare Within Underprivileged Communities, March 3rd, 2022
Community Dialogue on the Right to Vote, September 16th, 2020
Community Dialogue: We Voted, Now What?, November 4th, 2020
Community Dialogue on Incarceration in the United States, September 23rd, 2019
Community Dialogue on LGBTQ* Inclusion and Legal Protections, December 3rd, 2019
Community Dialogue on A Divided Government, February 25th, 2019
Community Dialogue on the State of Healthcare, April 3rd, 2019
Community Dialogue on Freedom of Speech, September 17th, 2018
Community Dialogue on the #MeToo Movement, October 24th, 2018
Community Dialogue on How to Fix a Political System, February 21st, 2018
Community Dialogue on Mass Shootings and Gun Violence, April 2nd, 2018
Community Dialogue on Immigration in America, September 18th, 2017
Community Dialogue on Safety and Justice, November 8th, 2017