What is dialogue?

Dialogue is about bringing together many voices, many stories, many perspectives and many experiences, with a goal to increase understanding about others and ourselves. It is a conversational process that usually occurs in small groups on a specific topic, and is intended to help us gain insight into complex problems to which no one person holds the answer.

Productive dialogue is more than ‘just talk’ – it is entered with a spirit of curiosity and openness, an interest in continually learning from and with others, and a willingness to be changed. Instead of arguing, convincing and advocating for what one already knows, dialogue encourages one to enter a space of the unknown: exploring diverse experiences and values, as well as points of agreement and disagreement. Instead of a conversation with sides, dialogue has a center.

Our mission

To foster shared understanding and positive action through dialogue and engagement.

Our values

• We work in service of the public to generate solutions for our most pressing challenges.
• We bring together and honour diverse voices and actively remove barriers to participation to reflect the full range of community interests and create conditions for innovation.
• We believe in the importance of transparency in our methods and our motives, and in how we share what we learn with the wider world.

What we do

• We create space for respectful conversations, where mutual curiosity and collaborative inquiry act as alternatives to adversarial approaches.
• We support student success through experiential learning and participation in our research and programming.
• We connect the university and community partners to work towards shared objectives in ways that value each party’s unique knowledge and contributions.
• We serve as a trusted convenor, grounding our work in research and evidence-based information.
• We act as a hub for dialogue and engagement initiatives, fostering a culture of shared learning and support that enables ongoing improvement and innovation.
• We work across sectors and across borders to support communities locally, nationally and internationally.

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