What is Intergroup Dialogue?
Intergroup Dialogues are facilitated meetings between students from different social identity groups where there has been or may be potential for conflict. The goal of Intergroup Dialogues is to foster mutual understanding, empathy, awareness, relationships and social action among students from different groups. Some examples are People of Color and Caucasians; Latinos/Latinas and African Americans; People with Disabilities and People without Disabilities.
Intergroup Dialogue is a process that involves continued conversation, honest exploration of both commonalities and conflicts, and action taken to improve relationships between members of the different groups. Intergroup Dialogue is focused on both content (what participants discuss) and the process through which they interact with each other. Those who have participated in Intergroup Dialogues describe them as transforming experiences that help students be their best in a very diverse world.
Initially developed at the University of Michigan, Intergroup Dialogues can have 12 to 16 participants with approximately equal numbers from 2 or more identity groups and 2 trained facilitators. The groups meet weekly for 6 to 12 weeks and are often offered within the structure of a college course.
The Four Stages of Intergroup Dialogues
Intergroup Dialogues typically have 4 stages. In the first stage, participants gain an understanding of the Dialogue, focusing on group dynamics, listening and communication styles. They learn about the role of conflict and how Dialogue differs from debate or conversation.
In the second stage, social identities are addressed, as well as differences and commonalities. Participants explore the influence of group membership on experiences and perceptions and address issues of power, privilege and discrimination.
The third stage addresses issues of social justice, focusing on how social identity influences the perspectives of the participants. Group differences, and how those differences are related to power and privilege, are explored as well. There is an emphasis on managing and using conflict as a learning opportunity for participants.
In the fourth stage, participants learn about the nature of alliances and build alliances with each other. They also develop strategies for carrying these alliances and social change outside of the classroom.
All 4 stages include a variety of engaging and interactive exercises. Students who have participated in Intergroup Dialogue from multiple institutions have reported finding a special value in the experience of airing issues of misunderstanding or conflict in a non-judgmental atmosphere, being free to ask “taboo” questions and verbalize disagreements in a setting where there is a shared goal of expanded understanding and inclusion.