Soliya and Search for Common Ground leaders will host a panel on “Building Bridges Through Dialogue: How to help students and campuses navigate disagreements and pursue peace at home and abroad”
With severe polarization at home and ongoing conflict around the world, international officers and educators must prepare the students sent abroad, and those welcomed to campus, to thoughtfully navigate difference and disagreement. Drawing from over two decades of experience harnessing the power of intergroup dialogue, Soliya designs and implements dialogue and training programs for young people that transform the way they engage with difference.
Through Soliya’s United Nations-endorsed training, students experience first-hand the art of constructive civil discourse and nurture their ability to be empathetic, to listen to radically different opinions, to think critically, and to collaborate effectively with others. As former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark has said, Soliya is “increasing empathy and understanding among a wide range of participants, and helping a new generation of leaders set foot into the world.”
Semester at Sea began offering Soliya’s dialogue training last fall and has a second cohort onboard this spring. Michael Shipler, Soliya’s Interim CEO and Vice President of Strategy at Search for Common Ground, along with Nahid Ahmed, Director of Dialogue Programs, will share insights and answer questions at this special breakfast event leading into the Forum Conference.
“Building Bridges Through Dialogue” is scheduled for Thursday, March 20, 7:30-8:40 a.m. in The Churchill Room at the Sheraton Centre Toronto. Later that day, Semester at Sea’s Chief Program Officer Laura Strohminger and Director of Student Affairs Amanda Davidson will present a poster on this new program at the Forum Conference.
Panelists:
Michael Shipler is the Interim CEO of Soliya, a global leader in virtual dialogue and exchange, and the Vice President of Strategy at Search for Common Ground, a global peacebuilding organization and a nominee for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize. With over 20 years of experience in the field, he has designed, managed, and scaled up effective and innovative programs that address complex and sensitive issues in conflict-affected countries. He holds an MA in War in the Modern World from Kings College.
Nahid Ahmed is the Director of Dialogue Programs at Soliya and leads Global Connect, the organization’s signature virtual exchange program. Ahmed has been with Soliya for more than 15 years and also previously served as Assistant Director at the Search for Common Ground.
Read more about Soliya’s work with Semester at Sea: “Building Community, Understanding and Dialogue Onboard”.
