Introduction to Transformational Intergroup Dialogue Facilitation

January 19-20, 2017

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania




Introduction to Transformational Intergroup Dialogue Facilitation  is geared towards people interested in improving their skills in cross-cultural communication; intercultural relations; teaching courses on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, class, and multicultural education; developing connections across organizations; and providing support for community development and experiential learning. This program serves as an introduction to the Transformational Intergroup Dialogue approach to improving intergroup relations through dialogue. 


DATES, TIMES, AND LOCATION:
This is a two day training that will take place 9:30am to 4:30pm on Thursday, January 19 and Friday, January 20. The workshop will be held at the center city campus of Temple University, located at 1515 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. The exact meeting room will be distributed to registered participants.

COST AND REGISTRATION:
Each participant must register online and pay online through PayPal below. The registration fee includes all training materials on both days, excluding meals. We will not be providing hotel accommodations or transportation. Please go to the following website for hotel and travel information: Transportation Link.For information about Philadelphia area hotels, please link to the Philadelphia Visitor's Guide here

In order to participate in the workshop, advance registration is required. There are a limited number of spots available for this workshop so register as soon as possible.The registration deadline is January 9. We have a sliding registration fee to accommodate varying budgets. Below are the rates for those paying for the training through an organization and those paying for the training as an individual (without organizational financial support).
  • Individuals - Income Below $50,000: $185
  • Individuals - Income Above $50,000: $235
  • Organizations - Operating Budget Below $500,000: $335
  • Organizations - Operating Budget Above $500,000: $475
  • (Group rates are available - E-mail pyramidconsultingservices@gmail.com)

Registration is now closed. In order to register, please complete the Registration Form. After you register, you will be directed to the Registration Payment Page to process your registration payment. No refunds offered, once payment is made unless the program is cancelled. 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Transformational Intergroup Dialogue draws from two well-known and successful models for promoting democratic dialogue, action and civic engagement in the context of diversity: (a) the Michigan Intergroup Relations Model, a process used by the University of Michigan and universities throughout the United States to promote intergroup dialogue and engagement in higher education and community settings; and (b)Transformational Social Therapy (TST), a process used internationally to promote knowledge sharing and collaborative action involving diverse parties in municipalities, civil society, educational settings, and other public arenas. Both models are informed by the theory and practice of multicultural citizenship and theory and research on learning and equitable social change in the context of diversity. TST’s grounding in psychology and critical social theory complements the Michigan Model by contributing a more robust understanding of the ways human needs and social structures interact and influence intergroup behavior.

TRAINING PEDAGOGY AND LEARNING GOALS
The training pedagogy will integrate academic and experiential learning and intergroup dialogue practice. Participants will explore personal and interpersonal capacities for
diversity and intergroup facilitation, including emotional intelligence, relationship building and multicultural awareness.  

The goal is for participants to be able to:
  • Experience how transformational intergroup dialogue improves understanding and relationships between groups
  • Increase skills in communicating and relating to individuals who are culturally different from oneself
  • Develop an awareness of one's own obstacles to facilitating, teaching and managing diverse groups 

The training will make significant use of experiential learning pedagogy, which means that an important focus is on learning by reflecting on one’s experience while also bringing academic knowledge (readings, theories, and integrative discussions) to bear on deepening participants’ understanding. Another aspect of this pedagogy is that participants’ direct their own learning by electing to explore in more depth issues that become significant to them. 

Participants will engage in activities relevant to emotional intelligence, group membership, and diversity.  Developing these capacities requires first, the facilitator’s self-awareness about his/her own positionality and attitudes regarding diversity; and  second, the capacity to develop trust and shared motivations among diverse group members.

The training will deepen participants’ understanding of how to work with diverse groups.  Participants will review their personal and professional masks, and the ways their fears influence attitudes and behaviors related to social group identity. 



FACILITATORS:
Tchet Dereic Dorman and Hillary Blecker have facilitated hundreds of dialogues, taught scores of classes, and led hundreds of workshops over the past 20 years collectively.
Hillary & Tchet facilitating a Race Dialogue 1/18/16 @ Girard College.
Some of the trainings they have facilitated include, Can We Talk? Teaching About Race and Diversity at Albright College, Westmoreland Community College, and Cabrini College; Intergroup Dialogue Facilitator Training at Harrisburg Area Community College, Anne Arundel Community College; Bloomsburg University, Saint Joseph’s University, Juniata College, Western Carolina University, and the University of Wisconsin at Platteville; Leading and Teaching without Fear: Embracing Diversity through Constructive Conflict at the 22nd Annual Conference of the National Association for Multicultural Education;  Empowering Educators to Engage Diversity: Promoting Academic Excellence for All Students at Friends’ Central School; Real Talk: Engaging Gender and Race through Transformational Intergroup Dialogue at the 17th Annual Conference of the Pennsylvania Chapter of NAME at Keystone College; and Walking Our Talk: Professional Development for Facilitating Dialogue on Race and Diversity at the Network for Academic Renewal Conference of the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Tchet and Hillary offered the first Introduction to Transformational Intergroup Dialogue Facilitation Symposium at Temple in July  of 2014 and January 2016. They have also collaborated to offer a race and class dialogue at the Tree House Bookstore and for the Philly Fellows. Tchet and Hillary co-facilitated a two part Black-Jewish Dialogue and provided student leadership training at the Pennsylvania College of Technology called Real Talk: Engaging Diversity through Dialogue.

Additional Biographical Information

Tchet Dereic Dorman (http://tchetdereicdorman.blogspot.com/) is the Owner of Pyramid Consulting Services, a non-profit company providing diversity education, training, evaluation, and assessment services to educational institutions, private companies and
community-based organizations. He recently served as the Director of the Center for Social Justice and Multicultural Education in the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy and Leadership at Temple University. He is the founder of Temple's Transformational Intergroup Dialogue program and managed the Graduate Certificate in Diversity Leadership. Additionally, he has also taught the following relevant courses: Emotions, Diversity, and Democratic Leadership; African American History; African Literature; Introduction to African American StudiesGender Studies; Class, Gender and Race in the Global Village; Social ConflictIntroduction to Sociology;  Cultural Anthropology and Multiculturalism and the American Identity.  The National Association for Multicultural Education named him the Educator of the Year in 2007. Tchet received a Master’s degree in African American Studies from Temple University where he is an advanced doctoral candidate.

Hillary Blecker has over a decade of experience designing and facilitating participatory trainings on workplace and community issues from developing advocacy skills to creating safer workplaces. She has worked with unions, day labor worker centers, and health clinics. Hillary co-founded the Philadelphia Trainers’ Collaborative, which brought educators, organizers, and trainers together to share techniques and improve their ability to use education for transformation. Hillary is a founding partner of The Blue Door Group. TBDG provides high quality, customized training, facilitation and consulting services to various educational and civic organizations throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Hillary earned a bachelor’s degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Washington, and a graduate certificate in diversity leadership from Temple University. 

PROGRAM SPONSORSHIP:
Transformational Intergroup Dialogue Train-the-Trainer Program is sponsored by Pyramid Consulting Services in partnership with The Blue Door Group


 




CONTACT INFORMATION: Tchet Dereic Dorman, Pyramidconsultingservices@gmail.com, 267-549-9639