Resource Link: www.12manage.com

Mr. Jaap H.M. de Jonge

info@12manage.com

31 30 2254 888

Obrechtlaan 14, 3723 KC Bilthoven

The Netherlands

Interfaith dialogue has never been more necessary or more important than it is today. When you think of the term “interfaith dialogue,” you usually think of religious leaders like ministers, rabbis and imams. 20,000 Dialogues adds another model. It is intended to reach the average person.

At its heart is the idea of democratizing dialogue through a “bottom up” approach that gives any interested individual the materials and tools needed to host and/or participate in small, grassroots generated discussions. It is an empowering project for those looking to get away from the helplessness of the headlines and do something positive in the world.

Why Muslims? Why Now?

At a time when the notion of a ‘Muslim-Western’ Clash of Civilizations has become commonplace, it is important to realize that humanity is at a crossroads.

Will we begin moving in a more peaceful direction, or will the forces of conflict, misunderstanding, fear, and animosity continue to tear our world into fighting factions? This is a challenge that must be addressed at many levels. 20,000 Dialogues seeks to address it at the grassroots, where people live and work. It will strengthen understanding and help build relationships across faiths, even when people disagree.

There are millions of American Muslims, who are friends, colleagues and neighbors. This project uses a film to bring them in contact with people of other faiths together to stimulate discussion and positive action.

The nominal goal of each dialogue is to foster relationships between the group participants, create a forum where knowledge and opinions are shared, and encourage greater understanding about the subject matter. We hope that participants continue the discussions on their own, form relationships, and find ways of working together.

A Little Background

After our first film, Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet was broadcast on PBS and then released on DVD, we saw that it was frequently used in formal interfaith efforts. Churches, university groups and other institutions would screen it and they liked it because it encouraged debate and discussion on the film’s issues. As the film’s producers we were invited to talk about it all over the country, and would often be invited to speak on a panel with religious leaders or academic scholars.

We saw that grassroots interests were spreading as well. People would tell us that their book club screened it, a group of college dorm-mates would watch it together, a family would watch it after they saw something on the news about Muslims, and so forth. All of these experiences made us realize that if we can make the film available and give people some guidelines for discussion, it can help promote positive dialogue. The project was then beta tested with the help of the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington which further developed the model.

What films have been selected to watch and why?

Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet is a PBS Documentary film that not only tells the story about the Prophet Muhammad, but also how his life influences the lives of American Muslims today.

Cities of Light charts a relatively unknown history about the rise and fall of one of the lost civilizations of the world- Islamic Spain. At its peak, it lit the Dark Ages of Europe with science and philosophy, poetry, art and architecture. It marked the Golden Age of the Jews as well as the Muslims, and eventually helped spark the European Renaissance. Its strength was its religious and cultural diversity.

What are the requirements to start a Dialogue?

• Have a minimum of 5 participants of different faiths who will watch the film together and discuss it. A group only consisting of Muslims is not acceptable.
• Identify the date when the dialogue will take place.
• Make a good faith effort to have a Muslim participate. See (Invite a Muslim to Participate) for ideas.

I believe in interfaith dialogue but can’t meet the requirements. How can I get the films?

You can always purchase the DVDs on our website. Visit www.upf.tv and click on Shop. It’s a very small investment.

Is there a cost to participate?

Currently, there is no cost to participate in this project, what you pay is with your time and commitment to be a part of a dialogue group. It is required that you follow the guidelines.

As long as funds are available, we will continue to provide the DVD at no cost. After that, the DVD will be available for purchase.

Resources

Download the Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet Dialogue Packet at www.20000dialogues.org/downloads/Muhammad_Legacy-Dialogues_Packet.pdf.

Download the Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain Dialogue Packet at www.20000dialogues.org/downloads/Cities_of_Light-20k_Dialogues_Packet.pdf.

Resource Link: www.20000dialogues.org

Lobna “Luby” Ismail
dialogues@upf.tv
P.O. Box 6175, Silver Spring MD 20906

For the Survivor Project, preliminary informal dialogues gave audiences context for the two theater productions. During the Olympics, the Survivor Project called its sessions “The Free Zone,” symbolizing a location where artists from war torn countries and artists struggling for survival in the safer West could speak openly. Additional dialogues included additional artists, peace activists, educators, and representatives of refugee organizations, refugees of war, and members of the community.

Resource Link: 7stages.org

Learn more about the Survivor Project at ww3.artsusa.org/animatingdemocracy/labs/lab_046.asp.

Raye Varney

raye@7stages.org

404-522-0911

1105 Euclid Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30307

In partnership with Americans for the Arts’ Animating Democracy Initiative (www.americansforthearts.org/animatingdemocracy/), NCDD’s Leah Lamb researched arts-based civic dialogue programs in order to help dialogue & deliberation practitioners strengthen their work by linking it to the arts. NCDD hopes these resources will inspire you, and encourages you to connect with the artists, many of whom are interested in working with D&D practitioners.

Conversations about Conflict have been hosted on University Campuses, in Churches, schools and community mediation centers across the United States.

Conversation about Conflict is not a training course, it is simply a conversation. The facilitator engages the audience with a set of challenging questions and a few propositions. The resulting dialogue is shaped by the insights and experiences of the participants. The format can be adapted to meet different needs and circumstances, the ideal size of the group is 15.

This program emerged from Search for Common Ground's "Common Ground Partnership," which was launched in 2002.

SFCG developed several useful resources to help people high-quality Conversations about Conflict…

• A Facilitator's Guide can be found at http://www.sfcg.org/resources/training/pdf/facilitatorpdf.pdf
• A Guide to Conflict Resolution can be found at http://www.sfcg.org/resources/training/brochure1.doc
• And information about different conflict styles can be found at http://www.sfcg.org/resources/training/conversation_styles.html

If you have questions about this material, need some guidance in facilitating the Conversation, or would like to partner with SFCG on this initiative or host a Conversation, you are encouraged to contact Carole Frampton, Outreach Director, at cframpton@sfcg.org.

Resource Link: www.sfcg.org/resources/training/resources_conversation.html

Carole Frampton, Outreach Director

cframpton@sfcg.org

202-265-4300

1601 Connecticut Ave. NW, #200

Washington

DC

20009-1035

Resource Link: abundanceproject.net

Marty Pottenger

mpott@evhouse.com

212-539-5675

128 East Broadway Box 892
New York, NY 10002-0892

In partnership with the Animating Democracy Initiative of Americans for the Arts (www.americansforthearts.org/animatingdemocracy/), NCDD’s Leah Lamb researched arts-based civic dialogue programs in order to help dialogue & deliberation practitioners strengthen their work by linking it to the arts. NCDD hopes these resources will inspire you, and encourages you to connect with the artists, many of whom are interested in working with D&D practitioners.

Resource Link: www.activedemocracy.net

Dr. Lyn Carson

l.carson@econ.usyd.edu.au

02 9351 3089 (Int +61)

University of Sydney, Merewether Building (H04)

NSW 2006

Australia

Resource Link: www.activevoice.net

The ACDD seeks to support the rapidly growing numbers of facilitators, mediators and trainers working in Africa to connect with each other on an ongoing basis for collegial support and for the exchange of knowledge.  The ACDD also seeks to become a "go to" resource for the growing interest worldwide in African practices regarding participatory democracy, both indigenous and emergent, and conflict resolution and reconciliation in the African experience.

Where appropriate, the ACDD will model itself after the American NCDD (National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation) and C2D2 (the Canadian Conference on Dialogue and Deliberation).

To continue this initiative, a database of dialogue and deliberation practitioners living and/or working in Africa, is now being compiled. If you or your organization is based in an African country or works at least in part in Africa, please send your contact info to Programs@civiclifeint.org.

Geographic Focus: Africa

Tokunbo Awoshakin

awoshakin@civiclifeint.org

1618 Briedweng Avenue

Kettering

OH

45420

Their play Saffron, for example, is based on true stories told by the owners, staff, and customers of Noon-O-Kabab, a Persian restaurant. The play, which was co-written by the company of youth and adults, addressed issues of cultural identity, economic justice, and the community they live in.

The performance was developed in part by personal interviews with the restaurant community. Panel discussions and community events were organized after the performance.

Resource Link: aptpchicago.org

David Feiner, Co-Director

david@atptchicago.org

773-866-0875

P.O. Box 257995

Chicago

IL

60625

In partnership with the Animating Democracy Initiative of Americans for the Arts (www.americansforthearts.org/animatingdemocracy/), NCDD's Leah Lamb researched arts-based civic dialogue programs in order to help dialogue & deliberation practitioners strengthen their work by linking it to the arts. NCDD hopes these resources will inspire you, and encourages you to connect with the artists, many of whom are interested in working with D&D practitioners.

The research team includes leading researchers and practitioners of deliberative democracy, environmental organizations, energy companies, municipal governments, and Provincial ministries. The project, called Alberta Climate Dialogue (ABCD), will help to convene groups of citizens within Albertan municipalities to shape policies on greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to climate change, and also build province-wide deliberation and dialogue on climate issues.

Learning alongside citizens, the team will investigate how the design of citizen deliberations — how participants are selected, who participates, how the agenda is set, how often the citizens meet and for how long, whether policy makers are involved, and so on — shapes their social and political influence. The team will also explore the sorts of influence that citizen deliberations can have on climate issues, including informing and directing policy makers and processes, as well as shaping citizens’ knowledge, their sense of environmental citizenship, and their political capacities and networks. Through this work, we will seek to show how citizens can lead effective responses to climate change, and how political leaders and institutions can skillfully engage with citizens to develop policy.

This groundbreaking research project was initiated by NCDD member David Kahane, a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta. NCDD has played a role in helping to develop the project and plans to contribute to the project going forward. The project website is at www.albertaclimatedialogue.ca and email can be sent to albertaclimatedialogue@gmail.com.