Dialogues
In our normal daily conversations we seldom speak about challenges that affect us deeply. A face-to-face dialogue is a rich experience that offers a safe space to explore perspectives unfamiliar to us, be heard and continue our journey together with a greater understanding of each other.
Diversity Dialogue is a monthly inter-racial dialogue, open to the public and facilitated by a diverse team using no-name-initiative methodology.
We are also available to facilitate private dialogues on request.
no-name-initiative or nni
The no-name-initiative dialogue is a transformational group process that supports personal responsibility and accountability towards active citizenship. The group process was developed by Jonelle Naude in South Africa and started with a research questionnaire in 2010 exploring the question “What does South Africa need?” More details can be found at www.no-name-initiative.com .
There is a set order to a nni dialogue which includes guidelines on how to make the most of the opportunity to dialogue, a time of dreaming about what a better world could look like, the dialogue itself, reflection on the experience we have shared and a look at where to go from here… Although this is a four hour process, coming late or leaving early is not recommended!
Dialogue inspired by Poetry (DIP)
DIP: Dwelling in Dissonance
In music, dissonance refers to an unresolved, discordant chord. It can also be defined as an inconsistency between the beliefs one holds, or conflict between one’s beliefs and one’s actions. Our natural tendency is to move away from this experiential discomfort as quickly as possible. And yet, it is in this uncomfortable place of incongruence, that growth happens.
A dialogue inspired by poetry is a process of self-reflection and sense-making as we connect with each other across some of the issues that divide us as South Africans. Vera Marbach presents some poetry from her recently published book dwelling in dissonance to generate discussion. Expect a heart-to-heart session on where we presently find ourselves and how to move forward meaningfully.
Think Tanks
From potential to practice (workshop / brainstorming)
It is usually easy for us to describe what we dislike, what we are fed up with, which problems overwhelm us and what we want removed from society. Frequently, our next step is to look around us for someone to blame. We often find it more difficult to move beyond this reality towards something new that we would like to see in its place.
In this workshop, we identify the bad, the ugly, the rubbish, the things that need to stop. We also come up with a picture of the positive and what these new possibilities could actually look like. And how we can contribute to achieving the potential we have identified in practical ways.