Take action: Dialogue & Bridge Building on College Campuses

Posted by Campus Compact on February 6, 2024

Bridge building and dialogue can be key tools in pursuing a more just, equitable, and democratic society.

Here are examples, resources, and inspiration you can use when trying to initiate dialogue and bridge building efforts on your campus:

• Read “Bridge Building as a Civic Muscle,” by Lisa-Marie Napoli and find an extensive list of resources—including examples of campuses and organizations doing essential work in dialogue and bridge building. Some key resources include:
  • Building Bridges in the Context of Inequality (The Aspen Institute 2023)
  • Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century (American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2020)
  • Interactivity Foundation’s Collaborative Discussion Toolkit (open access)

• Facilitate dialogue work in the classroom using the free-to-access toolkit from Nick Longo, Practicing Democracy: A Toolkit for Educating Civic Professionals.

• Revisit last year’s webinar focused on advancing democracy through virtual deliberative dialogues. While this session focused mainly on implementing this work at community colleges, this work is applicable at all institution types!

• Check out Campus Compact’s Dialogue Resources for Higher Education knowledge hub to find more dialogue and bridge building resources