Fostering Productive Dialogue in Divided Times

Co-hosted by IAP2 USA Intermountain Chapter

From angry town halls with legislators to vitriolic arguments via social media, it is increasingly clear that we live in divided times. Whether these divides are real or perceived, such tensions have the potential to erode our democracy, disrupt our communities, and inhibit public problem-solving at the local, regional, and federal level. Especially on environmental and natural resource issues, this sense of division is often the result of a lack of meaningful dialogue and mutual understanding.

The Dialogue will explore the potential of dialogue to support collaborative problem-solving on a range of public policy issues.

• Expert panelists, including nationally recognized leaders in the field of dialogue and deliberative democracy:
  —Carolyn Lukensmeyer, National Institute for Civil Discourse (U Arizona)
  —Larry Schooler, Community Engagement, City of Austin TX

• Facilitated small group discussions — Participants will explore what dialogue is and isn’t, have an opportunity to practice engaging in productive dialogue with one another about key public policy issues, and leave the session with concrete ideas for how to advance dialogue and collaborative problem-solving in their work, in our communities, and throughout the State of Utah more broadly.
  
  
• Networking opportunities

The Dialogue is part of the Utah Program on Collaboration:

• Forum on Collaboration (held November 19, 2015)
• Dialogues on Collaboration (hosted semi-annually)
• Short Course on Effective Natural Resources Collaboration

The June 15 Dialogue is co-hosted by:

• U of U, S.J. Quinney College of Law, Environmental Dispute Resolution Program
• The Langdon Group
• International Association of Public Participation (IAP2), Intermountain Chapter
• Utah Council on Conflict Resolution (UCCR)

Space is limited. REGISTER early!

Program on Collaboration Sponsors: Huntsman Corporation, Wagner Charitable Foundation, Alternative Visions Fund, U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Utah Department of Natural Resources, Governor's Office of Energy Development, and Utah Department of Transportation.