Deliberative Dialogue events are an anchor of the Active Citizen Series.
A Deliberative Dialogue event is an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and community members to gather and exchange diverse views and experiences to seek a shared understanding of a challenge facing our society and to search for common ground for action.
Bo Dalrymple ’25 is one of the students who has been a facilitator at these deliberative dialogue events. Dalrymple is from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and is a political science and international & global Studies double major. His involvement with Deliberative Dialogue came from his role in the Elon Votes! office with a crossover being their involvement with civic engagement.
Dalrymple strongly believes that Deliberative Dialogue is important on college campuses because “they allow students to work through difficult topics that are often too polarizing to discuss and are sometimes avoided altogether.” Deliberative Dialogues instill important communication skills that students at Elon can bring into their life after undergraduate. These skills can be usual in multiple job settings, public speaking and much more.
“We developed the Active Citizen Series to help cultivate the next generation of informed leaders who will help strengthen communities and shape our democracy. The series allows Elon students to gain a deeper understanding of how government works and to develop the necessary skills to engage in civil discourse across political divides,” said Bob Frigo, the assistant dean of campus life and director of the Kernodle Center for Civic Life.
Deliberative Dialogue events are an anchor of the Active Citizen Series. These dialogues are an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and community members to gather and exchange diverse viewpoints and experiences to seek a shared understanding of a challenge facing our society and to search for common ground for action. The Kernodle Center for Civic Life hosts a Deliberative Dialogue on campus every semester on topics ranging from mental health to immigration.
If interested there is a Living Room conversation model on Friday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. and there will be more upcoming in the spring.