consulting and convening

The Center uses innovative approaches to convening and community dialogue to create the conditions for personal and collective transformation.

The Center is continually working on cutting-edge philosophies and tools to better convene people and to encourage open and honest conversations. We developed Gracious Space as a way to foster authentic dialogue and facilitate develop of lasting relationships to break down barriers that have traditionally kept people from working together. We have designed and facilitated hundreds of gatherings across the country.

Center staff are available to bring our tools and experience to your organization, tailored to the needs of your staff or participants. We will work with you to determine what specific tools would be most helpful within your time and economic constraints.

• Montana dialogues – Can We Talk? Partnering with the Montana Humanities Association in a two-year campaign, the Center taught citizens how to use Gracious Space when gathering to discuss important civic issues such as inviting a coal-burning power plant to town while caring about quality of life.  We also trained local facilitators how to host hundreds of hours of dialogues utilizing Gracious Space approaches to support more positive discourse.

• Tacoma dialogues – Youth Against Violence. The Center along with our partners, The Berkana Institute and the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, hosted two years of dialogues aimed at creating community understanding of the issue of youth violence by building relationships, and mobilizing community action.  The first year focused on bringing together youth and adults from all parts of the community.  Year Two dialogues took place in the schools to reach a greater number of youth, particularly those who would not normally participate in community action.  Hundreds of youth and adults committed to working together to create a community free of violence involving youth.