SNF Paideia’s Forum for Dialogue

A 5-Week Public Forum for Dialogue, meeting 2 hours per week for Penn undergraduate and graduate students.

This forum is a place where you can come as you are, engage with different perspectives, and strengthen the skills needed for meaningful conversations across differences. There’s no formal application. You don’t need to be a facilitator, a political expert, or a “perfect communicator.” You simply need a willingness to listen, reflect, and practice.

If you choose to complete all 5 sessions, you could earn a Certificate in Interpersonal Dialogue Skills, and you can facilitate future sessions if interested and selected. 

Each semester, we’ll explore a different theme and create opportunities for students to practice dialogue around issues that matter. This fall, we’ll focus on politics and civic life as we approach the midterm elections, using the University of Virginia’s Civic Cornerstone unit plan as the foundation for our pilot.

What You Will Practice

• Listening across differences — Engage with perspectives and lived experiences that may differ from your own.
• Navigating complex conversations — Develop strategies for staying open, curious, and constructive when topics get challenging.
• Talking about what matters — Practice discussing complex issues without reducing people to their positions.
• Building dialogue skills for real life — Take what you practice into classrooms, workplaces, leadership roles, civic spaces, friendships, families, and everyday conversations.
• Creating connection — Build community through meaningful conversations and shared experiences.