Want to help unite our country/world? Ready to learn from a different perspective? Tired of all the animosity? Let’s do something about it!
How can we increase understanding across difference?
Mason’s Leadership Education and Development Office (LEAD) has partnered with Braver Angels (a well-respected national non-profit organization focused on depolarizing our country) to offer some powerful 1:1 conversations across difference. These conversations provide a clearly structured way for Mason students, faculty & staff to connect with others to increase understanding. Participants will typically be paired with someone outside of Mason to expand their horizons.
What types of structured 1:1 conversations can I sign up for?
- Rural/Urban
- Red/Blue (Red = Politically Conservative; Blue = Politically Progressive)
- Generations (18-30 years old/61+ years old)
- Race/Ethnicity/Culture
- The Golden Rule
- Israeli-Palestinian Relations NEW
What is the focus of these conversations?
- Emphasizes storytelling, listening and learning.
- Participants receive a structured, tested and very helpful conversation guide to follow. The conversation guide is designed to help participants through the process and to keep the conversation on track.
- Both people say their piece. Neither is teaching the other or giving feedback about how to think or say things differently.
- Participants take turns answering a series of questions of increasing depth, with the other person listening without interrupting, then responding with what they learned about the other’s views and experiences, and seeing if there is something in common.
- Usually ends with both people coming up with action ideas to make a difference.
- After the structured conversations are over, participants often decide to continue talking to each other in unstructured conversations. This allows them to dig deeper into issues...
Please read more about these 1:1 conversations, including the conversation guides, at: Braver Angels 1-1 conversations.
What information should I consider before signing up?
- When signing up, be sure to use Mason’s “Group Code”, which is GMU.
- If you do not want to share your personal phone number when you sign up, you can use a free service like Google Voice to get a different phone number to use for calls/texts with your partner.
- Be sure to use the conversation guide for your particular 1:1 conversation (you will receive a link for the conversation guide when you sign-up at the link below). The conversation guides have all been tested and they provide a very helpful structure to focus the discussion! Please have the guide in front of you during the conversation and encourage your partner to use it as well. You can see the guides here.
- This is for participants who are at least 18 years old. Please do not sign up if you are under 18 years old
- George Mason University does not vet participants, does not control who participants get paired with, and does not influence what happens during the conversations.
- These 1:1 conversations should not be mandatory (e.g., required for a class with no other options for an assignment). Participants who sign up will share some information (e.g., contact information) with a third-party entity: Braver Angels. Only 1 or 2 people from Braver Angels will see their information, but participants should have the choice to participate if they want to. For faculty members who want to have it as part of a class, there should be an alternative activity for students who don’t want to engage in a 1:1 conversation organized by Braver Angels. If you would like a sample alternative assignment please contact Nick Lennon, PhD (LEAD’s Director) at nlennon@gmu.edu.
- In the very rare occurrence that you have concerns that come up during or after the conversation please contact Nick Lennon, PhD (LEAD’s Director) at nlennon@gmu.edu, and/or 1-1@braverangels.org. George Mason University also provides the following helpful resources:
How do I sign up?
When signing up, be sure to use Mason’s “Group Code”, which is GMU.
- Sign Up: For the Rural/Urban, Red/Blue (Conservative/Progressive), Generations (18-30 years old/61+ years old), Race/Ethnicity/Culture, or The Golden Rule 1:1 conversations, click below to go directly to the sign-up form and be sure to enter GMU when asked for the “Group Code”: Click here to sign up!
- Sign Up: For the Israeli-Palestinian Relations 1:1 conversations, click below to go directly to the sign-up form and be sure to enter GMU when asked for the “Group Code”: Click here to sign up!