Dear Colleagues,
How do we create spaces to engage constructively and support those entering into difficult conversations, while honoring different viewpoints and worldviews? How do we open the door to building and maintaining relationships in the face of polarization?
I would like to invite all faculty, staff and administrators of our university community to join Rafael Tyszblat, a Paris-based professional mediator and Practitioner in Residence at The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy, who will offer four unique workshops on engaging in difficult dialogue and creating spaces for others to do the same. The first two workshops will focus on the general skills, dispositions and attitudes which allow us to create spaces for difficult conversations about challenging topics. In the second two workshops, Rafael will help moderate two online encounters with on-the-ground Palestinian and Israeli peace activists from InterAct, who will take you through an interactive journey to explore how narratives can converge instead of compete.
Engaging the topic of Israel-Palestine as a framework for learning about the work of mediation and facilitating dialogue, these four workshops will examine the approach of practitioners who are experienced in engaging in dialogue across multiple boundaries of difference.
Four unique, two-hour workshops engaging different approaches will be offered on the following days/times:
Tools and Attitudes for Constructive Dialogue on Polarizing Topics:
Location: Schmidt Academic Center, Room 161 or via Zoom
Session 1: Wednesday, May 1st, 5-7PM
Session 2: Monday, May 6th, 5-7PM
Israel-Palestine Through Two Dual Narrative Workshops with InterAct:
Location: Schmidt Academic Center, Room 154 or via Zoom
Session 3: Exploring Histories: Friday, May 10th, 12-2PM
Session 4: Dialogue on Current Events: Friday, May 17th, 9:30-11:30AM
For more information on Rafael and the organization InterAct, whose members will be participating in the third and fourth workshops, please see the bios below my signature.
Please RSVP here to attend. In person attendees will be required to present thier DePaul ID at the check-in table.
I look forward to the possibility of seeing you at these workshops.
Sincerely,
David J. Wellman, PhD
Associate Professor of Applied Diplomacy
Director, The Grace School of Applied Diplomacy
Rafael Tyszblat calls himself a “Dialogue entrepreneur”. He is a practitioner and expert in the fields of conflict resolution and inter identity dialogue. Based in Paris, France, he is the Director of Innovation and Design Specialist at Soliya,an online based NGO promoting the field of Virtual Exchange. He designs and leads dialogue programs between youth from North America, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Between 2014 and 2021, he was the Director of Programming at the Muslim-Jewish Conference,a grassroots interreligious organization connecting young Muslims and Jews from around the World. He now is the president of the non-profit Connecting Actions to reinforce the professional field of dialogue, and recently launched a European coalition of civil society organizations for intercultural and interbelief bridge building: the European Institute For Dialogue .
Rafael also recently launched the French podcast AntiClash to showcase what dialogue sounds like on the most controversial topics. With over 20 years of experience, from interreligious dialogue to mediation in the school, family, corporate and social sectors as well as post conflict interventions, Rafael has trained, mediated and facilitated thousands of youth and adults across antagonistic communities.
Rafael received his Master’s in Philosophy in International Relations from Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne University and his MA in Conflict Resolution from University of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. He received another MA from Paris Institute of Political Science (Sciences-Po). He is trained in several schools of conflict resolution and his praxis combines Carl Rogers’ Person Centred Approach, emotional intelligence, the teachings of neurosciences, Transactional Analysis and Non-Violent Communication.
InterAct – Nearly twenty years ago, Palestinian-American Aziz Abu Sarah and Jewish-American Scott Cooper partnered together to co-found Mejdi Tours, which offers dual-narrative political tours in conflict zones throughout the world. InterAct is the virtual educational arm of Mejdi, whose groundbreaking multiple perspective approach allows audiences to gain a more comprehensive understanding of people, land, culture and conflict, with the goal of increasing empathy and understanding through incubating creative new solutions to war.