What is the Designing Community Dialogues with Decision-Makers Program?

This program builds on Syria’s rich experience in community dialogue, drawing on successes and lessons learned to develop a robust and effective dialogue model. It begins by mapping and analyzing previous dialogue spaces, then works toward creating a conceptual framework that explores types of dialogue and key influencing factors such as identity, relationships with others, and communication barriers.
The program highlights the differences between dialogue spaces, integrating theoretical knowledge with practical tools for designing dialogue processes connected to both individual and collective change. It also emphasizes the critical role of the facilitator in these spaces, identifying the necessary skills and standards for designing dialogue for transformation.

Target Group:

The program is directed to Facilitators, decision-makers and community leaders.

Program Journey:

This program offers a practical journey toward building bridges of understanding and trust between communities and decision-makers, serving as a cornerstone in the broader path toward peacebuilding that honors diversity and promotes genuine participation.

Program Expected Outcomes:

Here are the expected outcomes of the program:

• Increased understanding of community dialogue: Participants will gain a deeper understanding of Syria’s rich experience in community dialogue, learning from past successes and challenges to inform future efforts.
• Enhanced skills in mapping and analyzing dialogue spaces: Participants will be able to map and analyze previous dialogue spaces, identifying key factors that influence dialogue processes such as identity and communication barriers.
• Development of a conceptual framework for dialogue: Participants will learn to create a conceptual framework for designing dialogue processes that are connected to both individual and collective change.
• Ability to design effective dialogue processes: The program will equip participants with practical tools to design dialogue processes that foster understanding, cooperation, and long-term social change.
• Improved facilitation skills: Participants will understand the critical role of the facilitator in dialogue spaces and acquire the necessary skills and standards to facilitate dialogues that lead to transformation.
• Enhanced capacity to build bridges of understanding and trust: Participants will be able to create and strengthen relationships between communities and decision-makers, promoting mutual respect and cooperation.
• Contribution to peacebuilding and promoting diversity: The program will enable participants to contribute to broader peacebuilding efforts by fostering genuine participation and honoring diversity in dialogue processes.