As noted in the introduction, one of the primary objectives of this project was to make the materials that organizations and communities are using to engage in intergroup bridge building work broadly available. We found that the work can be classified into two broad approaches: those that rely on structured curricula for purposes of political education around issues of identity, diversity, and inequality; and those that facilitate intergroup encounters through the use of dialogue guides. The political education curricula tend to move participants toward an understanding of structural inequalities by helping them build a critical analysis of issues such as globalization, immigration, racism, and power. The dialogue guides rely more on discussion questions that build trust and encourage participants’ sharing of experiences and beliefs for the purpose of internal and interpersonal transformation.
This section of Intergroup Resources shares the curricula, dialogue guides, and other materials and information related to these efforts that this project identified between 2010 and 2012. The materials are categorized into four main categories: 1) Curricula; 2) Dialogue Guides; 3) Other Intergroup Initiatives; and 4) Other Educational Materials.
Curricula
These materials tend to be very structured; most outline specific learning goals and then detail activities and follow-up prompts designed to help participants realize these learning goals. In many cases, these materials embrace popular education techniques that encourage active participation and use participants’ life experience as a foundation for learning. Our summaries include links to publicly available materials and information for contacting groups whose curricula are not widely available.
Dialogue Guides
Rather than activities, these documents are largely comprised of discussion questions designed to encourage participants to share their own life experiences and draw parallels between their stories and those of the other dialogue participants. These materials are organized into public and not-publicly-available sections.
Other Intergroup Initiatives
This section features an extensive listing of other intergroup efforts from across the country not covered in the previous two subsections. The initiatives noted here do not necessarily use curricula or dialogue guides to achieve their aims.
Other Educational Materials
This webpage features tools and readings that could supplement existing intergroup curricula or dialogue guides.