We are living in a highly polarized time; there are political divisions, a growing wealth gap, media echo chambers. Polarization can lead to a growing sense of distrust in institutions, government, and even between individuals. We have each likely seen polarization’s negative effects in all of these areas - perhaps even right here, at our own organization. We face the risk that society-wide polarization can divide our our organization and keep us from doing the important work that we need to do to meet our goals.
We each bring our own unique perspectives and reasons we have joined this group. Today, we want to explore the tension that can happen when a group holds diverse opinions and wants (or needs) to work together. Diversity has many meanings - there is diversity of age, gender, race, sexuality, wealth, experiences, religion, and more. For the next 50 minutes though, we are focusing on diversity of perspectives and opinions – although as we will likely discover, other types of diversity may show up as well.
Note to facilitator: If you already have working norms for group conversations, this would be a good time to highlight them. Otherwise, you might want to ask: We are going to be talking about issues that are potentially intense or emotional for some members of our group; what guidelines will help you feel comfortable to share vulnerably? Take some responses and add these if they have not been mentioned: assume good intentions of one another, speak from the I (only speak on behalf of yourself), allow for multiple voices to be heard (step up/step back), and respect the expertise in the room.
Also, if there are bosses, leaders, and/or adults (facilitating for teens) present, they should decide how they will participate in order to make space for the employees, members, and teens to share - and perhaps articulate their intentions to the group.
