By Elise Kidd
Falcon Facilitators is a new program starting on UM’s campus that will have students leading difficult discussions among their peers. The program is a passion project started by Dr. Sally Hardig and Dr. Sherry Ford in the Communications department on campus.
Hardig describes the development of the program as a “long-time process.” It began when Ford and Hardig became involved in a process titled deliberative democracy or deliberative communication. The two were introduced to the process in 2016 when they were invited to a discussion about LGBTQ+ rights.
Deliberative democracy are forums where different communities meet to discuss difficult topics.
Hardig and Ford are basing the model that the new Falcon Facilitators will use off the model that was presented by the non-profit organization called the David Matthews Center for Civic Life. The David Matthews Center for Civic Life is one of the partners for the Falcon Facilitators program for this academic year and according to Hardig they may continue to partner in the future.
“It’s not set up for a debate. It’s set up to have everyone have an opportunity to speak,” said Hardig discussing the model. “They talk with and not at each other.”
“Part of the process is sitting around and purposefully looking around the table and looking for who’s missing. Who’s not at the table? Who needs to be here? Whose voice is not represented?” Hardig said, explaining what the goal of these discussions is.
“Dr. Ford and I had just become very frustrated with the way our communication around us has deteriorated,” said Hardig. She emphasized that she wanted the discussions to improve how people treat each other.
The rise in the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 and the Me Too movement in 2019 encouraged the two professors to guide students into positions where they could lead and participate in the discussions deliberative democracy creates.
“We think it’s a great opportunity to let the students learn this method and apply it to peers, instead of these old professors, which is kind of valuable too. We think there’s opportunity for a much more open conversation if it’s student to student,” said Hardig.
The discussions will be led by issue guides that students will develop during their training. The first training session occurred on Oct. 29. These sessions will educate students on how to properly facilitate these discussions and will be led by the David Matthews Center and Dr. Hardig who also received training in deliberative democracy from a national non-profit called the Kettering Foundation, which also specializes in deliberative democracy.
The program is also partnering with the Diversity and Inclusion office on campus, headed by Dr. Gregory Samuels and Dr. Kristalyn Lee. The Diversity and Inclusion office helps with the M.A.D.E and TRIO programs on campus. The partnership invites students involved in those organizations to participate in Falcon Facilitators.
Falcon Facilitators will spend the rest of the 2021 fall semester training on how to facilitate the discussions. In Spring 2022, the 15 students signed up to participate will begin properly facilitating the discussions between themselves and their peers.
Though, as of now, the heads are not actively advertising the program, advertisement will occur more when the actual discussions between peers begins in the spring. Hardig described that more facilitators will be encouraged to join and receive training as necessity for facilitators grows at the university. More information on the program will be offered soon.
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