Deborah A. Wilcox, Ph.D. and Jacquelyn McCray, Ph.D. will be presenting two workshops at the upcoming National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD) conference, October 14-16, 2016, in the Boston area. The workshops are titled, Building Communities of Wellness by Dismantling Structural Oppression, and Using Deliberative Dialgues to Promote Inclusive Communities by Bridging the Racial Divide. You can read more details about the workshops in the following descriptions.

Building Communities of Wellness by Dismantling Structural Oppression

This experience will open a space for participants to engage in Wellness-Centered Deliberative Dialogue, experiential and collective learning activities on how to develop healthy relationships and incorporate well-being within their communities across cultural and human differences (race, ethnicity, gender, class, age, ability, sexual orientation and more). There will be a particular focus on ally building and generating sustained civility. Participants will: Explore how oppression operates in their daily lives; gain skills to unlearn and dismantle cyclical oppression; construct Action Plans! (Middlesex West – Intermediate)

Deborah Wilcox, PhD
Founder/ CEO, Confluency Consultants and Associates,
Jacquelyn Y. McCray, PhD
Organizational Development Consultant, Confluency Consultants and Associates,

Using Deliberative Dialogue to Promote Inclusive Communities by Bridging the Racial Divide

The session will focus on research about the use of deliberative dialogue to engage residents in an exploration of life experiences about race and racism. Using experiential exercises and deliberative dialogue, participants will engage in rigorous exploration of the impacts of racism on communities and neighborhoods. Participants will also learn how to effectively apply deliberative dialogue to promote and develop healthy inclusive communities by building relationships across cultural differences and bridging the racial divide. Participants will be given tools to convene effective deliberative dialogues in communities, neighborhoods and with other groups. Additionally, session participants will learn about the results from research demonstrating the outcomes that can be achieved and the interplay between dialogue participants and facilitators in the course of working with apprehension, tension and disagreements that are natural when discussing the difficult topic of race. The session will conclude with personal stories, questions and answers, and insights about ways to promote sustained dialogue and civic engagement in local communities. (Carlisle – Beginner)

Jacquelyn McCray, Ph.D.
Senior Manager, Confluency Consultants
Deborah Wilcox, Ph.D.
Founder and CEO, Confluency Consultants