Our Work
Civic Dialogue
Since UA Crossroads was created, the Center has been focused on creating spaces for dialogue on our campus and in our community. To hear student voices articulate the importance of civic discourse at UA, click here. For tools and resources related to the fundamentals of dialogue, check out our Resource Library.
Sustained Dialogue is a dialogue-to-action model that enables participants to build relationships for addressing controversial issues and making positive change. The model is used in national, community, corporate and campus settings. Find out more about the Sustained Dialogue Institute at sustaineddialogue.org.
By offering students experience with the Sustained Dialogue model, The University of Alabama improves our campus community and enhances the lives of our students during and after college. Sustained Dialogue helps students make time to understand perspectives of individuals they would not otherwise meet, interact comfortably with all kinds of people, build relationships across lines of difference, and gain communication skills necessary for increasingly diverse academic, social and work environments.
Speaking Engagements
The team at Crossroads Civic Engagement Center is excited to share our work and resources on civic values, knowledge, skills, and action. If you would like to have someone come speak to your class, organization, or community group, please complete the form at the link below with as many details as possible at least one month prior to your preferred dates and times. For more information, contact Jackson Harris, Director of Community & Civic Engagement, at asajharris@ua.edu.
CIVshops
We are excited to launch the CIVshop, our new comprehensive suite of interactive experiences developed by UA Crossroads to increase knowledge and skills for acting on community values in a democratic society. Based on the Latin word “civis” for citizen, the CIVshop:
- engages concepts of mutual respect and interdependence
- builds relationship skills for overcoming our increasing polarization
- introduces practices that foster individual and civic responsibility
- supports communication across social and political differences
and
- equips participants for more meaningful civic engagement in their communities.
The UA Crossroads team works with campus and community partners to provide CIVshop modules, speaking engagements, skill trainings, or hosted discussion in order to meet the goals and timeframe of the host organization or academic course context. To find an option that is right for you, please contact Jackson Harris, Director of Community & Civic Engagement, at asajharris@ua.edu.
Civic Skill Trainings
Crossroads staff delivers skill-based training by request to campus and community organizations. These trainings are focused on introducing and practicing the skills for positive civic engagement. Here are a few of the trainings our team delivers on a regular basis:
- Creating Spaces for Dialogue
- Public Listening
- Facilitation Station: Introduction to Engaged Learning
For more information or to schedule a Civic Skill Training for your organization, please email Jackson Harris, Director of Community & Civic Engagement, at asajharris@ua.edu.
Consultation & Collaboration
At Crossroads, we know that success and sustainability require teamwork and partnership. As such, we welcome opportunities to support the work of others and combine efforts to create new possibilities. Below are a few of the ways we collaborate:
- Supporting Student Organization and Events Related to Civic Engagement
- Consultation on Dialogue Programming
- Consultation on Workshop Design and Facilitation
- Research Teams
- Grant-Writing Teams
We would love to hear your ideas for promoting civic engagement together. To schedule a meeting, please reach out to us at: crossroads@ua.edu