Life Together: Seeking the Common Good in a Diverse Democracy
Life Together: Seeking the Common Good in a Diverse Democracy is a new initiative that aims to enhance civic engagement and civil dialogue at Syracuse University during the 2024-25 academic year. The initiative will focus on developing essential skills such as active listening, communication across differences, critical thinking and advancing mutual understanding.
In collaboration with various campus partners, the initiative will host workshops, speaker events and training sessions to foster informed civic participation. Participating campus partners include:
- Center for Experiential Pedagogy and Practice
- Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence
- Engaged Humanities Network
- First Year Seminar
- Hendrick’s Chapel
- Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship
- Office of Diversity and Inclusion
- Orange Television Network
- Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration
- Syracuse Civic Initiative, College of Law
The inaugural event, “Life Together: A Community Conversation for Election Season and Beyond,” was held Oct. 22, bringing together campus community members representing diverse backgrounds and perspectives to engage in facilitated dialogue on important issues related to democracy, civic engagement and the political climate. The event featured a moderated discussion among experts, followed by small group conversations led by trained facilitators.