COMMON GROUND THINKING

BridgeBuilders offers a combination of training workshops that can help administrators, teachers and community members appreciate and implement a Common Ground approach to society’s most divisive issues. This training has been utilized at staff retreats, for professional development, court-ordered diversity training and in parent forums.

We offer highly interactive and engaging workshops that have proven successful in helping polarized groups cultivate the common ground. These workshops come in half-day and full-day versions and will be tailored for the specific group and subject matter that will best meet your objectives.This training was originally designed for public educators and has been utilized at board and staff retreats, for professional development and in parent forums to offer school districts a fair and truly multicultural approach to dealing with their diverse constituencies. In recent years we have been asked as well to help businesses and community groups with a similar approach and have adapted versions of this training more appropriate to those environments.

• We can help your staff understand and appreciate the application of the First Amendment as it relates to their role in dealing with the public and with "hot button" issues in the classroom. We have found that the way the first person responds to a potential crisis determines whether it will be resolved quickly and easily or whether it blows up into a controversy that divides the community.  Here is the outline of our Common Ground Thinking Curriculum.

• We can also help staff, students and parent groups discover how to be true to their values and beliefs without being disruptive.  

• We can equip key people to utilize a First Amendment conflict resolution model that will enhance the environment of your district for years to come. 

For educators, we custom create the kind of workshop that will best fit the audience and needs of your district. Adaptations of the first two workshops are available for specialized audiences of school board members, administrators, health educators, science and social studies teachers or parent groups

Question and Answers regarding our workshops | Hear a sample of Common Ground Thinking.

If you want further information about our training workshops or presentations, or would like to schedule one in your community, please please .