On Common Ground / Brave Conversations Call for Student Leaders

Students experience greater likelihood of success when they are in a safe, inclusive environment in which they feel like they belong. To help build that kind of environment and engage students in the process, the ISU Office of Equity and Inclusion will be offering an exciting new opportunity for leadership and involvement that we’d like you to share in your meetings with students: the On Common Ground / Brave Conversations initiative. The objective of the initiative will be to encourage students to assess their own definitions and experiences of belonging in student-facilitated groups and then apply their newfound knowledge in the creation of an artistic, written, or performative piece in which they share their experiences related to belonging. Participants will have the opportunity to be considered for publication in a new literary journal, Brave Conversations. Students may apply for leadership roles using the On Common Ground Peer Leader Interest Form.

The On Common Ground initiative will kick off later this fall with our first Brave Conversations experience utilizing Brene Brown’s book, Braving the Wilderness. Dates will be published in Idaho State Today and Roar Weekly (the digital student newsletter).

Student leaders will facilitate discussion groups with the help of a faculty or staff mentor, utilizing a conversation guide for the book. Participants will then take what they learn into the creation of a written, musical, or other artistic response to the work. Faculty and staff facilitators will be available to help students craft their entries for Brave Conversations, a new, curated literary journal housed with the ISU Office of Equity and Inclusion’s Diversity Resource Center. Participants will then submit their work to the journal for consideration. Selected students will present their work at the “Brave Conversations: On Common Ground Monologues” performance event in the Spring 2024 semester. This event will be advertised both on campus and to the larger community and will give students an opportunity to embrace leadership roles as well as present their work. 

By challenging students to think reflexively about the concept of belonging and have challenging, brave conversations around that concept, we can foster a safe and inclusive environment for all our Bengals. For more information, visit our website: On Common Ground | Idaho State University or contact the ISU Office of Equity and Inclusion at (208) 282-1649.