19:30 - 21:00 Europe/Amsterdam
Dutch follows
Across Divides: Depolarization of Communication (or How to Talk With People You Disagree With)
With Maja Nenadovic & Annelie Wambeek
In E nglish – Online
Even though polarization is not new, we are nevertheless faced with its current amplification in a world that is troubled by increasing and protracted uncertainty. This uncertainty is caused by, to just name a few factors, the pandemic, inflation, the wars in Ukraine and
Israel/Palestine, as well as the increasingly frequent and scary demonstrations of the realities of climate change. Polarization’s amplification is further exacerbated by the rise of social media as the leading source of people’s media consumption. Finally, the evolution of digital technology is a contributing factor in fueling ‘information disorders’ because it enables the creation and viral spread of disinformation and misinformation.
Controversial issues and divisions permeate our professional, educational and private worlds. We are left in either echo chambers, bubbles of like-minded individuals or choirs we preach to…or we are left frustrated by our inability to reason with those from the opposing side who are espousing (to us) unacceptable views.
The “Across Divides” depolarization approach consists of multiple exercises and skill-building activities that equip and empower individuals to seek out, engage with and enter into dialogue with people whose views differ from their own. In the process, learners generate a deeper understanding of polarization and on the core of polarized discussions – the questions of identity, belonging, discrimination, globalization, and power inequalities.
This online seminar constitutes a ‘sneak preview’ into the “Across Divides” depolarization approach developed by Dr. Maya Nenadovic.
Maja Nenadović is an experienced Monitoring-Evaluation-Learning and program design consultant, facilitator, civic education and human rights trainer. As a professional with 20 years of experience, she has worked in 40+ countries worldwide. Since 2012, she has implemented “Across Divides – Training Workshops for Depolarizing Communication”, a methodology she designed and tested. Maja holds a PhD from the University of Amsterdam, on the subject of democracy and democratization assistance. She is the co-founder of Reflectory, a consultancy in the field of conflict transformation, participatory democracy, active citizenship, and social cohesion.
Annelie Wambeek was an interculturalist*, long before she knew the term, having been raised and educated across continents. She is part Sri Lankan, part English, born in Sweden, lived in Spain and has Dutch ancestors – so interculturalism is both her life and work! Raised as a Third Culture Kid, her lived experience of multiculturalism played a formative role in her life. Currently, Annelie is based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. As an adult she honed her intercultural competences through academic studies in Sociology, Cultural Studies and an MSc in International Relations, and working in the non-governmental and corporate sectors. Today Annelie has the privilege of working independently with global clients, at the intersection between the DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and intercultural fields, with a focus on enhancing inclusion and belonging.
* (someone who is comfortable in more than one culture. Someone who can operate effectively between cultures. Someone who can be a bridge between cultures)
Tickets via EventBrite
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Dutch
Across dividing lines: Depolarization of communication (or how to talk to people you disagree with)
With Maja Nenadovic & Annelie Wambeek
In English – Online
While polarization is not new, we are confronted with its current reinforcement in a world beset by increasing and persistent uncertainty. This uncertainty is caused by, to name just a few factors, the pandemic, inflation, the wars in Ukraine and Israel/Palestine, as well as the increasingly frequent and terrifying demonstrations of the reality of climate change. The reinforcement of polarization is further exacerbated by the rise of social media as the main source of media consumption. Finally, the evolution of digital technology is a contributing factor to the emergence of ‘information disorders’, as it enables the creation and viral spread of misinformation and disinformation.
Controversial issues and divisions permeate our professional, educational, and private worlds. We are left in echo chambers, bubbles of like-minded individuals or choirs we preach to… or we are left frustrated by our inability to reason with people on the opposing side who hold (to us) unacceptable views.
The “Across Divides” depolarization approach consists of multiple exercises and skill-building activities that equip and empower people to seek out, engage and engage with people with opinions different from their own. In this process, students gain a better understanding of polarization and of the core of polarized discussions – the issues of identity, belonging, discrimination, globalization and power inequality.
This online seminar is a preview of the depolarization approach “Across Divides”, developed by Dr. Maya Nenadovic.
Maja Nenadović is an experienced Monitoring-Evaluation-Learning and program design consultant, facilitator, citizen education and human rights trainer. A professional with 20 years of experience, she has worked in more than 40 countries worldwide. Since 2012, she has implemented “Across Divides – Training Workshops for Depolarizing Communication”, a methodology she designed and tested. Maja obtained her PhD from the University of Amsterdam on the subject of democracy and assistance with democratization. She is co-founder of Reflectory, a consultancy in the field of conflict transformation, participatory democracy, active citizenship and social cohesion.
Annelie Wambeek was an interculturalist*, long before she knew the term, because she grew up and educated in different parts of the world. She is part Sri Lankan, part English, born in Sweden, lived in Spain and has Dutch ancestors – so interculturality is both her life and her work! Growing up as a Third Culture Kid, her experience with multiculturalism has played a formative role in her life. Annelie currently lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. As an adult, she has honed her intercultural competencies through academic studies in sociology, cultural studies and an MSc in international relations, and by working in the non-governmental sector and business. Today, Annelie has the privilege of working independently with global clients, at the intersection of DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and intercultural fields, with a focus on improving inclusion and belonging.
* (someone who feels comfortable in more than one culture. Someone who can operate effectively across cultures. Someone who can be a bridge between cultures)
Tickets via EventBrite