GEBG’s Global Student Dialogues provide students the opportunity for intercultural dialogue and connect thousands of students with their peers from schools across North America and more than 25 countries around the world. These dialogues have addressed topics of global significance such as climate change and gender equality, topics related to global current events such as the ongoing war in Ukraine, and various UN Sustainable Development Goals in order to develop the student intercultural communication and perspective-taking. Students engage in conversations in small groups, sharing their experiences and thoughts on the topic and practicing essential skills related to respectful civil discourse – students report that the two skills they most practice in this program are listening for understanding and listening with empathy. GEBG has developed and hosted this year’s dialogues with the generous support of the E.E. Ford Foundation.
GEBG Dialogues Leading Partner Schools
Through an exciting new grant from The Edward E. Ford Foundation, GEBG is expanding our Global Student Dialogues program focused on intercultural dialogue and civil discourse and develop accompanying competency-based curricular resources adaptable for use by educators.
2022-2023 Leading Partner School Achievements
In partnership with our select group of 22 Leading Partner Schools, we engaged over 1000 middle and high school students from 10 different countries in active intercultural dialogue on global issues. We experimented with a number of models for our virtual dialogues, varying our timing; the length of each session; and also added student facilitators in late spring. Students reported communicating with people who were different from them, listening for understanding, listening with empathy, and understanding a perspective other than their own as the top skills they were able to authentically practice in this program.
Student leaders involved in the Student Leadership Council helped guide the topics and format of all our dialogues, as well as developed their leadership and facilitation skills in partnership with peers from over 20 different schools. Adult representatives serving on the Educator Advisory Council provided essential contributions towards our publication of a guidebook on Intercultural Dialogue for schools. The Council identified the areas of most meaningful growth, and drafted materials that will be shared with our wider independent school community next school year. The leadership and insight of this group guided our dialogues as well as provided insight that will shape student learning around intercultural dialogue at independent schools throughout North America and well beyond.
Appleby College (ON)
Academy of Notre Dame de Namur (PA)
Buckingham Browne and Nichols School (MA)
Brewster Academy (NH)
Castilleja School (CA)
Columbus School for Girls (OH)
Flintridge Preparatory School (CA)
Friends Seminary (NY)
Groton School (MA)
Holton-Arms School (MD)
Lower Canada College (QC)
Miami Country Day (FL)
Palmer Trinity School (FL)
Polytechnic School (CA)
Providence Day School (NC)
Rye Country Day School (NY)
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School (MS)
St. Mary’s Episcopal (TN)
St. Mark’s School (MA)
Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School (GA)
Pace Academy (GA)
McDonogh School (MD)
2023-2024 Upcoming Student Dialogues: New Iteration!
Integrating dialogue into the curriculum of a course or program allows educators to support participants in adequately preparing for, meaningfully engaging in, and thoughtfully debriefing an intercultural experience; however, one of the greatest challenges to doing so is the partnership development and logistical complexities required to make such an opportunity available to students across a school community.
As a result, GEBG has developed a distinct approach to our dialogues program in the 2023-24 School Year:
>> Classroom teachers, program directors, advisors, or school administrators can submit their interest in participating in intercultural dialogue/s, indicating their preferred timing and topics of interest.
>> GEBG will take these preferences into account and partner educators from across the network, supporting the identification of common goals and determination of an appropriate structure to pursue those goals.
>> Participating educators and students will have access to new resources, including a comprehensive handbook on intercultural dialogue filled with models and tools, online facilitator training courses for students and educators, and coaching for leaders of these initiatives across grade levels and disciplines.
We will be sharing these opportunities throughout the school year, beginning with the opportunity to submit interest in September 2023.
Past Student Dialogues
SPRING 2023 DIALOGUES
Innovative Solutions in Sustainability
Middle School: Monday, April 24, 2023 // Register here
1-2PM Pacific / 4-5PM Eastern / 10-11PM Central European
High School: Tuesday, April 25, 2023 – **2x 30 Minute Sessions // Register here for one or both 30 minute sessions
9-10AM Pacific / 12-1PM Eastern / 6-7PM Central European // 10:30-11:30PM Indian
– OR-
High School: Wednesday, April 26, 2023 – **60 minute Session // Register here
3:30-4:30PM Pacific / 6:30-7:30PM Eastern
-OR-
High School: Thursday, April 27, 2023 – **2x 30 Minute Sessions // Register here for one or both 30 minute sessions
1-2PM Pacific / 4-5PM Eastern / 10-11PM Central European
The Role of Women in Society – How have things gotten better, and what challenges and opportunities do we still face?
Middle School: Thursday, May 11, 2023 **Two 30 minute sessions // Register here for one or both 30 minute sessions
1-2PM Pacific / 4-5PM Eastern / 10-11PM Central European
High School: Tuesday, May 16, 2023 **60 minute session// Register here
9-10AM Pacific / 12-1PM Eastern / 6-7PM Central European / 10:30PM-11:30PM Indian
-OR-
High School: Wednesday, May 17, 2023 **Two 30 minute sessions// Register here for one or both 30 minute sessions
3:30-4:30PM Pacific / 6:30-7:30PM Eastern
-OR-
High School: Thursday, May 18, 2023 **Two 30 minute sessions// Register here for one or both 30 minute sessions
1-2PM Pacific / 4-5PM Eastern / 10-11PM Central European
WINTER 2023 DIALOGUES
Mental Health in Schools
Middle School: Monday, January 30, 2023 // Register here
12-1PM Pacific / 3-4PM Eastern / 9-10PM Central European
High School: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 // Register here
12-1PM Pacific / 3-4PM Eastern / 9-10PM Central European
Universal Access to Healthcare
High School: Tuesday, February 21, 2023 // Register here
9-10AM Pacific / 12-1PM Eastern / 6-7PM Central European / 11PM-12AM Indian
Middle School: Thursday, February 23, 2023 // Register here
9-10AM Pacific / 12-1PM Eastern / 6-7PM Central European / 11PM-12AM Indian
Bias and Censorship in Schools
Middle School: Tuesday, March 21, 2023 // CANCELLED
High School: Thursday, March 23, 2023 // Register here
12-1PM Pacific / 3-4PM Eastern / 9-10PM Central European
FALL 2022 DIALOGUES
Ongoing Impact of the War in Ukraine and Refugee Crisis
Middle School: Wednesday, September 28, 2022 // Register here
9-10AM Pacific / 12-1PM Eastern / 6-7PM Central European / 9.30-10.30PM Indian
High School: Thursday, September 29, 2022 // Register here
9-10AM Pacific / 12-1PM Eastern / 6-7PM Central European / 9.30-10.30PM Indian
Floods around the World
High School: Wednesday, October 12, 2022 // Register here
9-10AM Pacific / 12-1PM Eastern / 6-7PM Central European / 9.30-10.30PM Indian
Middle School: Thursday, October 13, 2022 // Register here
9-10AM Pacific / 12-1PM Eastern / 6-7PM Central European / 9.30-10.30PM Indian
Decoding the News
High School: Tuesday, November 29, 2022 // Register here
9-10AM Pacific / 12-1PM Eastern / 6-7PM Central European / 10.30-11.30PM Indian (note time change)
Middle School: Wednesday, November 30, 2022 // Register here
9-10AM Pacific / 12-1PM Eastern / 6-7PM Central European / 10.30-11.30PM Indian (note time change)
