Dialogue in Divided Societies
In honoring the work of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, this year’s forum will engage participants in the difficult work of dialogue across lines of difference on a range of contentious issues—from democracy and stability in North Africa and the Middle East, to gun violence reduction in the U.S., across the partisan “Red-Blue” divide, and water access. The event will be focused on action and results. Through a series of high-level dialogue sessions, practitioners, stakeholders, and decision-makers will meet to advance work on issues such as job creation, peace education, and “peace by design.”
See full schedule on Guidebook
Have a question for one of the laureates or speakers? Submit a question and we will pass this along to our moderators and speakers.
Download our 2-day Program
Any changes to the program, post September 12, will appear only in Guidebook.
Program & Schedule
September 13th and 14th
High-level dialogues (application is now closed)
- Dialogue across the “Red-Blue” Divide
- Peace by Design: Dialogue under the Cosmopolitan Canopy
- Peace Curriculum and Student Engagement: Integrated Peace Studies on our Campuses
- Northstar Public Health Conference on Reducing Gun Violence (separate registration required)
- The Role of Worker-Owned Cooperatives in Post-Conflict Societies
- Crossing Cultures and Faith Traditions: Respecting the Sacred and Honoring Holy Sites
- Youth Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development Solutions Network (Thursday afternoon only)
A training for facilitators of dialogue across lines of religious difference and Silence is Health – Theater Performance
September 13: Reception for combined participants of 6 HLDs at Norway House (by invitation only)
September 14: Welcome VIP Reception at the Machine Shop (by invitation only)
September 14: Silence is Health, Theater Performance, Foss Center (8:00 – 9:30 pm)
Friday, September 15th
[All events on Augsburg University campus, unless otherwise noted.]
7:30 – 9:00 Registration in Kennedy Center
9:00 – 10:45 Opening Plenary: The Power of Dialogue: A Conversation with Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet
11:15 – 12:30 Breakout Sessions, including:
- Race and Space: Keynote Address by Elijah Anderson
- Healthcare and Peacebuilding in Africa Workshop for Practitioners and Delegates
- Strengthening Democracy and Human Rights after the Arab Spring
- Dialogue across the Red-Blue Divide: Reporting out on the One America Bus Tour and High-Level Dialogue
- Inter-Religious Inspirations for Peacemaking
- Seeking Peace in the Wilderness
12:30 – 1:45 Networking & Lunch
1:45 – 3:00 Breakout Sessions, including:
- Fostering an Economy of Peace: Labor and Employment in Post-Conflict Societies
- Practical Organizing and Mobilizing Tools for Peace Building
- Healthcare and Peacebuilding in Africa: Charting a Path Forward
- Hearts and Minds: the Interrogations Project
- Thor Heyerdahl Lecture: Access Water – Inspirations and Visions
3:30 – 5:00 Plenary session: Peace by Design: What will it take to bring Peace to Our Cities?
5:00 – 5:45 Tree-planting ceremony on the site of the new Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion at Augsburg University
6:30 – 8:00 Silence is Health, Theater Performance, Foss Center
7:00 – 11:00 Cocktails at the Castle: at the American Swedish Institute event with local musicians and student art exhibit. Separate ticket required (21+ event).
7:30 – 10:00 Peace Concert in the Hoversten Chapel: Co-sponsored concert event. (All Ages show)
Saturday, September 16th
[All events on the Augsburg University campus, unless otherwise noted.]
7:30 – 9:00 Registration in Kennedy Center
9:30 – 10:45 Breakout Sessions, including:
- Protest, Nonviolence, and Social Change in the U.S. today: A Discussion with Paul Engler, Harry Boyte, and Michael McDowell
- Middle East Violence and Peacemaking: An Overview from 100 Years in the Field by Lutheran Mideast Development
- Digging Deep: How a Quest for Clean Water Transforms Communities and Learners
- Peace Scholar Panel with Steinar Bryn, Reporting on Experience at the Nansen Center
- Protest, Nonviolence, and Social Change in the U.S. today: A Discussion with Paul Engler
- Peace Essay Contest, sponsored by the Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers
11:15 – 12:30 Plenary Session: Gun Violence Prevention: Prospects for Progress with Rep. Gabby Giffords and Capt. Mark Kelly
12:30 – 2:00 Networking & Lunch
2:00 – 3:15 Breakout Sessions, including:
- John Paul Lederach on Conflict Transformation and the Moral Imagination: Reflections of a Practitioner
- Gun Violence Prevention – Report Out from the Northstar Public Health Conference
- Crossing Cultures and Faith Traditions: Respecting the Sacred and Honoring Holy Sites
- The Role of Worker owned Co-Ops in Fostering Economic Growth in Post-Conflict Societies
- Youth Solutions Transforming the World: Stories from the Youth Solutions Report
3:45 – 5:00 Closing Plenary and Call to Action with Rep. Keith Ellison, Ann Bancroft, and special guests. A celebration of local and global peacemakers including Musical performance by Cienanos.