Programme for a Peaceful City, University of Bradford
I work for Programme for a Peaceful City (PPC) which is a knowledge exchange network, building thinking and practice about public conversations, rooted in the Department of Peace Studies and the International Centre for Participation Studies at the University of Bradford. Established two months before the July 2001 Bradford riots we learnt much from many years of hosting conversations that aimed to facilitate safe but challenging spaces for discussing the difficult issues which might divide people. In recent years we have become interested in deepening our understanding of talking processes. As part of this journey, I have developed a field of practice in intergroup dialogue with co-facilitators Huw Illingworth and Tariq Bashir and together we facilitate conversations about the complexity of identity, place and values. We feel strongly that we still have much to learn about how to facilitate and continually challenge our own assumptions about the value and limitations of talking processes.