The Soliya Network Blog

Poem: Getting To Know Dialogue

2014-09-09T10:39:00.000-04:00

Do you have a favorite story, poem or quote about dialogue? Send it to us - network [at] soliya [dot] net. This poem is a staff favorite.

Getting to Know Dialogue
By Chris Spies

Dialogue is her last name. She has many first names. Depending on the context people call her Political, others Environmental, Gender, Development or whatever they choose.

Dialogue lives in “Uncomfortable Safe Spaces” in families, communities, regions, countries; in offices, board rooms, organisations, governments and wherever people seek her.

Dialogue is very different from her distant trouble making cousins Debate, Negotiation, Consultations and Speeches, and is frustrated when people confuse her with them.

Dialogue is very close friends with Mediation, who always says that she needs Dialogue, but Dialogue does not need her.

Dialogue can work wonders, but she cannot solve every problem.

Dialogue does not have security guards, weapons or shields, because in safe spaces there is no need for anybody to attack others or defend themselves.

Dialogue is not afraid to boldly speak and seek the truth. Neither is she afraid to hear and discuss uncomfortable issues.

Dialogue does not care so much about who is right, but about what the future asks of us.

Dialogue is not afraid of differences. She encourages and invites them.

Dialogue does not seek to win arguments. She seeks information to understand better.

Dialogue does not hold on to “my” idea, because she cares more about “our” ideas and purposes.

Dialogue is not interested in blaming or shaming. She is not jealous of others, seeks no credit and does not take offense.

Dialogue does not exclude anyone, especially not the differently abled people.

Dialogue is a player on the field, not a spectator that criticises from the sidelines.

Dialogue does not like centre stages, pedestals and podiums. She is most happy when people sit in a circle as equals.

Dialogue always opens her windows for ventilation, fresh ideas and perspectives.

Dialogue does not hide or sweep anything under the carpet.

Dialogue sees the elephant in the room and encourages everyone to say which part of the elephant they recognise.

Dialogue likes to invite only a few people because then the discussions are deeper and more open.

Dialogue has big ears and a small mouth, not the other way around, and her feet are firmly on the ground.

Dialogue does not wear a T-shirt with slogans but a blanket to cover others who are cold because they were prevented by others to enter.

Dialogue, unlike Debate who tires people out, loves to inspire and energise others.

Dialogue is tough and hates it when people calls her a “soft option”.

Dialogue is not an event. She is a process that will never end.

DIALOGUE REQUIRES LEADERSHIP AND BRAVE PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED AND LEAD THE WAY.

[Video] Information Session: Outreach Officer Job Vacancies.

2014-05-29T22:19:00.000-04:00

Here it is if you missed it. Video of yesterday's information session about Soliya's latest job vacancies. Watch it and apply today!

Information Session: Outreach Officer Job Vacancies.

2014-05-23T13:27:00.000-04:00

Soliya is organizing an information session for anyone who's interested in our current job vacancies: Outreach Officer in NYC/DC and Outreach Officer in Cairo. It will be an online event taking place next week on 28th May, 2014 at 12 noon EST / 7pm Cairo time.

If you have questions you'd like to ask Soliya about these job vacancies then take a few minutes to fill in the information session survey form. We'll reply back to respondents with more information on how to participate.

We're Hiring: Outreach Officer in NYC / DC.

2014-05-15T14:48:00.001-04:00

Soliya is currently looking to hire a strategic, creative thinker with exceptional interpersonal and
communication skills, who is seeking the opportunity to take initiative, drive outreach efforts, and develop marketing collateral for an innovative, global not for profit organization.

The Outreach Officer will lead Soliya’s outreach efforts in North America & Europe: expanding our network of participating universities; strengthening relationships with our current university partners; developing strategic relationships with partner organizations to enable outreach to new market segments; and ensure earned income targets from university outreach are reached. The position can be based in DC or NYC and may entail some domestic travel.

Please take a look at the job announcement [PDF] For more details about this positions and how to apply.

We're Hiring: Outreach Officer in Cairo.

2014-05-15T14:39:00.000-04:00

Soliya is currently seeking a strategic, creative thinker with exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, who is seeking the opportunity to take initiative, drive outreach efforts, and develop bilingual marketing collateral for an innovative, global not for profit organization. The Outreach Officer will lead Soliya’s outreach efforts in the MENA region as well as broader Muslim World: expanding our network of participating universities; strengthening relationships with our current university partners; and developing strategic relationships with partner organizations to enable outreach to new market segments. The position will be based in Cairo and will entail some travel across the Middle East, North Africa and South / South East Asia.

Please take a look at the job announcement [PDF] For more details about this positions and how to apply.

New Internships at SFCG

2014-05-05T10:42:00.000-04:00

New part-time and full-time internship opportunities are now available at Search for Common Ground head office.

New Media Internship - http://employment.sfcg.org/jobs/new-media-internship/
Graphic Design Internship - http://employment.sfcg.org/jobs/graphic-design-internship-2/
Web Content Internship - http://employment.sfcg.org/jobs/web-content-internship/
French Translation Internship - http://employment.sfcg.org/jobs/french-translation-internship/

Video: Soliya and Search for Common Ground To Join Forces!

2014-02-04T18:52:00.000-05:00

Become A Soliya Volunteer!

2014-01-06T21:28:00.004-05:00

Join Soliya's growing international team of volunteer facilitators and connect people!

Learn how to facilitate online cross-cultural dialogue and promote constructive approaches to conflict. Apply by 24th January 2014 to our upcoming basic training to get started.

Check out the online Google Doc for more info: http://mpth.ee/VolunteerAndFacilitate

Dinner for 8 with Fadi Rabieh

2013-11-12T23:19:00.001-05:00

We are happy to announce our next Dinner for 8 host, Fadi Rabieh, Co-manager of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land and a Conflict Resolution expert. If you are interested in being one of the 8 participants , please fill out your schedule, make sure you select your time zone from the top right corner before you fill up your availabilities. Also make sure you write in your full name in the name field. Please note that we are filling up the slots on a first-come, first-served basis and according to the alignment of schedules so we apologize in advance if we are unable to include you due to scheduling conflicts. We hope that you join us!

Dinner for 8 is a Soliya-hosted virtual gathering bringing together 8 people from the Soliya community with some of the most thought-provoking leaders in the fields of international relations, dialogue, community engagement and new media politics. The dinners will last 2 hours and will be interactive working-style sessions aimed at engaging the community with experts, offering meaningful encounters and gaining insights into best practices.

Please note that these sessions will be recorded and shared with the community at a later date.

Fadi Rabieh Bio:

Fadi Rabieh grew up in the holy – yet divided – city of Jerusalem. He has been working on issues related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for the past ten years. Now, he co-manages the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land. A body that brings the highest and official religious institutions to find ways to make religious discourse part of the solution (instead of being part of the problem). From 2008-2012 he worked with Search for Common Ground- Jerusalem office on managing and expanding a Palestinian-Israeli Leadership Network; a network that brings Palestinian and Israeli leaders across sectors—civil society, politics, and business--for relationships building and leadership development. Fadi is a Fulbright fellow and holds a Master degree in Conflict Transformation & Peacebuilding from Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia. And currently pursuing his second MA in Organizational Behavior & Development. He is also a Dalai Lama Fellow.

Announcing the Launch of our New Website for Virtual Exchange!

2013-11-12T22:37:00.001-05:00

Dear Soliya Network community,

You know first-hand the value of engaging in meaningful dialogue and collaboration with people from all over the world.

This week is International Education Week in the United States, which is a perfect opportunity for you to tell your stories and to help spread awareness about virtual exchange!

In 2011, Soliya joined together with several other like-minded groups to form the Exchange 2.0 Coalition. The Coalition’s purpose is to foster a more supportive and generative ecosystem for virtual exchange to develop, innovate and grow. This week, the Exchange 2.0 Coalition launched a brand new website for virtual exchange.

In honor of International Education Week and in recognition of the growing significance of our work together, please take the following actions to promote virtual exchange:

Check out the Exchange 2.0 website, and spread the word: Share the link with your communities and add your voices directly to the site through the Get Involved section.
Join the “I <3 Virtual Exchange” campaign: Visit the Get Involved section of www.exchange2point0.org for instructions! Participation involves taking a picture with an “I <3 virtual exchange because…” sign and then uploading it to the Exchange 2.0 website or posting it directly to twitter with the hashtag #exchange20. Continue to follow www.exchange2point0.org and #exchange20 on Twitter to view and share other people’s pictures from around the world!
Learn more about International Education Week (IEW) and join the conversations: Visit the International Education Week Facebook page and join the Twitter conversation via the hashtag #IEW2013. Don’t forget to also use #exchange20 when you’re posting!

As always, we are amazed and inspired by your dedication to empowering young people to understand and appreciate this diverse world. Thank you for your work!

With much gratitude,
The Soliya Team

Soliya Information Session at the Online Facilitation Unconference 2013

2013-10-24T11:12:00.002-04:00

Join us tomorrow (Friday 25th October) to attend Soliya's information session about our programs and training taking place at the Online Facilitation Unconference 2013.

We're excited taking part and also sponsoring this very first unconference for online facilitators. We'll be represented in the session by Deena Ramadan and Claudia Maffettone who will talk about what we do at Soliya, volunteer opportunities and trainings that are available for our programs and to answer any questions you may have.

The time of the session is 9AM PST / 12PM EST/ 6PM CET or find out what time it'll be in your city.

You'll need to register your spot (FREE!) on GoToMeeting.

And don't forget to also register for free to participate in other sessions hosted by the Online Facilitation Unconference 2013.

Opportunity for Virtual Exchange Facilitators: Online Facilitation Unconference 2013

2013-10-16T11:06:00.003-04:00

This sounds like a great opportunity for the Soliya Network community, especially for the Connect Program Facilitators: Facilitation Across Time and Space: How to Create Change Through Virtual Environments?

When it comes to helping groups and communities achieve their desired outcomes, technology is playing an increasingly important role. But how can we really deliver the same value in virtual environments that we know how to deliver in person? How can we operate with the same integrity?

It's an unconference too. Which means the meeting topics and agenda is decided by the participants. Click the link for the details and sign-up for the Online Facilitation Unconference 2013.

[H/T: Intellitics blog. Image source: Chaaban.info]

A Message from Lucas Welch to the Soliya Network

2013-10-10T01:02:00.000-04:00

A message from Lucas Welch, Soliya Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, to the Soliya Network community. Here is a transcript of the video message:

Welcome to the Soliya Network, I’m glad you’ve decided to join us. If you’re watching this video, it means you have been a critical part of helping Soliya work to shift the way our societies deal with their differences.

At Soliya, we believe the world is reaching a tipping point of interdependence where our fates are now so intertwined, whether it’s the global economy, our environment or our security, that if we don’t learn how to deal with each other constructively, if we don’t learn how to get out of this win-lose, us or them mindset, then we’re all going to end up losing. Instead we need to shift away from that us-or-them approach to finding solutions that meet the needs of us and them.

This community consists of facilitators, fellows, trainers and coaches who have all committed tremendous time, energy and love to that vision. It is a private group for the key people who have been active with Soliya for the past several years; people without whom, we would not be able to implement our programs and have the impact we aim to have in the world.

The goal of this network is to put all of you amazing people together in an eco-system of social medial tools in order to connect, collaborate and promote constructive dialogue. It allows for more streamlined communication from us to you and you to us as well as a space where you all can feel connected to each other. This will be a space for you to make your own and we bring it to you as a result of feedback received from you all over the years; a place where you can feel in touch with your fellow Soliyans.

As we come together, I think it is a good opportunity for us to look back at what we have achieved together over the past ten years: together, we have connected over 4000 students globally, together, we have produced hundreds of videos viewed by over 35,000 people around the world. Together, we have amplified voices from our communities to world leaders at the United Nations Forums, the Arab League and various governmental and education institutions around the world.

And we have pioneered a new model for cross-cultural engagement that is now poised to scale up significantly in the coming years. Our Connect Program is now recognized as a gold-standard in the emerging field of virtual exchange. Virtual Exchange programs are defined as technology-enabled, sustained, people-to-people education programs, and we are working with a coalition of other virtual exchange organizations to make it the norm for all students to have a profound cross-cultural experience as part of their education. That means leading advocacy efforts so that governments, foundations and corporations provide more resources to virtual exchange programs like our connect program.

It means expanding our pool of highly skilled facilitators and it means building more and deeper partnerships with universities for our Connect Program. We are hoping that we can continue to count on you as we chart that path, because we think the world would be a different place if every student had the opportunity to engage in a meaningful cross-cultural experience as part of their education.

But we are not just betting on the power of virtual exchange to change the world. We’re betting on the power of you. We believe that if we can continue to learn together and grow you will each be able to take what you’ve learned and do extraordinary work together whether that means bridging international divides online or helping people in your local communities deal with the differences more constructively. We have mapped out a plan for your development within Soliya’s programming. Our engagement tree delineates all the opportunities available for you now and in the future that encompass both training and practice. You can see it in the community space. We hope that you will choose to grow with us as we do our work together.

So the two key components of the new online space are the Soliya Network Blog to help you stay tuned to Soliya’s updates and opportunities and also the Soliya Network Hub which is a private group that brings together the Soliya community of volunteers to socially interact and network with each other. You can find the details on the blog and sign up if you if you still haven’t done so.

We look forward to seeing you there and continuing to work and grow with you in this next chapter of Soliya. Thank you.

The Soliya Network is Launched!

2013-09-25T09:22:00.000-04:00

Hello Soliya volunteers!

We, at Soliya, are pleased to announce and invite you to join the Soliya Network, a community that brings together fellows, facilitators, coaches and trainers in a common space. The Soliya Network is an online space to connect, collaborate and share opportunities with the rest of the community, allowing you to be actively involved in Soliya’s mission by participating in programs and bringing them to your local communities.

You can get to know more about the Soliya Network by reading the About section in this blog. As you can see, the way we share our news and updates will be streamlined through this blog to make it easy for you to learn about future plans, how you can get involved and different development paths available to you within this community.

You will be invited to a closed group on Google+ which will be your space to interact and directly network with the community. You will also have access to other online tools to meet and collaborate. We're excited about our new approach of using readily available online tools based on the needs of our community. We will be listening to you on how effective they turn out to be. This is a space that we started and hope you will shape with your vision of what our community can be.

As a first step to bringing the community together, we would like you to read the Soliya Network Membership Agreement and accept its terms by signing it. Then follow the steps in the Getting Started checklist and you'll be off on a good start as a new member of the Soliya Network.

Feel free to email us at network@soliya.net if you have any questions about the Soliya Network.

Thank you!
Waleed and the Soliya team.