Immigration, Community, and Dialogue

You don’t always need a facilitated dialogue. Sometimes you just need a better question.

Why dialogue questions? Even in this moment of division and trauma, healthy conversations about immigration have immense power. They inspire hope and resilience, invite creativity and generosity, and remind us that we are all connected by mutual care and common needs. 

We designed the questions below to deepen connection and relationships through personal reflection and healthy conversation. Those are the things that will see us through together, in our communities and as a country. The questions have been drawn from real-world projects, including recent collaborations in cities where immigration is an urgent, flashpoint issue.

You can ask these questions any time you want to invite healthier, more meaningful conversations, even among people who are “on the same side.” You don’t need to engage someone who holds very different views to build community through dialogue. 

If a conversation just feels out of reach right now, these prompts also offer a starting point to ground yourself in your own experiences, values, and perspectives.

• Can you share a personal story that might help others understand how you came to hold your perspectives or values related to immigration? This could be something that you experienced firsthand, something that happened to a person you care about, a relationship you have or had, or a related family story.
• Think of a recent moment when the presence of or news about immigration enforcement impacted you or your community. What mattered most to you in that moment? What values, relationships, or concerns were at the heart of your reaction?
• Can you share a story from your life that might help others understand what belonging to this community has meant to you? 
• What is one thing about this community that you want to protect or maintain, and what does it mean to you personally? 
• What is one thing that you’d like to change about your community, and how does that desire for change reflect a personal hope, value, or aspiration?
• Can you think of a time when you made a meaningful sacrifice to change something in your life or accomplish something you really wanted? What helped you make that sacrifice? How did this impact you?

We hope these questions help you discover—or recover—what you need to thrive in your community.

There are upcoming opportunities to become trained in our Reflective Structured Dialogue approach for those who would like to dive deeper. Visit our workshop calendar for dates and options. As always, do not hesitate to reach out for more support.

We are with you.