The Deliberative Citizenship Initiative is committed to enhancing the quality of our political discourse with one another through deliberative efforts that span the Davidson community and beyond. One of the ways the DCI aims to achieve this goal is through its Deliberative “D” Teams. D Teams are small groups of 6 to 10 people who meet regularly to discuss important but difficult issues facing society.
The DCI seeks individuals with diverse perspectives to participate in D Teams to share their thoughts and ideas for broadening our understanding of one another’s opinions and addressing the challenges we face – everyone’s voice is welcome and needed! Teams meet every 3-4 weeks over the course of a semester. Past participants have noted the opportunity for transformative experiences through D Teams participation and their appreciation for the opportunity to hear perspectives from a diverse group of people:
“D Teams … give students, alums, community members a chance to meet and learn, discuss, bolster, formulate, or reformulate their opinions about an issue because of the structured discussion. The most unique aspect is the wide spectrum of ages in the group. In my group it went from 20 – 80. There are not that many places where this intergenerational exploration occurs.”
In order to allow Davidson alums and families who live throughout the United States and around the world to participate, we offer a Zoom option for D Team meetings — in addition to in-person options on or nearby the Davidson campus.
Prior to each meeting, the DCI sends participants a Deliberation Guide that contains background information on each topic. We strive to present information in a fair and balanced manner – the DCI does not endorse any particular view or policy proposal. Rather, we hope that participants will come to their own conclusions, and possibly even generate some new ideas and innovative solutions, after hearing good arguments and insightful perspectives from one another.
Following each meeting, the DCI also sends participants a Pathways Guide that outlines possible next steps, a variety of ways to get involved, and other helpful resources. These documents are also designed to reflect a range of different perspectives.
When signing up, interested individuals have the opportunity to state their preference for the type of D Team — BridgeBuilder and SkillBuilder Teams — they would like to join.
SkillBuilder D Teams focus more on the skills of dialogue and deliberation and may not have as great a diversity of views as the BridgeBuilder D Teams, which are designed to include and engage a broader diversity of perspectives. Both types of teams – like all DCI activities – will continue to explore both areas of agreement and disagreement on important issues. Participants who successfully recruit at least one individual who is ideologically or demographically different from themselves to register for a D Team will be guaranteed a spot on a BridgeBuilder Team.
The DCI has has a related “Bring a Friend” option for both types of teams. If you are interested in joining but are hesitant because you might not know anyone in the group or won’t share important things in common with other participants, you can sign up with a friend who you do share something in common with. You’ll have an option in the application to specify this person’s name and we will put you on the same D team together (assuming you have overlapping availabilities).
The popularity of D Teams continues to increase, and we hope you’ll sign up for one! We do our best to accommodate scheduling preferences by offering D Teams at various times throughout the day on both weekdays and weekends.
Learn more about our Spring 2023 D Teams on Climate Change, Immigration, and College Admissions Policies (REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Deadline is January 23)
Learn more about our Fall 2022 D Teams on Elections (Highlights, Snapshots, and Testimonials Available)
