Friends Forward

How do we create spaces where students can engage meaningfully across difference while staying grounded in shared values? This workshop explores a classroom model that integrates Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion principles with Quaker testimonies such as community, equality, and peace to foster thoughtful, respectful dialogue.

Participants will examine a lesson structure that empowers students to choose relevant, real-world topics, from immigration and global conflicts to AI and stress and engage them through inquiry, reflection, and discussion. The approach explicitly teaches and practices core civil discourse skills, including empathetic communication, critical thinking, openness to inquiry, and constructive disagreement.