Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Staff and Faculty
2025-01-23 12:00 - 14:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for staff, administrators, and faculty to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences.
Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Maia Ferdman.
Where: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP. Lunch will be served.

RSVP: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/7rq6y2m/lp/83c34643-6486-4ef7-8876-4febd9cccb81

The State of Hate - Part Two: Hate and Politics
2025-01-23 17:30 - 18:30 | Zoom
The State of Hate is a multi-part online series co-sponsored by the Friends of Semel Institute and the UCLA Initiative to Study Hate. The series brings together UCLA experts to share new ways of understanding and mitigating hate. The first installment in the series, Hate and Politics, will look at how hate is playing out in our national and international politics. Panelists will discuss what the dangers and dynamics of hateful rhetoric are to our political culture and well-being. They will also discuss what the role of the media is in both spreading and righting hate in our political environment.
Speakers:
Cesi Cruz, PhD
– Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science
David Myers, PhD – Distinguished Professor, founding director of the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy, and the founding director of the UCLA Initiative to Study
Hate Lynn Vavreck, PhD – Marvin Hoffenberg Professor of American Politics and Public Policy at UCLA
Register HERE.

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Students
2025-01-29 11:30 - 14:30 | De Neve Acacia, 417 Charles E Young Drive West, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, United States
Speaking about political differences during this charged and divided time can sometimes feel impossible. Join other Bruins in discussing!
What: The Dialogue across Difference Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for UCLA graduate and undergraduate students to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences. Using the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally recognized organization dedicated to building courageous communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective communication skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Maia Ferdman. Lunch will be served!
Who: This session will be designed for and limited to UCLA students across campus. Graduate and undergraduate students are welcome. This session is open only to students.
Space is limited – spots are given on a first come, first serve basis. The DaD Initiative will host more of these sessions in the future, so if you are not able to join this session you will be placed on a waitlist for the next opportunity.
Location: De Neve Acacia – These sessions will be in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded.
RSVP link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dialogue-across-difference-presents-speaking-across-conflict-workshop-tickets-1131061578629?aff=oddtdtcreator

The State of Hate - Part Three: Hate and the Internet/Social Media
2025-02-13 17:30 - 18:30 | Zoom
The State of Hate is a three-part series, jointly sponsored by UCLA’s Friends of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, UCLA’s State of Hate Initiative, and the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital Board of Advisors.
Hate and the Internet/Social Media – Part 3 in the series, will examine how the landscape of hate online has changed (or not) since the 2024 elections. The speakers will also discuss how young people are experiencing hate online, and what kinds of interventions should educators, content creators, and policymakers institute to fight online hate?
Speakers:
David Myers, PhD,
Distinguished Professor, founding director of the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy, and the founding director of the UCLA Initiative to Study Hate
Christine Ong, PhD, Research Scientist at CRESST
Saadia Gabriel PhD, Assistant Professor in UCLA Computer Science and affiliated with the Bunche Center for African American Studies
Register HERE.

Compassionate Conversation with Dr. Adam Phillips
2025-02-26 12:00 - 2025-02-27 21:00
On February 26th and 27th 2025, The UCLA Bedari Kindness Institute and the UCLA Initiative to Study Hate, in partnership with the UCLA Department of English and the Hammer Museum, will be hosting internationally acclaimed psychoanalyst and author, Dr. Adam Phillips, for a three-event series, which will include a lecture and a seminar at UCLA, and a talk at the Hammer Museum (see below for event details) devoted to kindness and hate.
Phillips, who has been called “the best living essayist writing in English” and “Britain’s foremost contemporary psychoanalysis thinker” (The New Yorker), is one of the world’s most celebrated and wide-ranging intellectuals. He has authored many critically acclaimed works of psychoanalysis, literary criticism, and commentary including On Kindness, Missing Out, Unforbidden Pleasures, In Writing, Becoming Freud, and On Getting Better. Formerly a principal child psychotherapist, he is currently the general editor of the Penguin Modern Classics Freud translations, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and a visiting professor in the English Department at the University of York.
February 26th at 4 pm: A Lecture, “On Resistance”
Description: In this lecture, Adam Phillips will explore the notion of resistance in psychoanalysis
Location: James West Alumni Center Collins Room
Registration details and link coming soon.

February 27th at noon: A Seminar, “Exploring Christopher Bollas’s ‘The Transformational Object.”
Description: Adam Phillips will lead a seminar with UCLA students, faculty, and staff that explores the paper, “The Transformational Object” by Christopher Bollas. Bollas’s work will be distributed to registrants prior to the seminar. Lunch will be served.
Location: Young Research Library Main Conference Room
Register HERE!

February 27th at 7:30 pm: A Conversation: “On Kindness and Hate.”
Description: UCLA English Professors David Russell and Mona Simpson will join Adam Phillips in a conversation on Kindness, Hate, Missing Out, Wanting to Change, Getting Better, and Giving Up.
Location: The Hammer Museum
For more information and ticketing, click HERE!
Please note The Hammer Museum assigns seats on a first come, first served basis.

Compassionate Conversation with Dr. Jamil Zaki
2025-03-04 17:30 - 19:30 | De Neve Plaza
BKI is thrilled to welcome Dr. Jamil Zaki, the author of this year’s Common Experience Book, The War for Kindness, to join us for a conversation that explores the themes of kindness and empathy as they relate to UCLA & present-day crises. This installment of the Compassionate Conversations series is offered in partnership with the Common Experience Program at UCLA and UCLA Alumni.
RSVP: https://form.smartsuite.com/shi4mzg5/9zpcvk9oPb

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Staff and Faculty
2025-03-20 12:00 - 14:30
The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for staff, administrators, and faculty to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences.
Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Maia Ferdman.
Where: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP. Lunch will be served.

RSVP: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/5rsptyp/lp/06d5049b-2db6-4102-9335-d3927f6610e5?__cf_chl_tk=l3ZYyMeQ7pZ.W4YuFMly3wmDo6gvo1bmDBP9Tlb1lKk-1736965689-1.0.1.1-D0SAoBBbhEqWcIU8sRy4gvPbMcDLV0.oQKfzS73qO5M

Compassionate Conversation with The Parent’s Circle-Families Forum
2025-04-03 08:00 - 17:00
The fourth installment of the Bedari Kindness Institute’s Compassionate Conversations series will feature extraordinary members of the Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF). PCFF is a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization made up of more than 800 bereaved families. Their common bond is that they have lost a close family member to the conflict. But instead of choosing revenge, they have chosen a path of reconciliation. Through their educational activities, these bereaved members have joined together to take tens of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis on journeys of reconciliation. As a joint Israeli-Palestinian peace organization, the PCFF models constructive dialogue around shared values. American Friends of the Parents Circle – Families Forum shares the human side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the American public in order to foster a peace and reconciliation process.
The Compassionate Conversations series features speakers who share a deep and humane commitment to engaging others with compassion, empathy, and respect. Members of PCFF embody this commitment. They will share about their experience of loss, dialogue, and peace building during the hardest of moments.
This program is co-sponsored by the Dialogue Across Difference Initiative.
RSVP HERE
About the Speakers

Layla Alsheikh lives in Bethlehem in the West Bank. In 2002, her 6 month old son, Qussay, became ill and Israeli soldiers prevented Layla from taking him to the hospital for more than five hours. Qussay soon died from the lack of timely treatment.  Layla joined the Parents Circle in 2016. Following her son’s death, she never thought of revenge, but rather has devoted her time and energy to ensuring a better, more peaceful future for her children.

Mor Ynon is based in Tel Aviv. On October 7, 2023, her parents, Belha and Yaakov, were killed in their home in Moshav Netiv Ha’Asara by Hamas. The pain of losing them was a wake-up call and a reminder to pursue peace with a commitment to equality, justice, and security for everyone. Mor worked in global high-tech for 25 years, developing strategies and performance measures. Today she serves as the Israeli co-Chair of the Parents Circle Board.

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Staff and Faculty 4/23
2025-04-23 12:00 - 14:30
The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for staff, administrators, and faculty to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences.
Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Maia Ferdman.
Where: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP. Lunch will be served.

RSVP: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/j67e2em/lp/ea956338-3675-4a61-91f6-a59fbd7e4534

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Students on 5/8
2025-05-08 11:30 - 14:30
Speaking about political differences during this charged and divided time can sometimes feel impossible. Join other Bruins in discussing!
What: The Dialogue across Difference Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for UCLA graduate and undergraduate students to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences. Using the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally recognized organization dedicated to building courageous communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective communication skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Maia Ferdman. Lunch will be served!
Who: This session will be designed for and limited to UCLA students across campus. Graduate and undergraduate students are welcome. This session is open only to students.
Space is limited – spots are given on a first come, first serve basis. The DaD Initiative will host more of these sessions in the future, so if you are not able to join this session you will be placed on a waitlist for the next opportunity.
Location: To be announced. These sessions will be in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded.
RSVP link: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/czf4kce/lp/f65fe8ac-9cfc-48fa-bbe2-ddedf75eb955

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Staff and Faculty 5/19
2025-05-19 12:00 - 14:30
The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for staff, administrators, and faculty to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences.
Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Maia Ferdman.
Where: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP. Lunch will be served.

RSVP: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/jfbspcq/lp/71537e9f-4729-40b7-99cd-5d5468c8d690

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Students on 5/30
2025-05-30 11:00 - 14:00
Speaking about political differences during this charged and divided time can sometimes feel impossible. Join other Bruins in discussing!
What: The Dialogue across Difference Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for UCLA graduate and undergraduate students to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences. Using the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally recognized organization dedicated to building courageous communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective communication skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. Lunch will be served!
Who: This session will be designed for and limited to UCLA students across campus. Graduate and undergraduate students are welcome. This session is open only to students.
Space is limited – spots are given on a first come, first serve basis. The DaD Initiative will host more of these sessions in the future, so if you are not able to join this session you will be placed on a waitlist for the next opportunity.
Location: To be announced. These sessions will be in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded.
RSVP link: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/akhq39z/lp/358f2250-a787-4d2a-a2e7-d13ed37c9b72

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Staff and Faculty
2025-10-15 12:00 - 14:30
The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for staff, administrators, and faculty to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences.
Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Maia Ferdman.
Location: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP.
RSVP link

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Graduate Students 10/28
2025-10-28 12:00 - 15:00
The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for graduate students to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences.
Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety.
Location: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP.
RSVP here.

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Students - 11/5
2025-11-05 09:00 - 12:00
The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for UCLA students to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences.
Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety.
Location: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP.
RSVP here.

Lunch and Learn: Practicing the "Bullseye Reflection"
2025-12-10 12:00 - 13:30
Are you a UCLA staff or faculty member who has already participated in a Speaking Across Conflict workshop?
This zoom session will give you a chance to keep practicing the skills you learned in this workshop in conversation with other UCLA community members about the issues that matter most to you.
Bring your lunch and come prepared to “see people as they wish to be seen” and to be heard and listened to on your own terms.
Register here.

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Staff and Faculty
2026-01-13 12:00 - 14:30
The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for staff, administrators, and faculty to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences.
Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Maia Ferdman.
Location: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP.
RSVP link.

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Students
2026-01-30 12:00 - 15:00

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Graduate Students
2026-02-12 12:00 - 15:00

Deepening the Dialogue for UCLA Students
2026-02-12 17:00 - 19:00, 2026-05-14 17:00 - 19:00
Are you a UCLA undergraduate, graduate, or professional student who has already participated in a “Speaking Across Conflict” workshop?
This interactive session will give you a chance to keep practicing the skills you learned in this workshop in conversation with other UCLA community members about the issues that matter most to you.
Join together with others to “see people as they wish to be seen” and to be heard and listened to on your own terms.
Register here.

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Faculty and Staff
2026-04-09 12:00 - 14:30
The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for staff, administrators, and faculty to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences.
Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Ariane White.
Location: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP.
RSVP here.

Symposium on Sound and Hate
2026-04-10 10:00
This half-day symposium at UCLA will examine the intersection of sound and hate, highlighting how auditory experiences can propagate, resist, and reflect social animosities. Bringing together diverse perspectives from sound studies and related fields, the event will deepen understanding of how sound influences, challenges, and shapes the dynamics of hate in society. The keynote address, “Sectarian Reckonings: The Politics of Voice and Song in Post-Authoritarian Syria,” will be delivered by Shayna M. Silverstein, Associate Professor in the Department of Performance Studies and faculty member of the Middle Eastern and North African Studies program at Northwestern University. Her talk explores public reckonings with sectarian violence in Syria from the 2010s conflict to the precarious present, offering guided listening to sonic practices—from chant and song to rock and livestream audio culture—that respond to sectarianized hate, violence, and animosity. Additional speakers include UCLA School of Music Associate Professor Jenny Johnson, UCLA Initiative to Study Hate (ISH) Research Manager Dr. Amalia Mora, and the symposium’s curator Dr. Kathryn Huether (ISH and Leve Center for Jewish Studies Postdoctoral Fellow-Antisemitism Studies).

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Graduate & Professional Students
2026-04-14 12:00 - 15:00
The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for Graduate & Professional Students to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences.
Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Beth Goodhue and Felicia Graham.
Location: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP.
RSVP here.

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Students
2026-04-17 11:00 - 14:00
The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for Students to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences.
Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Felicia Graham.
Location: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP.
RSVP here.

Speaking Across Conflict Workshop for Students
2026-05-08 12:00 - 15:00
The Dialogue across Differences Initiative at UCLA is proud to offer an interactive opportunity for Students to delve deeper into a core skill for having more constructive conversations across charged political differences.
Based on the methodology of Resetting the Table, a nationally renowned organization dedicated to building honest and open communication, this workshop will allow participants to practice speaking about divisive political topics using effective skills. The session will be highly interactive, and we ask that participants be present for its entirety. It will be led by Joshua Mayfield.
Location: This session will be held in-person only on the UCLA campus and will not be recorded. Location shared upon RSVP.
RSVP here.

DaD Student Internship Information Session
2026-05-18 18:30 - 19:30
Call for Interns AY26-27 – Application Open!
DaD Student interns are an integral part of the DaD team. The initiative offers an annual opportunity for students with a deep commitment to advancing dialogue on campus to join this team and contribute to our mission. Internship applications open once per year. DaD student Interns share about dialogue opportunities and programs with their peers and advance dialogue in their respective activities on campus.
Final Application Deadline: Sunday, May 31st at 11:59pm PT
Learn More & Apply
Internship Information Session: Monday May 18th 6:30-8:30 PM (virtual)
RSVP for the Information Session

Interviews held: June 9-10, 2026.
