Student Dialogue Network (SDN)

Draft Mission Statement 

The Student Dialogue Network is a UCLA student-led, BKI-affiliated initiative dedicated to fostering open, inclusive, and meaningful dialogue across differences. In today’s age of extreme political polarization, we aim to create safe spaces for all Bruins, where individuals from diverse political affiliations, religions, and social identities can together explore sensitive topics, ask questions without judgment, and share lived experiences to build understanding and common ground. We believe that dialogue humanizes people, allowing us to see one another beyond labels, assumptions, and stereotypes. Rooted in curiosity, compassion, and courage, we equip students with the skills and confidence to engage in dialogue, embrace an open-minded attitude, and learn from one another. The SDN aims to help people cross divides of many kinds, including ideological, religious, cultural, political, and interpersonal differences. Through joint events, workshops, and community initiatives, we bridge divides, celebrate differences, and nurture a culture of respectful communication, growth, and collective understanding. 

Draft Organizational Guidelines/Ground Rules 

1. Please approach dialogue with respect, curiosity, and openness.
2. Refrain from name-calling, labeling, profanity, or making large assumptions about others’ intentions.
3. Attempt to recognize the difference that may exist between impact made and intention meant, whether it be in what you or others have said. 
4. Encourage clarification and active listening: listen to understand, not to respond.
5. Actively provide space for all voices, particularly those often marginalized or overshadowed.
6. Facilitate balanced participation, redirect conversations if someone dominates or interrupts.
7. Encourage courageous dialogue while maintaining a safe and non-judgmental environment.
8. Promote open inquiry and honest discussion, including difficult or controversial topics.
9. Educate members on the difference between dialogue and debate.
10. Support dialogue as a tool to humanize and understand, not to win arguments.

Draft Membership Information 

1. All undergraduate and graduate students on campus are welcome to join. 
2. Failure to adhere to the ground rules will result in strikes provided by the designated strike person. Upon receiving each strike, the person will be encouraged to meet with the designated strike person and take possible remediation steps. Upon receiving three strikes, membership may be terminated based on a vote taken of the entire organization. 

Draft Organizational Structure

1. Different branches include: publicity, event logistics (facilitates collabs between different organizations and keeps tabs of all of them), internal development (responsible for training, internal meeting agendas), external dialogue response (crisis team that plans dialogues and outreach to people during times of crisis), executive leadership (manages all the other branches), socials (responsible for fun/social events for the network). There can also be interest-based nodes that are led by people who have similar interests in certain topics, and these can be on things like intercultural/identity dialogue, policy & current events, wellness & mental health, and interfaith/spiritual dialogue. These nodes can choose to meet on a schedule that works for themselves and can either mainly communicate via a separate Discord channel and have their own organization. It is encouraged that at least non-BKI undergraduates and graduate students participate in each branch (except for exec) in a leadership capacity. 
2. Node leaders will be voted in by the entire group. 
3. All node leads will also meet on a regular basis in an open leadership meeting that anyone in the network can attend. 
4. If you are interested in facilitating a specific section or leading a node/interest group, for example, an interfaith node, policy & current events discussions, or wellness node, you can always reach out to the executive team. 
5. This organizational structure is designed to be participatory, giving everyone the opportunity to take an active role in the network.