We need community now more than ever...but what does that look like? As we navigate connecting with others and learning from other ways of knowing, we’re likely not going to learn them from people who look or live like us, and certainly we’re not going to learn them from people we agree with on everything. We are likely going to disagree and argue; we will have conflict. But is there a way to do that doesn’t cause harm? Can conflict be productive, or generative even? Can conflict pull us closer to care, closer to solutions, closer together? Emily Taylor, an expert conflict mediator and an ombudsman at Utah Valley University, joins us as we discuss how to have conversations that matter, and how we can use them to build the connections we need to survive and thrive.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed within this podcast do not necessarily reflect Utah Valley University, UVU's Ombuds Office, or UVU's Center for Social Impact.

References:

brown, a.m. (2017). Emergent Strategy. (pp. 3). AK Press.

Needelman, J. (2023, March 14). Forget Utopia. Ignore Dystopia. Embrace Protopia! The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/14/special-series/protopia-movement.html

Limón, A. (2022). The End of Poetry. The Hurting Kind. Milkweed Editions.

Taylor, E. (2021). Conflict Fluent.

BONUS EPISODE: Listen to the full interview with Dezi Lynn, and get new insights into how the Diné worldview inspires an approach of balance and harmony known as Hózhǫ. Dezi also shares upcoming events and opportunities for UVU students and the local Orem community to get involved.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect Utah Valley University or UVU's Center for Social Impact.

The Critical Mass Podcast returns for it's third season with a reinvigorated focus, and a new name; Critical Connections. We're going to talk about the new name, what it means, and honor the name we came from. We also turn our eyes to the future, to confront what can feel like an apocalyptic time in our history. We're joined by Dezi Lynn, a Diné educator whose expertise in pattern-recognition and empowering ways of knowing and learning will help us consider potential pathways to surviving, and maybe thriving, through the future.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed within this podcast do not necessarily reflect Utah Valley University or UVU's Center for Social Impact.

References:

brown, a.m. (2017). Emergent Strategy. (pp. 3). AK Press.

Kimmerer, R.W. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass. (pp. 207). Milkweed Editions.