Participate
Participating
Share your expertise in your own experience; compare its similarities and difference to your peers!
How do other students experience DU in similar and different ways than you? What would you like to know about an identity/experience different from your own? What would you like to teach others about the groups you belong to?
This FREE program brings together students from diverse backgrounds to share about their life and campus experiences around particular identities and topics.
Provides you with the opportunity to:
- Meet peers you might not otherwise meet, much less engage in these kinds of discussions.
- See course concepts in action. Many students report the value of putting classroom readings and presentations into everyday action, and of taking Voices experiences back into classroom discussions and assignments.
- Develop marketable skills. The National Association of Colleges and Employers surveys, for example, regularly report that inter/national employers are increasingly looking for recruits who have strong communication skills, experience working in groups, and experience working across difference.
Voices is:
- for real. No kidding! It's honest discussion. With other students. With all the benefits below.
- fun. How often do you get to have deep conversations with your peers about real world issues?
- good for you. Voices helps you develop those marketable skills and experience mentioned above.
- facilitated. Two trained graduate students, staff or faculty help start and keep the conversation going with activities, prompt questions and reflection opportunities.
- for credit. A number of instructors offer course or extra credit for participation in and write-ups of your experience. Voices may also count toward involvement requirements of some scholarships or other campus programs. Check with your instructor or coordinator!
- free. And we provide food at every group meeting.
You simply:
- Apply online (see below), indicating contact information, some demographics (to help us make the groups diverse) and your meeting time/day preferences (from the provided schedule).
- Attend and actively participate in ALL five sessions of your assigned dialogue, based on your application.
- Complete any required assignments for course/program credit, if you're participating as part of a DU course or program. (Contact your instructor or program coordinator.)
While the majority of participants come to the program through connected courses, any member of the DU student community is able to participate.
In your application, you can indicate your group preferences based on when you are available. Accepted participants will attend all five meetings of their assigned group (same day and time each week); it is not possible to jump among groups across weeks. All groups meet on campus; details will be provided to accepted participants.
If these options do not work for your schedule, and/or you are not accepted to Voices, consider participating in the DU English Language Center's Conversation Partners program , International House's Pioneer to Pioneer program, CCESL's Community Organizing Institute , the Chaplain's book club series or another ongoing opportunities for intergroup contact (check the DU Diversity Portal for possibilities). Be sure to consult with your instructor or program coordinator to see if alternatives will count!