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Collaborative Conversation on Immigration

Tuesdays
Sept. 7-Oct. 26
6-8 p.m.
Cost: $10 (full scholarships are available)

To register:

Interested persons may email matera.matt@gmail.com to sign up or to be put on a waiting list. Space is limited to 18 participants.

Program Description:

Discussing Immigration today can be difficult because the issue can be divisive. We’re asked to pick a side in this ongoing debate, which often forces us to discuss our belief based on emotion, with few facts to support our claims. Rarely, do we have an opportunity to experience real dialogue with other community members, when we can listen to stories and facts that may strengthen or alter our thinking.

We invite all members of our community to participate in a unique experience that will create a space for dialogue, conversation, and development around the topic of Immigration. Through small-group dialogue and a powerful writing process, we will work to ensure that every participant’s voice is heard and valued. Participants will use a writing and discussion method designed to bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds into a thoughtful exchange of ideas on the subject of immigration. The process used asks participants to generate their own ideas on a set of subjects, and then in a series of subsequent drafts, to incorporate the ideas and language of their fellow group members into their own writing. As they do this they are also asked to keep an acknowledgments page documenting the influence that their group members exert on their own writing and ideas. In the end, each participant will produce a piece of writing that reflects the multiple voices and viewpoints of the entire group.

Teacher Bios:

Sandra Florence

Has a Masters in English/Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and has been teaching writing and literature for over 30 years. She has taught at the UA, Pima Community College, and a number of venues throughout the community developing writing groups with refugees, the homeless, adolescent- parents, women in recovery, and juvenile offenders. She has particular interests in writing and healing, and writing as a tool for public dialogue. She developed the collaborative conversation process that will be used in our conversation on Immigration. She currently teaches at Pima Community College, Desert Vista Campus.

Matt Matera

Since 2005, Matt Matera has been actively involved with immigration and college access issues as a facilitator, program coordinator, and volunteer with educational, faith-based and non-profit institutions. He is a Co-Founder and Co-Director of Scholarships A-Z, an organization dedicated to connecting students to educational resources, regardless of their immigration status. As a college instructor, he has developed and taught courses at the University of Arizona and Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ, on leadership development, creating social change, study skills, and making career choices. Matt holds a M.A. in Higher Education from the University of Arizona and B.A. in History from the College of William & Mary.