Learning to foster spaces for reflection, civil dialogue and exploration of different viewpoints

At a time of heightened national reflection on social cohesion and inclusion, institutions, organisations, communities, and individuals across Australia are striving to learn how to foster spaces for reflection and open dialogue among people of diverse backgrounds in order to build a more cohesive society.  

Over the last few years, the Australian Baha’i Office of External Affairs has been contributing to this learning process at the national level, collaborating closely with those who seek to offer constructive ideas to address this pressing question.

This learning process was punctuated by last year’s National Social Cohesion and Inclusion conference, where more than 100 people from a range of backgrounds and viewpoints gathered in Sydney to explore the various settings, methods and approaches that are fostering social cohesion and inclusion across Australia.  

Welcoming participants from government, civil society, academia, media, the arts, faith organisations and industry, it was the fifth in a series hosted by the Australian Baha’i Community since 2019, enriching the participants’ shared understanding about foundational elements underpinning social cohesion and forging collaborative pathways forward.

Themes explored included inclusive dialogue, First Nations perspectives on social cohesion, communities as protagonists, and neighbourhoods as settings for learning and impact. Throughout the day, participants were invited to build on ideas and themes as they learned and drew insights from one another in the hope of reaching a unified point of understanding.  

Participants navigated conversations with humility, drawing on their diversity and lived experience, and painting a more complete picture of Australia’s reality.   

According to one participant, it is timely and essential to have “spaces that foster unity in diversity, centre our common humanity, highlight practical community experiences and promote consensus-building dialogue.   

“This forum provides the opportunity to articulate constructive pathways for action that we can advance together.”  

Another participant said it was really valuable to have a lot of people in the same room “grappling with the same kind of questions”.  

“The most effective work is when community and organisations, supported by government, are able to grapple with some of these really tricky and complex issues, but come together to solve problems.”

“Coming to something like this is so important.” 

The process is intertwined with the current iteration of the Australian Baha’i Community’s Creating an Inclusive Narrative project which aims to gather diverse insights and experiences and shed perspectives on the country’s current state, its past and its future.  

Following a series of national roundtables, the project will cast a spotlight on the elements that create a vibrant and multifaceted Australia – one that is historically truthful, unified in vision, and hopeful moving forward.   

According to an Australian Baha’i Community spokesperson, it was important to continue learning about the various spaces and settings that brought people together to explore common questions.  

“There is a unique power in the simple act of bringing people of different viewpoints and backgrounds together to explore a common set of questions and discuss their lived experiences,” the spokesperson said. “When conducted in an atmosphere of respect and in good faith, with trust and an openness to learning from others, divergent perspectives can yield unexpected insights, seemingly irreconcilable views can be transcended, and common ground can be more readily found.”  

“There is a deep thirst in our society for social spaces where civil dialogue can take place, from the grassroots to the national level.”