Embedded Files
When reaching out to patrons and organizations to collaborate with on One Small Step Activities, it can be important to note that we can map differences in many ways.
Thematic events are very engaging, like faith-based, generational, and other types of differences. Several of our library partners have featured local government representatives as speakers, like District Supervisors.
Many people who place themselves in one group can have varying points of view (intragroup vs. intergroup contact). Faith organizations like Churches and Synagogues who have participated with OSS have experienced this first hand.
Inspiration moment: Research supports repeated contact in support of shared goals (ex: doing a service together) can be very impactful!
Are you working in a school? Consider involving student leadership, or other relevant student organizations.
Advice from OSS on Campus
Advice from OSS on Campus
Our OSS on Campus program imbeds itself on college campuses (currently Vanderbilt and Dartmouth) with tailored workshops, fellowships, and training for students. Their programming aims to build essential communication skills for future leaders. They de-emphasize talking across political differences and emphasize opportunities to practice gaining genuine understanding and connection between people.
They work with groups like first year orientation leaders, local sorority chapters, clubs, and host conversation events during big weeks on campus like alumni week. They call this looking for "fertile ground."
Here is some advice from their Director, Stephanie Glaros:
"Folding OSS into programming folks are already doing works better than creating new events (people are busy).
The things students have enjoyed the most are: Listening activity (listening to clips while identifying specific things likes facts, emotions, relationships, and values), mini OSS convos (unrecorded), and Reflecting afterwards (how was this conversation/this style of listening different than what you normally do).
For recordings, we have shifted from trying to recruit everyone all at once to targeting specific populations for themed recordings (ROTC, campus services workers, etc.).
Overall, people still have a hard time wrapping their heads around what OSS is. But once they have a conversations, they totally get it.
I”m not sure what the expectations are for libraries, but we have removed overtly political language. We talk about convos across “differences” and “divides” instead. Recommend they identify the divides in their community that go beyond the left/right, blue/red binary.
Happy to chat more!"
Advice from Radio Station Hubs
Advice from Radio Station Hubs
As part of the OSS Radio Station Hubs program, OSS partners with a handful of public radio stations that implement OSS in their communities and help expand access to the program nationwide. The stations recruit participants, facilitate conversations, and air stories locally. Hubs Director , Melissa Velasquez , has created an outreach guide for stations, linked below. Many of the tips are applicable to creating any type of OSS program. You'll notice that compared to the OSS Campus strategy, the Hubs program is focused on connecting people across political differences.
Page updated
Report abuse