Overview
Conflict is an inevitable and necessary part of life in a learning and working community. Within higher education, differing perspectives, priorities, and lived experiences often intersect in ways that can create tension, but also rich opportunities for understanding, innovation, and growth.
Facilitators
- Ashley Moore, Associate Director, Dialogue and Conflict Transformation
- Silvia D’Addario, Director, Community and Capacity Building
What to Expect
This interactive session invites EDI Action Network members to strengthen their capacity for engaging conflict with care, clarity, and accountability. Participants will explore foundational concepts and frameworks—such as the Conflict Response Threshold Guide and Pathway Selector—to understand how conflict arises and evolves in academic settings. Through reflection, dialogue, and scenario-based activities, participants will practice applying these tools to real workplace and campus contexts, building confidence to navigate difference and disagreement as integral to healthy institutional culture.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Understand how conflict functions within the higher education environment and recognize its relationship to power, culture, and belonging.
- Identify personal and organizational patterns in approaching or avoiding conflict.
- Apply conflict engagement frameworks (e.g., Conflict Response Threshold Guide, Pathway Selector) to assess and navigate situations constructively.
- Practice using strategies and language that foster psychological safety, collaboration, and mutual respect.
- Build shared skills and confidence to engage differences productively in classrooms, teams, and broader campus settings.
Accessibility
This event will now be hosted on Zoom.
We are committed to creating a welcoming and accessible experience. Please indicate any accessibility needs you may require in the applicable space available, when registering.
Program Lead
Silvia D’Addario, Director, Community and Capacity Building. For questions about the event, please contact silvia.daddario@ubc.ca