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Project Optimist - Volunteer Moderator Application

Shades of Purple: Dialogue across difference in greater Minnesota is a conversation program led by Project Optimist. We're coordinating a series of community events that bring greater Minnesotans together to discuss difficult topics. 

The goal is to spur community engagement, model civil dialogue, and amplify moderate voices. We know that a lot of nuance around important issues gets lost in the noise.

Position: Volunteer Moderator 

Mission: Support Project Optimist’s Shades of Purple series by engaging residents in greater Minnesota across a wide variety of perspectives in dialogue. We want you to help Minnesotans collaborate across common divides, tackle seemingly intractable problems, and grow more optimistic about the future of our communities, region, and world. 

Responsibilities:

Moderators must complete a training session with Project Optimist. In this training, you will:

  1. Gain a basic understanding of our approach to dialogue and develop skills to support constructive conversations across differences

  2. Build competence and confidence to moderate upcoming in-person and virtual dialogues using a script and intervene to support authentic and respectful communication when needed

Complete an orientation to Project Optimist and Shades of Purple. In this orientation, you will:

  1. Learn about the mission and vision of Project Optimist 

  2. Understand how Shades of Purple seeks to achieve the organization’s mission

  3. Gain an understanding of your role within Project Optimist and Shades of Purple

Volunteer to moderate a minimum of one dialogue in a calendar year. Dialogue dates and topics will be provided during training, if available, and are released quarterly through a moderator newsletter.

Needed skills and experience: 

  1. Experience running meetings or facilitating group activities

  2. Warm and engaging presence 

  3. Able to be “multi-partial”: care for people from different perspectives

  4. Good interpersonal skills

  5. Strong communicator

  6. Comfortable with silence

This is a volunteer role, but we are able to cover some travel costs for in-person events (including mileage reimbursement at 67 cents/mile). We have some stipends available for people who want to serve in this position and need financial support to do so. 

To apply, please complete our application below.

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First and Last Name *
Email address *
Phone number *
Mailing address *
How confident are you that you will be able to guide conversations that may become emotional or uncomfortable? *
Required
Are there any topics that you are not comfortable moderating? *
What skills, values, or ways of being do you bring to being an effective dialogue moderator? (This will help in the training.) *
What is your greatest concern about moderating dialogues on important topics across differences? (This will help in the training.) *
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