ADVANCING AN EQUITABLE AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE THROUGH DIALOGUE

I can state without hyperbole that the work done by the multi-talented staff at the Centre is truly remarkable in both relevance and consequence, spanning virtually every pressing issue of our time—climate change, inclusion, urban renewal, reconciliation, youth engagement, cyber-security, wildfire management, social isolation, and making our institutions and processes more equitable and accessible, especially for those among us historically left outside looking in. The Centre uses the power of dialogue to bring people together to address these critical issues in ways that make a difference.

My “look under the hood” also reminded me that behind all these successful dialogues is an impactful blend of content knowledge, facilitation expertise and sophisticated process designs. Bringing people together in ways that reduce polarization and defensiveness, while increasing understanding and perspective, is both an art and a science. I’m struck by just how well the staff at the Centre can bring people together in ways that build connections and strengthen relationships across diverse communities. This impact report outlines the consequential work the staff at the Centre accomplished from April 2022 to March 2023. At the risk of extending the metaphor too far, the Centre is firing on all cylinders!

Laurie Anderson
Interim Executive Director to August 30, 2023
Executive Director, SFU Vancouver
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Education

I love the idea, and it seems to me to be so true, that change happens primarily through the instrument of change, shaped by its colours, sounds and internal qualities. The team at the Centre is a distinctive instrument and the pages that follow describe the impact left on our region, our province, our country and the world, by this specific combination of colours, sounds and internal qualities.

I send my heartfelt congratulations and thanks to each member of the team, every collaborator, partner, co-conspirer and every person in the constellation within and around SFU, who values and promotes the ways of dialogue. Special gratitude to Dr. Laurie Anderson, who stepped in as interim executive director in April 2022, and found himself, 16 months later, finally able to step back. The wide range, ambitious scope and transformative depth of what the Centre has been able to achieve in the past year is a tribute to all of you and your leadership.

I am of course looking forward to trying my hand at leading this incredible work, tuning up the instrument, sharpening some of the notes and getting on with playing both familiar and new melodies.

With the highest hopes for the most fruitful of collaborations.

Aftab Erfan 
Executive Director