Training for the Campus Listeners program is sponsored by the UNH Carsey School of Public Policy; the UNH Office of Community, Equity, and Diversity; and the UNH Aulbani J. Beauregard Center for Equity, Freedom and Justice.
Civic engagement group NH Listens – a part of the Carsey School of Public Policy at UNH – will host a training for its Campus Listeners program. The training will take place Wednesday, Sept. 29, from 3 – 5 p.m. in the Memorial Union Building (register for additional details).
Launched in 2020, the Campus Listeners program trains members of the UNH community to serve as listening ears during contentious on-campus moments and events. At this time, that training is being offered only to UNH staff, faculty, and graduate students, with plans to expand who can take the training in the future. The Sept. 29th training marks the first Campus Listeners training session in over a year and half.
Controversial events are often disturbing and evoke a lot of different reactions. We thought Campus Listeners would be a chance for people to pause, to reflect on what is happening for them, and to be listened to with intentionality and care.
“Controversial events are often disturbing and evoke a lot of different reactions,” says NH Listens Director Michele Holt-Shannon. “We thought Campus Listeners would be a chance for people to pause, to reflect on what is happening for them, and to be listened to with intentionality and care.”
Campus Listeners are deployed when needed to respond to individuals and facilitate conversations between students and community members to create greater understanding and respectful communication. They do this by engaging event participants informally by checking to see if someone is ok, listening as someone clarifies their own view(s), and/or offering to help people talk with each other. Campus Listeners work in concert with UNH Police and Peacekeepers.
“Campus Listeners actively commit to building belonging and respect for every member of our campus community, helping to ensure that everyone has a valued place here," describes Ellie Masson, a Master in Public Policy fellow working with NH Listens.
Campus Listeners take advantage of the space between the contested, often loud, areas and the people at a distance who are witness to the contentiousness – sometimes trying to decide how they feel and why,” adds Holt-Shannon.
While Campus Listeners should be able to remain impartial in their support or opposition to ideas expressed by students and invited speakers, their core responsibility is to remain a little bit distanced from the center of a crowd and be available for conversations.
“Campus Listeners take advantage of the space between the contested, often loud, areas and the people at a distance who are witness to the contentiousness – sometimes trying to decide how they feel and why,” adds Holt-Shannon.
There is no formal time commitment beyond a two-hour training session to serve as a Campus Listener. Campus Listeners will be contacted ahead of time when events are scheduled on campus and are asked to attend if they are available.
Interested in joining? Visit the Campus Listeners webpage or sign up to register for the Sept. 29 training here.
