The Art of Dialogue: Spaceholding for Communities Overcoming Polarisation
ASSOCIAÇÃO ESTUFA - PLATAFORMA CULTURAL
Portugal
The Art of Dialogue: Spaceholding for Communities Overcoming Polarisation strengthens local capacity for dialogue in Cascais. Through training facilitators (“spaceholders”), organizing intersectoral community dialogues, and integrating art as a collective listening tool, the project fosters safe spaces for constructive conversation, reduces polarisation, and empowers both community members and artists to co-create transformative social experiences.
The Art of Dialogue: Spaceholding for Communities Overcoming Polarisation builds local capacity for dialogue in Cascais. The project has four phases: (1) training 12 facilitators (“spaceholders”) from diverse sectors to hold dialogue in polarised contexts, (2) hosting 6 intersectoral community dialogues with 120 participants, (3) integrating artists to co-create real-time artistic expressions as collective synthesis, and (4) documenting the process through a public channel. By fostering safe spaces, strengthening dialogue culture, and connecting art with civic engagement, the project reduces polarisation, empowers local facilitators, and promotes transformative social co-creation.