2025 CommonGround Workshop Facilitator 

Position Description

Program: CommonGround, The Program on Intergroup Relations

Position: Workshop Facilitator

Compensation: $15/hour

Hours: Will vary by week, approximately 5-15 hours per month

Open positions: 5

Time Frame: January- April, opportunity for beyond

Program Summary

The Program on Intergroup Relations (IGR) is a social justice education program that blends theory and experiential learning to facilitate students’ learning around social group identity, social inequality, and intergroup relations. 

CommonGround, a student-run program within IGR, provides workshops for groups of UM students (student organizations, courses, etc.) by request. The workshops aim to raise awareness about social identities, power, privilege, and oppression. CommonGround prepares undergraduate and graduate students to create and facilitate these interactive workshops.

Position Description 

The Workshop Facilitator position is an exciting way to spark change on campus and promote conversation with other students about social identities. We welcome both new/inexperienced and experienced facilitators to join CommonGround. This is an opportunity to develop your facilitation skills and to join a community of undergrad and graduate students committed to pursuing social justice through education at UM. 

Workshop facilitators will design and lead workshops for other students. These experiential workshops promote reflection and learning about social identities, inclusive communication, group dynamics, power, privilege, oppression, and more. Through retreats and meetings, facilitators will continue learning together and build listening, inquiry, public speaking, and curriculum development skills. 

Responsibilities 

• Co-facilitate ~2 workshops per month

  • Each workshop requires a 4-hour time commitment on average. This includes creating the agenda with a CommonGround staff member and co-facilitating the workshop with another trained CommonGround facilitator.

  • Workshops are scheduled September - Early December and January - Early April, and are held during all hours of the day. Facilitators sign up for workshops based on their availability.

• Attend required 2 hour biweekly (every 2 weeks) meetings throughout the semester. For the Fall semester, biweekly meetings will take place on Fridays from 3-5pm. You must be available on the following dates from 3-5pm: February 7, February 21, March 14, March 28, April 11, and April 25.

  • These meetings are for facilitators to practice facilitation skills, learn new activities, engage in dialogue about different social identity and social justice topics and build and strengthen the CommonGround/IGR community. 

• Attend a required training retreat from 3-8pm on the following Fridays: January 10, January 17, January 24.

• Attend coaching meetings with a Graduate Intern.

Requirements

• Must be available for all required components (weekend orientation retreat, biweekly meetings)

• Must have blocks of availability some weekday mornings, afternoons, evenings, or weekends to facilitate workshops

• An ideal candidate will see this as more than just a job but as a calling that fulfills their passion for social justice work.

• Must be able to start working as early as August 30, 2024. 

• Must be a current/enrolled undergraduate or graduate student at the University of Michigan 

• Strong understanding and commitment to social justice education & intergroup relations; knowledge of social identities, power, privilege, and oppression

• Passionate about creating spaces for intergroup dialogue

• Willing to be vulnerable and step outside comfort zone

• Excellent organization & time management skills, attention to detail, reliable, self-motivated, and can meet deadlines

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal

• Can work independently and in a team environment with other students and staff 

• A strong understanding and commitment to social justice education & intergroup relations; knowledge of social identities, power, privilege, and oppression

• Preferred: experience with teaching, training, or facilitation

• Attend required 2 hour biweekly (every 2 weeks) meetings throughout the semester. For the Fall semester, biweekly meetings will take place on Fridays from 3-5pm. You must be available on the following dates from 3-5pm: September 27, October 11, October 25, November 8, November 22, December 6.

  • These meetings are for facilitators to practice facilitation skills, learn new activities, engage in dialogue about different social identity and social justice topics and build and strengthen the CommonGround/IGR community. 

• Attend a required training retreat from 3-8pm on the following Fridays: August 30, September 6, and September 13.

Application instructions and hiring process

• CommonGround staff will schedule interviews with applicants on a rolling basis. After you have submitted your application, you will be contacted by a member of the Programming Team to schedule an interview.

• Attend interview with CommonGround staff and learn more about expectations of the role

• Attend required retreat Janaury 10, Janaury 17, January 24 to learn about CommonGround curriculum, build relationships with fellow facilitators, and begin facilitation training. 

• Submit or have I-9 form on file