A Circle for Dialogical System Design

The association's goal is to promote the development, sustainability, and understanding of Dialogical Social Systems that benefit individuals, groups, and communities, as well as to research, publish, and advocate for these and related topics based on the foundations developed by Dominic Barter in his concept and practice of Dialogical System Design. Dialogical System Design promotes dialogue, communication, and social cohesion in schools, prisons, hospitals, and other public and private institutions. This includes partnerships and projects with local, national, and international organizations. Participants build self-determined systems that promote cooperative living. Dialogical Systems that have emerged from this practice and can emerge in various contexts are: Restorative Circles - Restorative Circles are a systemic, dialogical response to painful or violent conflicts. Emerging in the mid-1990s in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, they have since been applied worldwide in a variety of contexts, from the justice system to hospitals, schools, community projects, religious communities, civil wars, to family disputes. The practices developed in restorative systems facilitate understanding and action to promote social cohesion. Beta Space - Beta Space is a dialogical, community-based educational system. It aims to create schools and learning environments that facilitate exchange between students and people with corresponding practical knowledge. The first high school based on this concept operated from 2013 to 2020 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since summer 2024, a corresponding project (Piccola Ruota) has been running in Genoa, Italy. Beta Space has inspired projects in various Brazilian states and other countries. Financial Co-Responsibility - Emerging from the community work of Restorative Circles in Rio de Janeiro, this system enabled the widespread dissemination of Nonviolent Communication throughout Brazil and of Restorative Circles internationally, as well as the development of the first Beta Space educational spaces. The system of financial co-responsibility facilitates the collection and distribution of material resources for common goals. In this system, access and participation are decoupled from the principle of exchange, so that resources can flow where they are needed, and exclusion through the necessity of payment for participation in educational activities or access to a Dialogical Social System is reduced. Empathic Support Systems - Empathic Support Systems are agreements that enable access to a quality of shared interhuman attention that promotes creativity, contemplation, and action. Empathic Support Systems develop practices of connection and care that support responses to challenges and changes on a continuous or project-specific basis and strengthen sustainable action. This work has been applied in various contexts for large and small groups and offers invaluable resources in crises and wars, personal and family challenges, organizational development and change, new projects, and sustainability over extended processes. Empathic Support Systems can complement psychological or coaching support, therapeutic interventions, vision, planning, and strategy sessions, consulting and moderation, comfort and grief work, or other personal development processes. 2.1. Public Education and Mentoring To achieve our association's purpose, we organize accessible, free educational and mentoring formats. In these formats, interested parties can engage with the concept and practice of Dialogical System Design to receive impulses and mentoring for their own projects or to work as volunteers in the association's projects. 2.2. Research and Publication We support research and publication projects that lead to a better understanding and further development of Dialogical System Design. We provide our know-how and practical experience for such research projects and publish ourselves. 2.3. Finances The association is exclusively non-profit and does not pursue any commercial or self-help purposes. All organs of the association work on a voluntary basis. We do not charge any fees for our projects and educational offers. The association is exclusively financed by voluntary contributions and donations and lives from the work of our volunteers.