February 23, 2026 | By Andrew Housman (MS '27)
IGR’s CommonGround workshops return this semester, offering students a valuable, free opportunity to strengthen leadership skills, foster understanding, and empower participants to succeed in internships, graduate schools, and professional careers.
The popular opportunity is designed for groups of students in every program and at every degree level—from undergraduate to doctoral, and from engineering to music, business, sustainability, medicine, and beyond. Trained peer facilitators lead one-time workshops based on the requesting group’s goals, interests, and areas of study.
Program manager Meaghan Wheat says that CommonGround workshops are also open to all types of student groups, from courses to residence halls to Greek organizations. “Our workshops are requestable for any group of students, including student-led organizations,” she said.
Those participating in CommonGround workshops practice dialogic skills and collaborative problem-solving, receiving feedback they can apply in practice and tools that are especially important in an increasingly polarized world.
Wheat explains that understanding different perspectives can strengthen bonds and coalitions, enabling collaboration to create lasting change. “By nature of the fact that everyone has different social identities, everyone's going to orient themselves and think about intergroup dynamics in a different way. That does not invalidate the other ways in which people think about or use this skill, and by understanding how we are all impacted by our experiences, we can better understand each other, and we can better work together when conflict comes up.”
For the peer facilitators, CommonGround offers even deeper training in understanding and managing group dynamics, finding shared interests and experiences, and overcoming gridlocks to make an impact.
“The work has challenged me to listen more intentionally, speak more thoughtfully, and show up with deeper integrity,” a recent CommonGround facilitator reflected. “It has given me the tools and the courage to advocate, disrupt, and reimagine. And that, to me, is transformative education at its best.”
CommonGround is known and trusted for advancing social justice causes by educating others on the complexities of power and oppression, but participants’ experiences are applicable to a wide range of careers. Students who have taken CommonGround in the past have also been enrolled in programs such as public policy, non-profit development, education, social work, business administration, biology, and the arts.
Wheat says that, among this diversity in identities, academics, and career aspirations, the workshops provide a space where all students can feel comfortable sharing their backgrounds and personal perspectives. “We’re in a time that is rampant with dehumanization. If you want to just be around people who believe in other people’s human dignity, I think CommonGround is that place.”
Facilitator Laura Cencer (BA ‘27) calls her time “nothing short of a supportive, collaborative, and fantastic experience.”
“I’ve met so many amazing people through this program, and CommonGround has helped me grow both as a student facilitator and as a person working in social justice spaces!”
Take the next step
Find CommonGround, request a workshop, and get involved! Watch VP Martino Harmon's November 2024 interview with peer facilitators Krishna and Isabella to keep learning about the program.
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