A-CLASE: When Dialogue Becomes Legacy
What happens when you stop speaking to people and start speaking with them?
That was the core of the A-CLASE project—a collaboration between RIC Novo mesto (Slovenia) and SAYEG-DER (Türkiye)—that over the past 18 months brought dialogic gatherings (DGs) into the hands and hearts of those who are most often unheard: unemployed adults, senior citizens, migrants, educators, and vulnerable learners.
We didn’t promise answers. We promised space for questions. And we witnessed what happens when people feel safe to speak, listen, and grow.
A method rooted in respect
We started by training 20 senior volunteers—most of them retired, many of them new to the digital world—to become moderators of dialogic gatherings. Each was paired with a colleague and supported by mentors from both partner institutions.
Together, they led more than 100 gatherings for over 150 participants, exploring universal themes through classic literature, art, and music. One week it was Prežihov Voranc. The next: Dali, Mozart, or Shakespeare. Each session became a mirror—reflecting back emotion, memory, and potential.
The gatherings were not lectures. There were no teachers and no right answers. There was only dialogue—respectful, egalitarian, open-ended. Everyone’s voice mattered.
From volunteers to ambassadors
Over time, our volunteers transformed. They didn't just facilitate dialogue—they embodied it. At the project’s closing event, we celebrated them with a new title: Ambassadors of Dialogue.
But this was more than a name. It was an invitation to continue. And some already have—leading new gatherings, advising peers, and inspiring institutions.
Growing beyond expectations
The methodology proved contagious. Several Slovenian secondary schools expressed interest in introducing DGs into their curricula. A local adult education centre invited us to present the method live. And participants themselves have asked: When can we meet again?
That is the real legacy: a method that lasts beyond funding and inspires beyond formal settings.
Tools for everyone, anytime
To ensure full access and sustainability, we created a rich online platform: www.a-clase.eu
There, you’ll find:
- E-Textbook When Words Bring Us Together: theoretical foundations and examples.
- E-Guidebook Every Voice Matters: step-by-step guidelines, templates, and session plans.
- E-Library: all the actual materials used in the gatherings.
- Impact report and infographics: showing what changed, for whom, and why.
- All available in English, Slovenian, and Turkish.
All resources are free to use, openly accessible, and ready to implement—whether you’re an educator, facilitator, cultural worker, or simply someone who believes in the power of words.
Dialogue stays. And so will we.
We know now that dialogic gatherings are not just a method. They are a mindset. A community practice. A quiet revolution in how we connect.
The A-CLASE project has ended, but the dialogue continues—in schools, in community centres, in Zoom calls, at kitchen tables. Wherever people are willing to listen.
You’re warmly invited to explore the platform, use the materials, adapt them, and—most importantly—start your own gathering.
Because real change doesn’t begin with answers.It begins with a question. And a voice that is finally heard.
Belinda Lovrenčič, M.A. in Innovative Management in Education (belinda.lovrencic@ric-nm.si), is an Adult Education Assistant at Development and Education Centre Novo mesto, passionate about empowering learners through meaningful communication and international cooperation.
