What is Tea Talk?

When Jonathan Fang, an Honors College student and a fourth-year undergraduate student at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, began his internship at the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation (MHCR), he had no idea that he would be facilitating a multi-cultural student dialogue group.

In Spring 2024, during his internship with MHCR, Jonathan and his supervisor, Rowda Olad, aMental Health and Psychosocial Support expert and Associate Director of the MHCR, came upon the idea of developing a series of student-focused conversations on difficult, but relevant topics to students and inviting different cultural and ethnic student groups to participate.  Furthermore, it was hoped that students would learn to challenge their assumptions, appreciate different points of view and respectfully agree to disagree on sensitive topics through conversation in an open and judgement-free space. 

Discussion topics are pulled from real-life, complex issues facing college students.  Past topics have included Mental Health and Wellbeing, Race and Ethnicity, Political Polarization, and Interpersonal Relationship Reconciliation.

The idea for Tea Talk originated with the tradition of Somali tea gatherings, Casiriya, where the communities would gather resolve disputes, and is based on the work Olad performed in Eastern Africa.  Fang continues the Somali tradition by serving traditional Somali tea and sambusas, apastry similar to a samosas, at every session.

According to Fang, the first Tea Talk mostly consisted of Carter School Ambassadors, but has since grown to include members of CRU – the Christian Fellowship – the African Student Association, the Muslim Student Association, The College Republicans at Mason, and several other organizations.  Currently, the discussion series is preparing for the fifth, monthly session and averages a dozen student attendees per event.

Fang is pleased with the success of the dialogue series and hopes it will continue to grow.  “It’s great to see students willing to step out of their comfort zone, open up in honest conversation with care and understanding, and listen to different or conflicting perspectives." 

When asked about the long-term vision for Tea Talk, Fang replied, “We’re looking to deepen and expand its impact both on campus and globally. This includes strengthening university connections and building sustained engagement among students.”

Currently, Fang is participating in a study abroad trip to the Philippines, where he hopes to explore how to build similar programs and to facilitate the exchange of peacebuilding practices in cross-cultural settings.

For information about upcoming Tea Talk sessions, please visit the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation for dates and times.