Radical Listening

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DukeEngage 2021 laid a strong foundation for me to thrive as a Broadhead Fellow. That summer, my cohort and I really leaned into the concept of radical listening, the process of “getting back to the core of what someone is saying and resisting any inclination to immediately categorize, recap, or offer solutions about what is being said”. Additionally, we empowered each other by telling stories and celebrating vulnerability. A strong question that was alive for me that year came out of this notion of radical listening: “what happens when you sit in your silence?” I carried this question with me into my independent project, and I felt well-prepared to engage deeply with community stories. 

 

Being aware of my role as a Duke student peering into the lives of families amidst summer vacations and busy work schedules, I had to sit humbly in silence many times. I was challenged to be a radical listener and affirm caregivers as they shared intimate parts of themselves with me, a student researcher. I am grateful that my supervisors from DukeEngage prepared me for moments like these because this context allowed me to truly connect with the people I engaged with this summer.