-
My Political Autobiography: A Student Workbook
Talking about politics is difficult because politics is one of the ways we express what we really care about—our hopes, our values, our deepest concerns. Political beliefs are about our education, religious commitments, sense of justice, the future of the planet, war and peace, our personal sense of safety and health. This workbook is meant…
-
Countering Political Polarization: A Conversation for Trust and Understanding
This three-step exercise uses intentional listening and questions of curiosity to shift how the participants feel about joining political conversations, particularly around a major election. It engenders trust between the participants and encourages the possibility of healthy conversation in the midst of polarization. This exercise is designed to be used in one-on-one conversations, but it…
-
School Community Resources
The National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM) and Living Room Conversations (LRC) have deep experience working with communities to build connection, engage trusted voices, and develop positive changes. They co-created a School Community Toolbox (currently in a pilot phase) designed for community anchored organizations led by trusted voices with skills in conflict resolution, restorative facilitation,…
-
National Week of Conversation: 5 Days of Dialogue
In support of National Week of Conversation 2023, Essential Partners will host the 5 Days of Dialogue series. From Monday, April 17th through Friday, April 21st, participants will receive one email per day with an insight from EP’s practice as well as free resources and a daily dialogue challenge. Research finds again and again that dialogic conversations across differences are…
-
Building Bridges in the Context of Inequality
In response to rising polarization, a number of grassroots organizations have formed to bridge the growing political divide. Individuals dedicated to this cause have been called “bridge-builders,” and they aim to facilitate dialogue across lines of difference. As the field has grown, however, several concerns have been raised about whether bridge-building is a viable solution…
-
Beyond Passing the Torch: Recommendations on Leveraging Age Diversity to Build a Stronger Democracy Now
Generation Citizen, CoGenerate, and Millenial Action Project (MAP) released a new report titled, “Beyond Passing the Torch: Recommendations on Leveraging Age Diversity to Build a Stronger Democracy Now.” The report’s goals are to document and learn from cross-generational activities and make recommendations for leveraging each generation’s unique civic attributes to strengthen democracy. Convergence is one of the case…
