Deeper Support, Deeper Connection, Deeper Dive From research, recent articles and over 30 years of experience, us humans thrive with support, connection and challenge. At a time when many of us feel lonely, overwhelmed, and without a deeper purpose, why not put them out on the table and confront all three? With honesty, humility, compassion…
Registration for the next Moderator Training Session is now open. This “event” marks the last day to register.If you are ready to sign up for this training, please register athttps://bit.ly/3GFk4jJORShow up online to learn more. (No need to attend if you already know you want to take the training.)About the CourseThere are three parts to…
Join us for our weekly Democracy Happy Hour! Grab a drink and come hear about the latest democracy news, ongoing efforts to fix democracy, and ways you can participate. Each week we cover democracy headlines in the news, a special topic of the week, and then have open discussion on democracy related issues.
THE PROBLEM OF GUN VIOLENCE IS GROWING WORSE. WHY IS FINDING A COMMON SOLUTION SO ELUSIVE?In the first eight weeks of this year, America’s epidemic of mass shootings and gun crimes showed no signs of reprieve. In fact, the crisis may be getting much worse. According to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit group that…
Couldn’t join us in person for Local Patriotism? You can listen to the event when it drops on March 2. The forces that divide us are big, strong, viral, international in scope and have seemingly infected every system of our body politic. It’s the degree of that rot that has led us back this year…
Communities function best with (a few) shared values like safety and order. We want our communities to be safe. We want law enforcement to be fair. We want police to do their job in a manner that is safe for them and for community members. We expect these elements to be a given-a shared goal…
Family relationships can become casualties of a toxic political environment. Family members are having bitter political arguments, avoiding each other, or even cutting off lifetime relationships. If you want to preserve important family bonds while still being true to your values and political beliefs, this workshop will offer you: Insight into why family differences over…
In political rhetoric and in the media, we hear the term “big” associated with everything from government to business, Pharma to Tech. In almost all cases the term is used as a pejorative, as if we all accept that big is problematic. Yet in times past big was often considered better. Big offered benefits of…
Come meet other California activists who are working on making elections fair and representative with STAR voting! It’s a voting method which prevents vote-splitting and gives everyone an equal vote. Learn more at www.starvoting.usSee event link at https://starvoting.org/events
The flourishing, functional constitutional democracy of tomorrow requires that today’s students develop the bridge-building skills and dispositions that will equip them to collaborate across different perspectives. This will require the adults who impact their learning– parents, educational policy-makers, and teachers– to engage in productive ways as well. Purposeful and effective bridging at the K-12 level…
Join the USC Center for the Political Future’s Spring 2023 Fellow Martha Escutia in conversation with a prominent political leader (to be announced) discussing the role of women in politics and the challenges they face as leaders on Tuesday, March 7 at 5:00 p.m. in Mudd Hall (MHP 203). Dinner will be provided. This event honors…
Join us for our weekly Democracy Happy Hour! Grab a drink and come hear about the latest democracy news, ongoing efforts to fix democracy, and ways you can participate. Each week we cover democracy headlines in the news, a special topic of the week, and then have open discussion on democracy related issues.
Let’s improve local elections with a voting method that doesn’t split the vote! Join our monthly meeting for STAR Voting and Represent.Us!We will talk about:–Efforts to bring STAR Voting to Portland and Multnomah County–Updates and outreach in Lane County–Outreach ideas for other cities–Statewide reform!–Working on our talking points and elevator pitch.Agenda: (To be posted)Zoom link:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83624141196
Would you like to improve local elections with a voting method that doesn’t split the vote? Join our monthly meeting for STAR Voting and Represent.Us!We will talk about:–Efforts to bring STAR Voting to Portland–Statewide reform!–What is STAR Voting? (for new people)And we’ll talk about ways that you can help either from home or in person…
Regardless of how you identify politically, chances are you make assumptions about what it means to be “conservative,” “liberal,” “libertarian,” and the like.What if some of our assumptions are based on fiction rather than fact? What if some of our beliefs originate from media coverage rather than first hand experiences with real people? In a…
Belong. Join the Human Family. We are living through enormously painful times when many are feeling isolation, loneliness, and the we-live-in-silos feelingWe feel the need to belong.Healing Conversations has been able to connect people across race, class, gender, religion, and geography. To foster a sense of community. Although we meet on Zoom, there is an unmistakable…
We extend an invitation to you for our monthly stakeholders’ meeting on Tuesday, March 14th @ 2:00 PM EST. Virginia Swain, Dr. Sarah Sayeed, Shannon Paige, and Sam Angulo Onapa will serve as our presenters. Their presentation will address reconciling the challenge of building trust in a multi-racial, post-colonial, militaristic America and utilizing tools beyond data to engage with…
Does the US have a gun problem? What can be done to lessen the number of gun related shootings & deaths?
How is truth important for a healthy democracy? What are the sources for getting and testing the truth? Where and how do untruths threaten the health of democracy? And what can we do, as a society and as individuals, to meet these challenges? In this series we’ll work together to explore these questions and more in…
Join us for our weekly Democracy Happy Hour! Grab a drink and come hear about the latest democracy news, ongoing efforts to fix democracy, and ways you can participate. Each week we cover democracy headlines in the news, a special topic of the week, and then have open discussion on democracy related issues.
HOW CAN WE FOSTER A MORE TOLERANT SOCIETY? HERE’S WHY ONE RESEARCHER RECOMMENDS TALKING TO STRANGERS.Most of us live comfortably in our bubbles, interacting with people who think and often look like us. We may sift out others who don’t fit our mold.A long pandemic hasn’t helped: Covid has made many people wary of being…
We are overwhelmed with diverse perspectives and approaches to fiscal policies that can be confusing. Are we in a fiscal crisis over debt, entitlements, and the federal budget? Such a complex issue, focusing on debt/debt ceiling and entitlements, will be unpacked by NFRPP’s two distinguished economists with different perspectives and solutions. Presentations will be followed…
Building Bridges in the Human Family Curious about the anti-black, anti-white divide? Want to discuss race and racism but are afraid to say the wrong thing or offend someone? Want to discuss how we can move on from our tragic past? Join us for a dialog series for people who genuinely want to listen. This…
Crossing Party Lines was founded on the belief that at our core, the majority of Americans want the same things. Though we may disagree on how to get them, we share common foundations that shape our perspectives and values. At almost every CPL meeting, we rediscover these two truths: that we want the same things…
Come join us in our monthly STAR Voting Software Development meeting!
Would you like to improve local elections with a voting method that doesn’t split the vote? Join our monthly meeting for the Mass Political Cooperative and STAR Voting!See event link at https://starvoting.org/events
How is truth important for a healthy democracy? What are the sources for getting and testing the truth? Where and how do untruths threaten the health of democracy? And what can we do, as a society and as individuals, to meet these challenges? In this series we’ll work together to explore these questions and more in…
Join us for our weekly Democracy Happy Hour! Grab a drink and come hear about the latest democracy news, ongoing efforts to fix democracy, and ways you can participate. Each week we cover democracy headlines in the news, a special topic of the week, and then have open discussion on democracy related issues.
Food is life itself. Food is sensual. Food can be used to manipulate. Food can be used to shame. Food can be used to show love. Food can be a sign of status. Food can be political. Does this make you hungry for more? In this conversation, we explore our personal relationship with food and…
In the last year, we have seen our democratic values significantly weakened by political polarization and misinformation. Institutions of higher education – traditionally viewed as havens for access to knowledge and reasoned debate – have faced challenges to academic and personal freedoms that have rippled across our democracy. From state legislation aimed at censoring curriculum…
Join us for an interactive introduction to Living Room Conversations, our model, and upcoming programs. This is a great first step to help you understand what we do, meet some of our staff, and decide how to get involved– whether as a host, participant, volunteer, or all of the above. There will be time for…
In The Third Reconstruction, historian Peniel E. Joseph offers a powerful and personal new interpretation of recent history. The racial reckoning that unfolded in 2020, he argues, marked the climax of a Third Reconstruction: a new struggle for citizenship and dignity for Black Americans, just as momentous as the movements that arose after the Civil War…
These days politicians aren’t the only ones who have to state their opinion on every single political disagreement du jour. It seems like practically every religious, nonprofit and for-profit company has to do the same, with everyone from mom-and-pop operations to Fortune 500 companies forced to run the gauntlet through our cold civil war. Are…
The annual Young Women’s Leadership Conference (YWLC) takes place on Saturday, March 25. The conference brings high school girls throughout the Los Angeles area to USC to guide their leadership into public service and to inspire deeper involvement in their communities. Young women from all over Los Angeles join in skills-building workshops and discussions, and…
Our local newspapers have been disappearing – by some estimates, half of America’s counties have just one local news source with at least 5 percent having no local news at all. Combine that with buy-ups, mergers and acquisitions, it feels less and less like there’s any on-the-ground reporting in our neighborhoods. But with social media, Google,…
Bravery in Motion: Women’s History and Future Beyond Violence honors Women’s History Month through a virtual learning event to refine public awareness of violence against women with an attention to the past, present, and future of women’s empowerment. In this collaborative community discussion (in which people of all genders are welcome), participants will explore a…
Take the Unify Challenge, a guided video conversation that you will take with another American who may vote or think differently than you. It is a small but powerful way for everyday people to heal our national divide. Consider this your official invitation to step out of your “bubble.” We the People can lead the…
Vulnerability- weakness or courage? It’s a commonly held misconception that vulnerability is equal to weakness. In reality, vulnerability is an empowering act of courageous openness. It gives us permission to be accepted and the opportunity to be resilient if we’re rejected. It’s the ability to be heard and to hear — and to acknowledge that…
Speakers’ Series event about how to “Scale Mount Polarization” THIS Tuesday, 3/28: Join us for the first event from our Speakers Series’ Committee: “Scaling Mount Polarization: Is dialogue the best way to reach the summit, or is there a better way to blaze the trail (mass messaging, debates, policy change)?” Cheryl Graeve, National Organizer -…
How is truth important for a healthy democracy? What are the sources for getting and testing the truth? Where and how do untruths threaten the health of democracy? And what can we do, as a society and as individuals, to meet these challenges? In this series we’ll work together to explore these questions and more in…
Join us for our weekly Democracy Happy Hour! Grab a drink and come hear about the latest democracy news, ongoing efforts to fix democracy, and ways you can participate. Each week we cover democracy headlines in the news, a special topic of the week, and then have open discussion on democracy related issues.
Our very special guest, a former Fox News political editor, gives us an inside view of the rage-driven political environment we’ve found ourselves plunged into. From Amazon: “Rage revenue-addicted news companies are plagued by shoddy reporting, sensationalism, groupthink, and brain-dead partisan tribalism. Newsrooms rely on emotion-driven blabber to entrance conflict-addled super users.” We think that…
HOW CAN WE BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS? HEAR THE UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE OF TWO RELIGIOUS LEADERS.Our last show focused on finding common ground when talking to strangers. In this show, we explore friendship and empathy with two guests who are friends themselves, a Catholic priest and a Protestant pastor.Father Tim Holeda leads Saint Thomas More Co-Cathedral, and…
America’s Public Forum speakers event “Interfaith Bridges, Intrafaith Divides, and Polarization” THIS Thursday, 3/30: Co-hosted by the Rumi Forum, this will be held from 5-7pm at the Friends Meeting House, 2111 Decatur Pl NW, roughly a five-minute walk from the north exit of the Dupont Circle Metro station on the Red Line. Co-chair Luke Phillips…
Couldn’t join us in person? You can listen to the event when it drops on March 30. Love Thy Neighbor. No Exceptions? Does the admonition to love one’s neighbor really come without exceptions? Must churches welcome white nationalists? Gay couples? Trump supporters? BLM activists? January 6 sympathizers? Is everyone my neighbor? And what does love…
Business leaders know that being unprepared is never a good thing. Pennsylvania’s failure to be prepared to announce election results the same day as the contest has become a national embarrassment and an unwelcome tradition. The outcome is that some voters have come to question the reliability of the entire election system. This is all…
The recent bank collapses have many of us turning our attention to our country’s banking system. While pundits are having a field day telling us what the government should have done and what we should be doing now, we’ll explore this topic from a more personal angle, asking what we, as individuals, want from a…