Bringing Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and
strengthen our democratic republic.
America’s polarization crisis has been building for decades and is now deeply rooted in our major institutions. Turning the tide is an enormous task; it requires repair in citizen-to-citizen relationships in a nation of 260 million adults, as well as meaningful changes in the rules and practices of many of our major institutions.
No single organization, no matter how successful, will be powerful enough on its own to heal the divide. If our aim is truly to strengthen our democratic republic, our only practical strategy is to help ignite and shape what we call a Civic Renewal Movement.
When all voices are heard, civic renewal grows.
Citizenship is the common thread that connects all Americans. We are a nation bound not by race or religion, but by the shared values of freedom, liberty, and equality. When Reds, Blues and Others work together, the entire country benefits. Our movement is the guiding force that's helping Americans work together again.
What's Happening at the National Level?
Workshops and eCourse Offerings
Whether you’re interested in learning about the skills needed to have difficult conversations across the divide, or you want to actually speak to and connect with those with whom you disagree, join us for a workshop or eCourse.
These professional level workshops and courses have been crafted by experts in communications and depolarization. They provide an effective and “safe” way to interact with people in difficult situations.
Examples of some of our workshop and eCourse offerings include:
Skills for Bridging the Divide
Depolarizing Within
Families and Politics
Skills for Social Media
Managing Difficult Conversations
Braver Angels Debates: A Collaborative Search for Truth
Our special parliamentary format encourages everyone to speak or ask questions, ensures civility in disagreement, and strives for learning and better understanding for all. The online version works in much the same way, modified to foster constructive debate coast to coast.
In all our debates, we use resolutions that might be controversial to encourage speeches from both sides. Unlike some of our workshops, these are not associated with Red and Blue, but Pro and Con.
1:1 Conversations
1:1 conversations offer a novel way for Americans with different backgrounds to connect as people and as citizens who are concerned for their country.
The process involves one or two hour-long conversations between two people using a structured conversation guide. The goals are to better understand the experiences, feelings, and beliefs of the other person, discover any areas of commonality, and share ideas for how to bridge differences across our country. Since 2020, there have been over 2000 conversations held by pairs!
What's Happening at the Local Level?
Here in New York state, we have a network of alliances that are working to advance our mission at the local, state, and regional level, offering members a way to engage with each other in their own communities using the Braver Angels Way. Alliances have a Red-Blue balance in their leadership and strive towards a Red-Blue balance in their membership.
Depending on the interests and skills of the members in each alliance, alliances generally focus on the following activities:
Recruit and welcome new members
Learn more about our New York state alliance, and see how you can get involved with Braver Angels in your community.
Host workshops, debates, and other community-building events
Our volunteers across the state are the driving force behind setting up engaging ways to bring the Braver Angels method into practice, from internal workshops and seminars to community-building events like movie-screenings, book clubs, and happy hours.
Braver Network: Fostering Local Partnerships
Braver Network is a network of organizations from across the political spectrum and representing many different goals. We encourage our members to form partnerships with organizations in their local community; this is a great opportunity for cross-pollination! Within New York state we have had members orchestrate monthly dinners, joint-events, and more with other organizations in their community. If you have an organization in mind to join our network, contact you local alliance co-leaders to start the conversation!
Discover what nationally-announced events are coming up in New York state, from workshops to book discussions. You can also contact your local alliance co-chairs to find out about smaller events that are taking place in your community.
