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Skills for Bridging the Divide Workshop with Braver Angels

The Center for the Political Future is partnering with Braver Angels for this month's Listen In Session.

Learn skills for having respectful conversations that clarify differences, search for common ground, and affirm the importance of the relationship. This workship does the following:


  • Provides knowledge about what it takes to have constructive, non-polarizing conversations between people who disagree politically.
  • Gives you the chance to practice these skills to have these conversations
  • Motivates you to have these conversations with people in your social network

You will practice listening and speaking skills in a pair with someone of your own political persuasion - red or blue. "Reds" lean conservative and tend to vote Republican. "Blues" lean liberal and tend to vote Democratic. If you fall somewhere in the middle, you can choose a side for purposes of practicing the skills.


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The United States Capitol building in Washington DC during the golden hour

Do Six Political Factions Cause Congressional Gridlock?

A recent congressional voting record report of our 535 delegates in D.C., published by the Institute of Legislative Analysis, found that significant voting behavior shifts have occurred within both major political parties over the past three years.

According to tracking from YouGov and Marquette Law School, roughly 28% to 35% of self-identified Republicans explicitly state they are not Trump- MAGA fans. Meanwhile, data published by the Pew Research Center shows that 67% of Democrats are frustrated with their political party.

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Low-angle view of two dormer windows protruding from townhouse roof

Grace Cary, Getty Images

Go Home

The distance from Washington, D.C., to my hometown of York, Pennsylvania, is 100 miles. When I worked as a Congressional staffer in D.C., I could get out of town and be back where I grew up in about an hour and a half, at least so long as I avoided rush hour traffic. Those last miles as I crossed the Pennsylvania-Maryland border brought a sense of gratitude for the relationships I would be keeping up. At my nephew’s soccer game, at an English-style pub with my long-time best friends, with my mother at the breakfast table having a local newspaper in her hands, life was ordinary.

I would return to work in D.C. feeling grounded. I felt better connected to

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Enjoying the Wild Mile in Chicago, Illinois

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How a Floating Eco-Park Is Bringing Wildlife Back to the Chicago River

If you were to walk next to the Chicago River on North Ave, you’d find a ramp tucked away between venues and restaurants, seemingly leading down to river itself. Walking down it, you wouldn’t just find the river, but a sprawling park full of lush wildlife—the Wild Mile, a planned 17-acre floating eco-park along the North Branch Canal of the Chicago River.

Collin Quinn comes to the Wild Mile a few times a year to canoe along the river with his friends. “We go other places, but this is a real easy, convenient place for us,” he said. “Occasionally, we’ll see ducks or fish or animals in there. I like seeing it grow every year.”

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