CANCELLED: Better Angels Red/Blue Workshop

Better Angels is a national nonprofit that has developed and pioneered concrete, structured practices for dialogue across political divides. Its leadership is half “red” and half “blue.” The First Universalist Peace Circle is hosting two Better Angels workshops at church this winter/spring. The Conversation Skills workshop is a prerequisite for the Red/Blue workshop offered in April (having attended another Better Angels skills workshop previously is also acceptable).

In Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address in 1861, with the nation on the brink of Civil War, he appealed to the “better angels of our nature.” In our dangerously divided nation, we all need to be touched by something better within us and within the country we share. Better Angels holds Red/Blue workshops so that citizens of different political beliefs and different backgrounds can get to know each other as individuals and begin to heal the divisions that are endangering our country.

This is an interactive workshop that will bring together Red (Republican/conservative-leaning) and Blue (Democrat/liberal-leaning) citizens for structured conversations, with a focus on listening and reflecting rather than debating and persuading. Participants will engage in small- and large-group discussions with individuals of both the same and different political persuasions.

You must identify as “red” (Republican/conservative-leaning) or “blue” (Democratic/liberal-leaning) to participate, as we strive for an equal balance of red and blue participants: 5 to 8 people on each side.

Because we need equal numbers of “red” and “blue” participants to run this workshop, spots are not guaranteed until you receive a registration confirmation from workshop leaders.

Goals:

• To better understand the experiences and beliefs of those on the other side of the political divide.
• To seek out areas of common ground in addition to acknowledging and respecting differences.
• To gain insights that might help to heal the increasing polarization in our community and the nation.