National Day of Dialogue

Featuring Richard Mouw, Ph.D., Vincent Bacote, Ph.D., and Rachel Anderson, J.D. Join the Center for Public Justice on the National Day of Dialogue for a timely discussion on the need for civility, pluralism, and faithful engagement in the public square. Rachel Anderson, J.D., Vincent Bacote, Ph.D., and Richard Mouw, Ph.D., will reflect on lessons learned from the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and the deep challenges that still remain. Each of these scholars and experts will put forth a vision for the future of Christian political engagement — one that necessitates dialogue across difference and a commitment to forming political disciples to shape the public square towards justice and flourishing.

The United States is experiencing significant democratic backsliding, violence, and increasing instability. Since the 2016 election in the United States, there is an increase in programs aimed at building peace and reducing polarization including a proliferation of programming that promotes dialogue. While well intentioned many of these programs rely on misguided assumptions of what works to reduce polarization and are not grounded in the learnings and findings of good peacebuilding practices. Additionally, many of the programs do not even attempt to measure effectiveness or challenges. While some of these programs are harmless and will not have any impact either positively or negatively, many are doing actual harm in communities. The Alliance for Peacebuilding is working to ensure that peacebuilding programming in the United States as is the case internationally follows peacebuilding principles that ensure conflict risk is integrated into programming and evaluating a program’s effectiveness or failures are part of the learning. This session will examine and outline best practices and standards for peacebuilding programs in the United States in conjunction with the National Day of Dialogue led by the Ideos Institute.

Americans are divided on so many issues - social, race, gender and economy. How can our deep divides be addressed and what significance does emotional support has in narrowing gaps? In this panel, we will discuss the importance of emotional support in bridging societal divides.

Join us for a conversation led by BridgeUSA chapter leaders to discuss the importance of having discourse across college campuses. The insurrection on January 6th increased the need for empathetic conversations across America, and showed how influential the power of dialogue is. Our chapters are built to challenge the status quo, challenge their own political beliefs, and improve the political culture at their Universities. They will share more about their stories as they help us lead the fight. BridgeUSA is the leading campus-based voice on important political issues and has over 45 college campus chapters across the United States. We champion ideological diversity, teach responsible discourse, and promote a solution-oriented political culture in order to develop a generation of political leaders that value empathy and constructive engagement.

Join us for an interactive analysis and discussion on political violence with Americans across the country. On Jan 5, we'll explore causes and effects of political violence, and on Jan 6 we'll explore possible solutions. Join us for an interactive analysis and discussion on political violence with Americans across the country. On Jan 5, we'll explore causes and effects of political violence, and on Jan 6 we'll explore possible solutions.

In our workshop "From My Story to Their Story: Using Our Stories to Help Others Share Theirs" attendees will: learn why TheirStory founder, Zack Ellis, was moved to record his parents telling their life stories, reflect on meaningful moments in their own lives, generate their own list of questions to elicit stories from family and friends. The workshop will be run as an interactive and collaborative experience in order to create space for attendees to hear and learn from each other's stories and questions. Presenter Bio: After recording his own parents recording their life stories, Zack Ellis was moved to create TheirStory -- a web-based oral history platform. Since April 2020, over 70 communities and organizations, including Cornell University, National Library Board of Singapore, Holocaust Museum of Los Angeles, and the Chickaloon Native Village in Southcentral Alaska, now use TheirStory to streamline the process of collecting, preserving, and engaging with the stories of the individuals that make up their communities. Outside of work, Zack enjoys rock climbing and comedy sketch writing.

We are excited to offer a virtual screening of PURPLE, a short documentary film from political mediation organization Resetting the Table (RTT) and Emmy-Award-winning Transient Pictures. PURPLE tells the story of everyday Americans with opposing viewpoints addressing their differences on work ethic, the role of government, privilege, and the social safety net. Filmed in a swing region in rural Wisconsin and Iowa, PURPLE is an uplifting and humanizing look into what healthy dialogue on charged political issues can look like. Melissa Weintraub -- one of the creators of PURPLE and the Founding Co-Executive Director of Resetting the Table -- will lead an interactive post-screening discussion focused on building two foundational skills for constructive communication across political differences. Come prepared to participate!

For nearly 250 years, America has served as a test case for a social experiment that few could have ever conceived of: a constitutional federal republic. However, when one considers our history of massacres, slavery, civil war, and battles waged over voting rights, among other injustices, one can easily find reason to be doubtful of this experiment's success. Given current levels of political polarization, it can seem naïve to think of America as a "done deal". But, before we acquiesce to a failed experiment, let's consider the role of dialogue in shaping our American experiment and how it might be able to help this experiment succeed. The Democracy Group and Ideos Institute present a panel discussion with Kamy Akhavan, Executive Director of USC's Center for the Political Future; Richard Davies, renowned journalist; John Gamba, technology entrepreneur, and a participant in the Ideos led dialogue that inspired the documentary, Dialogue Lab: America; and Dr. Carah Ong Whaley, Associate Director for the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement.