Living Room Conversations

#halloween #cometogether #holidays #gathering #communities

Because Utah is the youngest state in the nation, I wanted to know what Utahns between the ages of 18 and 30 care most about ahead of the election, what they think about the impact of their vote and how they’re handling increased polarization. More than 20 young voters joined The Salt Lake Tribune for a solutions-focused conversation. It was a new format for many of us, and it was amazing to see how free-flowing the conversation was — and how much we all learned about each other in such a short amount of time. I’m grateful for the participation of everyone involved, and I’m heartened to hear its effects. In a post-event survey, participants said they learned about another person's perspective, connected with someone who has different beliefs and learned new bridge-building skills. That's all progress on the goals I set when I started as Voices editor: To create a public forum that disrupts the outrage machine and instead fosters curiosity, builds trust and creates connection. To prioritize debate over discord. To promote understanding over agreement. I’m also thankful for Maven CREATE for letting us use their space, for Becca Kearl and Living Room Conversations for facilitating and for my Tribune colleagues who offered their help. And none of this would have been possible without the generous support of the American Press Institute, which funded this effort. We are all grateful for their ongoing support as we continue to evolve opinion journalism to be more of a service to the community. Read more about the event — and what I learned — in my latest Inside Voices newsletter: bit.ly/InsideVoices102624.

“It's a space where, no matter what your opinion is, you can come and feel seen and heard. Because at the end of the day, that’s what we all need as people.” This quote comes from McKenzie Kimball, a member of Fruita for Equality, a Colorado-based organization focused promoting equality through meaningful conversations. For a while now, this grassroots group has been hosting monthly Living Room Conversations chosen based on current events, participant feedback, and other relevant situations. We applaud their efforts to build bridges in their community. Only through connection and conversation can we truly start to see each other as *people*, not political rivals. “I wish more people had the gumption to do this. Whether it’s with your family, work group, or book club or whatever, because the structure is so laid out. You don’t have to be a facilitator or need to have prepared weeks in advance. You just need to have the time and be present.”

ELECTION DAY IS ALMOST HERE! Before you cast your ballot, join Living Room Conversations and our partners in bringing TRUST back to the electoral process. Now is the time to bind together as communities to restore the sanctity of our American democracy. Go to our website and click the top banner to find out how. Link in the comments

#politics #disinformation #fakenews #whatcanido #mediadoneresponsibly #penamerica #carrieosities #asianmentalhealthproject

We're excited to share some fantastic news—Civic Health Project is a finalist for the The Anthem Awards in the Best Use of AI category! But we need you to help us win by casting your vote and spreading the word. The clock is ticking—voting is open until Thursday, October 31st, at 11:59 pm PT. Support our groundbreaking project, "Detoxifying Social Media at Scale," and vote here: https://lnkd.in/gYVwP63h Let’s face it: scrolling through social media these days can feel like wading through a sea of negativity. That’s where Civic Health Project’s Social Media Detoxifier comes in. Our mission is bold but simple—by 2025, we aim to reduce toxicity in 70% of the most harmful social media threads across major platforms. And we’re using cutting-edge AI to help make that happen. Our tool helps users actively inject advanced AI-recommended positive, prosocial content into heated discussions, creating healthier, more constructive interactions and contributing to a more resilient and functional democratic society. Help us build a better online world—cast your vote and be part of the change!

Becca Kearl and Annie Caplan presented at Princeton University! It was an incredible opportunity to teach and participate in workshops as part of Lift As You Climb. Our team has traveled to universities and communities all across the country to teach civil dialogue, forge relationships across differences, and build bridges throughout America. Help support our work by going to https://lnkd.in/g2vS6VnP

When was the last time you were genuinely listened to? During Living Room Conversations, we offer a unique opportunity to speak and not be interrupted. One of our Conversation Agreements disallows cross talk and interruption, creating an attentive and intimate conversation experience. This quote from an event participant helps to highlight this benefits of this format. Go to our website to learn how to get involved

Happy #ListenFirst Friday from Annie Caplan of Living Room Conversations. Are you looking for a way to make a difference in the upcoming election? I’ve got good news. You can host a Living Room Conversation and build trust in our elections, one conversation at a time. Wherever each of us may be in our political beliefs, I think we can all agree that free and fair elections are the foundation of a healthy democracy. It takes all of us to build both trustworthy and trusted elections. So how do we inspire more trust? We talk to each other. We listen. We learn. We move out of our media bubbles and into real conversations with real people. Living Room Conversations allow us to do this. Communities across the nation are joining this initiative…. Now you can too! You will also have the opportunity to contribute to a groundbreaking research study, focusing on the impact of dialogue on trust in elections. This research is the first of its kind and you can play a major role in influencing it. To get started, visit our website, https://lnkd.in/gURi5_HR where you’ll find everything you need to host your conversation. It’s the 11th hour but it’s not midnight yet. Now is the time to strengthen our democracy and build trust in our elections and each other, one conversation at a time.

Do you want to fix toxic polarization? Dr June Klees sat down with the news show Upper Michigan Today to talk about resources and practices for engaging in constructive, civic conversations. Dr Klees, professor at Bay College's Social and Behavioral Science Division talked about several different tips and organizations to help you through this divided time, including shout outs to our friends at Listen First, Unify American, and AllSides. DM us for the full interview!