The Public Conversations Project prevents and transforms conflicts driven by deep differences in identity, beliefs, or values.
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The White House, Welcoming America, and PCP: No One Is Dispensable
January 23, 2012 — Kudos to our friends at Welcoming America! Their innovative work earned the attention of White House officials in search of successful models for integrating immigrants into the civic life of communities.
Empowering the True Spirit of American Democracy
December 13, 2011 — If you look back throughout the history of our country, many of our grand visions and democratic ideas began with informal conversations in taverns and parlors, coffee shops and living rooms. Patriots, activists, elected officials and volunteers, these Americans talked about their passions, hopes and dreams to good effect.
Civic Conversations: Building Capacity for Respectful Dialog in a Democracy
November 10, 2011 —This week at Public Conversations, we are proud to present our newest workshop, produced in collaboration with Courage & Renewal Northeast. We welcome you to join us in January on the campus of Wellesley College for:
A Time to Celebrate? Reflections on the Death of Moammar Khadafy
November 3, 2011 —This week, our guest blog post comes from the Reverend Cricket Potter, Interim Co-Minister at Follen Community Church, a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Lexington, MA.
The Heart of Learning
October 6, 2011 — As a young teacher working in an urban Cleveland neighborhood in the early 70s, I quickly learned that all my creative ideas for teaching rigorous academic subjects were not enough. I needed to also have the capacity to connect with my students and create a sense of community in the classroom.
Ten Years after September 11, 2001: An Opportunity for Reflecting and Connecting
September 9, 2011 — When faced with a hungry cougar, our distant ancestors didn’t engage in complex thinking about the situation. If they had, they would have been eaten, and we 21st century humans might not be here to reflect on our ancestors or anything else. Fortunately, our ancestors’ brains, like ours, excelled at rapid response in times of threat. Such a response mechanism, so well suited to living in the wild, is still useful to us 21st century humans.
What Does It Look Like To “Be The Change” You’d Like To See In Congress?
August 4, 2011 — Like many Americans, in the past few weeks, I have felt frustrated, angry and helpless as I watched partisan battles suck the energy out of problem-solving initiatives in our nation’s capital. As members of Congress pronounced with certainty that this or that is what the American people want, the American people said, through polls, emails, letters and phone calls, “Actually, what we want is problem solving. Enough is enough!”
Searching for Wise Questions Again
January 13, 2011 — Almost a decade ago, in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, I was haunted by unanswerable questions. At that time, I was reminded of an exchange in Elie Wiesel’s Night, his memoir about the Holocaust. Young Elie’s spiritual master, Moche, tells him that every question possesses a power that does not lie in its answer. "Man raises himself toward God by the questions he asks Him," Moche explains.
Mixing it up for the State of the Union
January 10, 2011 — I don't know about you, but I generally watch the State-of-the-Union with people who think like me. That leaves all of us free to let loose our most partisan cheers, boos, and comments.
Don't Talk With Your Mouth Full
December 8, 2010 — Most of us can think of something we want to say about food and what matters to us about it. World hunger. Family dinners. School lunches. Soup kitchens. Fast food, slow food, organic food. The Food Network. The food industry. Community-supported agriculture.
