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We claim to be a nation founded on an idea. But, especially in these times of civic rupture, are we even all talking about the same idea?Contributing Washington Post opinion writer Dr. Ted Johnson joins us again to discuss his beautiful, powerful new book “If We are Brave: Essays of Black Americana.”The program is faciliated by Dr. Nashid Madyun, Executive Director of Florida Humanities. Find the program online here.This program is part of the series in partnership with Florida Humanities — “UNUM: Democracy Reignited,” a multi-year digital offering exploring the past, present and future of the American idea — as it exists on paper, in the hearts of our people, and as it manifests (or sometimes fails to manifest) in our lives.Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

We continue our Best of 2024 episodes with an  episode from the Village SquareCast podcast, hosted by the Village Square.We wanted you wonderful SquareCast listeners to know that we didn't plan for this episode to drop on Leap Day and we didn't plan on it being (we kid you not) Episode 100. But both things just happened. At the very least, we think that's a sign that you really ought to listen. Were we "the universe has a plan" maximalists, though, we'd say it means you need to quit your day job and follow bridge builders like Jon Haidt and The Village Square around like Jack Kerouac groupies. You pick. Here's our blurb to help inform your imminent life choice:What if, at a pinnacle of our civilization's technological achievement, everything just broke — the institutions we've come to rely upon in navigating a modern complex world, the shared stories that hold a large and diverse democratic republic together, and even a common language through which to navigate the rising tide of crisis.  According to renowned social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, this describes our current reality, one that he calls “After Babel.” In this new normal, we are scattered by a digital environment into feuding tribes that are governed by mob dynamics and driven by a minority of ideological outliers, made stupid at warp speed by group think, and — thanks to social media — armed with billions of metaphorical “dart guns” with which to immediately wound “the enemy” in ways that are hardly only metaphorical. What could go wrong?Our very special guest, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, will delve into the profound impact of social media on democratic societies, dissecting the intricate web of challenges it poses to civic trust and civil discourse. Don't miss this chance to hear from one of the foremost thought leaders of our time — one who has generously given his counsel to The Village Square, and countless efforts like ours — on this existential challenge of our time. Read Why the Past Ten Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid  in The Atlantic and learn more about Dr. Haidt by clicking the MORE button, below.Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

As we barrel toward America's 250th, one could argue that if we crack up before we get there (some bad days we'd take even odds), it'll have something to do with the complexity of being in charge of executing one of the founders' biggest ideas — that the church and the state were to be separate in this new nation of theirs. (It had been so much “easier” when the king told all us peasants what religion we were.)Our framers, for the first time in history, asserted that a citizenry had “natural rights” as human beings, given to them only by God, to follow (and be responsible for) our individual consciences — including the right to not believe at all. These rights could then not be taken by the government. Those dudes in tights, both Christian and Deist, had birthed a country where all sorts of religious belief would thrive.Turns out high principles about freedom for everyone all at the same time wouldn't be a piece of cake and after 250-ish years of disagreement, we're still haggling over those darn specifics — partly because we're masters of not seeing the log in our own eyes. God Squad goes right to the real conversation on this age-old prickly topic.Learn more about the program and meet the God Squad here.Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Simone Leeper litigates a wide range of redistricting-related cases at Campaign Legal Center, challenging gerrymanders and advocating for election systems that guarantee all voters an equal opportunity to influence our democracy. She is the host of Democracy Decoded, a Campaign Legal Center podcast.Liz Joyner is the executive director of the Village Square, a nonprofit dedicated to reviving civic connections across divisions inside American communities. She oversees the Village SquareCast, a Village Square podcast.Corey Nathan started out as a stockbroker by day while studying at a theatre conservatory at night. Corey loves theology, politics and culture and enjoys invigorating conversations with renowned experts of these subjects on his podcast, Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other.Mila Atmos, a global citizen based in New York City, is the producer and series host of Future Hindsight, a weekly podcast that aims to spark civic engagement through in-depth conversations with citizen changemakers. Michael Baranowski is a political scientist with a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky. His focus is American political institutions, public policy, and media. He spends most of his time indoctrinating students at Northern Kentucky University.To learn more about each of the featured podcasts, visit the Shows page at democracygroup.org/shows.To read the full Q&As with each of the featured podcasts, visit the Meet the Hosts section at democracygroup.org/blog.

We were honored to hang out with our intellectural hero, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, a few weeks before the release of his recent book The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.Unsurprisingly, since its release, it became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. If you have kids, if you know kids — heck, if you've ever seen a kid — you're just going to have to read this book. It gives us no less than a chance to rescue the coming generations from the devastating effects of an accidental social experiment run amok.Haidt argues we're overprotecting children in the real world — where they need to play, be exposed to challenge and freedom in order to learn to self-govern — and severely underprotect them in the digital world. He gives us concrete specific steps we can all take now to roll back the psychologically dangerous phone-based childhood.Don't miss this chance to hear from one of the foremost thought leaders of our time — one who has generously given his counsel to The Village Square, and countless efforts like ours — on this existential challenge of our time.  Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

What if, at a pinnacle of our civilization's technological achievement, everything just broke — the institutions we've come to rely upon in navigating a modern complex world, the shared stories that hold a large and diverse democratic republic together, and even a common language through which to navigate the rising tide of crisis.  According to renowned social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, this describes our current reality, one that he calls “After Babel.” In this new normal, we are scattered by a digital environment into feuding tribes that are governed by mob dynamics and driven by a minority of ideological outliers, made stupid at warp speed by group think, and — thanks to social media — armed with billions of metaphorical “dart guns” with which to immediately wound “the enemy” in ways that are hardly only metaphorical. What could go wrong?Our very special guest, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, will delve into the profound impact of social media on democratic societies, dissecting the intricate web of challenges it poses to civic trust and civil discourse. Don't miss this chance to hear from one of the foremost thought leaders of our time — one who has generously given his counsel to The Village Square, and countless efforts like ours — on this existential challenge of our time. Read Why the Past Ten Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid  in The Atlantic and learn more about Dr. Haidt by clicking the MORE button, below.The program includes a preview of Haidt's highly anticipated upcoming book The Anxious Generation, available at the end of March. You're not going to want to miss it.Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

*What if, at a pinnacle of our civilization's technological achievement, everything just broke — the institutions we've come to rely upon in navigating a modern complex world, the shared stories that hold a large and diverse democratic republic together, and even a common language through which to navigate the rising tide of crisis.  According to renowned social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, this describes our current reality, one that he calls “After Babel.” In this new normal, we are scattered by a digital environment into feuding tribes that are governed by mob dynamics and driven by a minority of ideological outliers, made stupid at warp speed by group think, and — thanks to social media — armed with billions of metaphorical “dart guns” with which to immediately wound “the enemy” in ways that are hardly only metaphorical. What could go wrong?   Our very special guest, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, will delve into the profound impact of social media on democratic societies, dissecting the intricate web of challenges it poses to civic trust and civil discourse. Don't miss this chance to hear from one of the foremost thought leaders of our time — one who has generously given his counsel to The Village Square, and countless efforts like ours — on this existential challenge of our time.    *The above was stolen lovingly from Village SquareCast's shownotes.   It would mean so much if you could leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/TPandRPod   Please support our sponsor Meza Wealth Management: www.mezawealth.com   You can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.   Read Why the Past Ten Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid in The Atlantic.   The program includes a preview of Haidt's highly anticipated upcoming book The Anxious Generation, available at the end of March. You're not going to want to miss it. The Village Square and TP&R are proud members of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   jonathanhaidt.com/   www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/   www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/729231/the-anxious-generation-by-jonathan-haidt/   tlh.villagesquare.us/    Village SquareCast - pod.link/1520059234  

*What if, at a pinnacle of our civilization's technological achievement, everything just broke — the institutions we've come to rely upon in navigating a modern complex world, the shared stories that hold a large and diverse democratic republic together, and even a common language through which to navigate the rising tide of crisis.  According to renowned social psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt, this describes our current reality, one that he calls “After Babel.” In this new normal, we are scattered by a digital environment into feuding tribes that are governed by mob dynamics and driven by a minority of ideological outliers, made stupid at warp speed by group think, and — thanks to social media — armed with billions of metaphorical “dart guns” with which to immediately wound “the enemy” in ways that are hardly only metaphorical. What could go wrong?   Our very special guest, Dr. Jonathan Haidt, will delve into the profound impact of social media on democratic societies, dissecting the intricate web of challenges it poses to civic trust and civil discourse. Don't miss this chance to hear from one of the foremost thought leaders of our time — one who has generously given his counsel to The Village Square, and countless efforts like ours — on this existential challenge of our time.    *The above was stolen lovingly from Village SquareCast's shownotes.   It would mean so much if you could leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/TPandRPod   Please support our sponsor Meza Wealth Management: www.mezawealth.com   You can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.   Read Why the Past Ten Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid in The Atlantic.   The program includes a preview of Haidt's highly anticipated upcoming book The Anxious Generation, available at the end of March. You're not going to want to miss it. The Village Square and TP&R are proud members of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.   jonathanhaidt.com/   www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/05/social-media-democracy-trust-babel/629369/   www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/729231/the-anxious-generation-by-jonathan-haidt/   tlh.villagesquare.us/    Village SquareCast - pod.link/1520059234  

In this episode of SquareCast we're joined by the extraordinary Rachel Brown, the Founder of Over Zero—named in reference to the “zero sum game” that exists in sporting events, but becomes dangerous when it overtakes a society, as it has ours. Over Zero was founded to prevent identity-based violence and other forms of group-targeted harm around the world—and here at home. Rachel is one of the wisest, steadiest voices of our time in guiding us away from dangerous (but human) reactions, and toward calmer times.The program is facilitated by Dr. Theodore R. Johnson, previous UNUM guest and author of the book “When The Stars Begin to Fall.”  Find the program online at The Village Square here.Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

In this episode of SquareCast Village Square Founder & CEO Liz Joyner let Village SquareCast Corey Nathan talk her into being the guest in an episode. It's hard to get away from the doom scroll that typifies our life and times right now — we're clobbered with toxic sludge when we turn on the  news, catch up with friends on social media or just try to live life without someone forcing us to choose whether we're one of “us” or one of “them.” The signs of our difficulties are all around us and it's hard to underestimate its weight on our being. In this episode of Village SquareCast we'll chat with founder Liz Joyner about the unique journey of two decades seeking to (in the words of one of Liz's heroes, Patricia Nelson Limerick) “let friendship redeem the republic.” We'll travel from Washington, D.C. to Tallahassee, Florida in this epic tale of tilting at some serious windmills — while endeavoring to keep laughing. Find The Village Square online here.  The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Funding for this podcast was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. This program is part of a larger project "Healing Starts Here" funded by New Pluralists. Learn more about our project, and other inspiring grantees here.

We continue our Best of 2023 episodes with an  episode from the Village SquareCast podcast, hosted by the Village Square.This is when you meet a living legend and get the benefit of his thinking on the topic he's been brilliantly, prophetically right about for more than three decades: the deterioration of our connectedness with each other across almost every demographic and every aspect of our lives—our loss of social capital.  And yet here we are, painfully and tragically paying the price for our failure to put our shoulders to this wheel when it was (almost eerily) knowable when Dr. Robert Putnam first articulated the societal trend in his iconic book “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of America Community” (we've just re-read it, and we're still not sure he's not secretly a time-traveler).  Joined by Shaylyn Romney Garrett, his co-author on “The Upswing: How America Came Together A Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again,” they're beseeching us to do it now (and we're doing just that, until the end of 2024). Bonus: they're showing us that what we need to do is actually fun, fills our souls—and might just save our country.Learn more about Dr. Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett in the full program description online here. Pick up a copy of The Upswing and Bowling Alone (you'll thank us) at our partner bookseller Midtown (wherever you live).Please also take a moment to watch the trailer of "Join or Die: A film about why you should join a club - and why the fate of America depends on it," produced and directed by Rebecca Davis and Pete Davis. Note that in the discussion Dr. Putnam references a chart in the discussion - you can find the two-slide chart here (the first is the imaginary picture we have in our minds about how race in America changed and is not correct; the second is correct).Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Download our free guide on 5 ways to take action!At the core of the deep societal divisions we navigate every day is an assumption that we share little with “those people” with whom we share a country—a belief that leaves us on dangerous ground as a nation. But author and entrepreneur Dr. Todd Rose says we've got that all wrong. According to Dr. Rose, not only do we agree more often than we think but we're making terrible assumptions about what the people on our own side of the aisle think—then acting on those incorrect assumptions in a way that accelerates the divisions. Born of our highly social nature and hardwiring in our DNA, we so desperately want to protect our status and reputation inside our groups so we conform with what we think our group thinks—finding ourselves inside a “collective illusion” that is not only destabilizing society, it's making us personally miserable.Dr. Rose offers his compelling and revelatory insights about human forces that are far too easily ignored in his most recent book: “Collective Illusions: Conformity, Complicity and the Science of Why We Make Bad Decisions.” We think his work is just so important that we're delighted to bring him to Tallahassee to meet you (and we'll be hosting book clubs to dive into “Collective Illusions” through the year). We don't think you'll ever see the world quite the same way again (trust us, that'll be a good thing). Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Download our free guide on 5 ways to take action!“A remarkable combination of scientific insight, practical guidance, and grounded hope.” —Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THINK AGAINToxic polarization and conflict is exhausting. Whether it's in your family, at work or in our perpetually acrimonious civic life, it's like a suitcase full of big ole rocks we lug around while we try to get the usual tasks of life-y-ness done.  Our UNUM journey has brought us thinkers and leaders from sea to shining sea, but now we're turning intentionally to see THE WAY OUT — and it turns out that really being able to see it is a key first step in being able to do it.Columbia University's Peter T. Coleman brings us deep wisdom informed by a life in scholarship that leaves us more hopeful than the usual fare. Know that when we listen to Peter, we do cartwheels of joy — and who doesn't need joy right about now? Facilitated by BridgeUSA's Manu Meel, this is a must-listen if you're looking for The Way Out.Learn more about Dr. Coleman and read a full program description online here. Pick up a copy of The Way Out (you'll thank us) at our partner bookseller Midtown Reader (wherever you live).Peter T. Coleman is Professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University where he holds a joint-appointment at Teachers College and The Earth Institute. Dr. Coleman directs the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution.Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

The Village Square is truly delighted to offer you a feed drop episode of Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other—a podcast we loved so much, we convinced its host to also be our host (that's fandom). Along with Village SquareCast, TP&R is also a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Listen to TP&R Here.   This episode, Tim Keller and Michael Gerson, A Tribute with Pete Wehner and Jonathan Rauch, is the most beautiful hour in the history of podcasting, in our highly informed opinion (culled from zero statistics and study... we just know). Please, whatever you do, listen—and share. Along with host Corey Nathan, Jon and Pete (both former Village Square in-person guests) zero in on the generosity of spirit that could—and should—transform everything about the world today. If we can only let it. Here's Pete, toward the end, about Tim and Michael, the gentlemen they give tribute to: "it's whether in discourse and conversations we can together refine each others' views, calibrate each others' views... and come closer to the true reality of things than we would without each other." We beseech you, please listen, and then subscribe to Corey's beautiful podcast, Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other. You're going to thank yourself for doing something so very smart. Village SquareCast will be back with brand new episodes of Village SquareCast this fall. Like crazy soon.  

The Village Square is truly delighted to offer you a feed drop episode of When The People Decide, a podcast about how everyday people are shaping democracy. Along with Village SquareCast, they're a member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Listen to When The People Decide Here.   This episode, Libraries as civic spaces is thoroughly enchanting to us—featuring special guests Shamichael Hallman and Nancy Kranich: Librarians have spoken for years about “library faith,” the belief that public libraries are central to democracy because they contribute to an informed citizenry. Today, the idea is gaining even more traction, and even conservative crackdowns on what's permitted in libraries reinforce the idea that they're more than just “book warehouses” but centers for community engagement and representativeness.  And meet the host of When the People Decide, Jenna Spinelle (one of our favorite podcast hosts, don't tell the others). Be sure to catch Season 1 while you're there—an eight-episode series explores the promise — and sometimes peril — that ballot initiatives have brought to American democracy by telling the stories of people who have organized initiative campaigns across the country. Village SquareCast will be back with brand new episodes of Village SquareCast this fall.

The Village Square is truly delighted to offer you a feed drop episode of Healing Race, from a pair of friends (one black, one white)—college friends who spent the first couple decades of their relationship not talking about race. Then they decided it was past time so they just jumped right in.  Find Healing Race on Apple podcasts. This episode ("Black" and White:" Should We Identify with the Color of Our Skin?") Todd asks Andre if he would ideally like to live in a world where we don't identify ourselves with the color of our skin. Should we want to live in a world where the groups we identify with are not based on our color, and what are the challenges in getting there? Here's more about their show: Talking about race isn't always easy. Andre and Todd decided to go deep on the role of race and the state of race relations in the U.S... and to make their conversations public so that others could see what a first conversation about race might look like, where no topic is off the table and no views are stifled or censored, but where they always listen, respect, and seek to understand - even and especially when they see things differently. And they are now welcoming guests on the show to experience that same kind of radical openness, honesty, and empathy. Healing Race is about having the real-deal, don't-filter-what-you-think conversation about race, and they would love for you to join.  We hope you'll spend some time getting to know Todd and Andre, as they really need to get to know each other—and show the rest of us how it's done. You can read more about the pair, and their friendship in The Fulcrum. Village SquareCast is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Village SquareCast will be back with brand new episodes of Village SquareCast this fall.

Why do we connect emotionally with some places and not others? Why does that matter? What does loving the place you live in have to do with healing the partisan divide? We explore these questions and hear about solutions from author, researcher and speaker Peter Kageyama.This shared episode is an edited version of a podcast released earlier this year by "Village Squarecast". Our show includes extracts from a speech delivered at a special meeting of The Village Square in Tallahassee, Florida.Peter Kageyama is the author of For the Love of Cities: The Love Affair Between People and Their Places, the follow up, Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places and his latest, The Emotional Infrastructure of Places. He loves cities and is the former President of Creative Tampa Bay, a grassroots community change organization and the co-founder of the Creative Cities Summit, an interdisciplinary conference that brings citizens and practitioners together around the big idea of ‘the city.'"The mutual love affair between people and their place is one of the most powerful influences in our lives, yet rarely thought of in terms of a relationship," says Peter. "As cities begin thinking of themselves as engaged in a relationship with their citizens, and citizens begin to consider their emotional connections with their places, we open up new possibilities in community, social and economic development by including the most powerful of motivators—the human heart—in our toolkit of city-making." In this episode we learn about the importance of "high touch" local entrepreneurs and local innovators who send "love notes" to the places where they live.Peter shares creative initiatives and speaks of the work of local innovators and public artists. Examples mentioned here include the transformation of Times Square's public space in New York City, The Bean (Cloud Gate) in Chicago, and the Grand Rapids Lip Dub.A warm thankyou to Liz Joyner, President and CEO of The Village Square for giving us permission to share this episode. Village Square is a non-profit organization based in Tallahassee, Florida. It "builds community in our hometown across the ideological, racial, ethnic and religious divisions that have deepened so dramatically in our nation and that have prevented us from addressing the challenges we face together. Hometowns with strong and deep relationships are communities that thrive." Learn more here. Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyHow Do We Fix It? PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Love is a central force in mitigating conflict, says writer and entrepreneur Chloé Valdary. She founded the diversity and inclusion training company, The Theory of Enchantment, and has a unique take on how we can heal racial division and hatred inside organizations and across American society.  Chloé developed a program for "compassionate anti-racism" that combines social-emotional learning (SEL), character development and interpersonal growth as tools for leadership development in businesses and the workplace. She calls her method "an anti-racism program that actually fights bigotry instead of spreading it." Her three principles of enchantment are: "Treat people like human beings not political extractions", "Criticize to lift up and empower, never to tear down and destroy," and "Root everything you do in love and compassion." This episode is an edited version of a conversation first recorded for Village SquareCast, produced by The Village Square. Both Let's Find Common Ground and Village SquareCast are members of The Democracy Group podcast network. 

The Village Square is truly delighted to offer you a feed drop episode of the "How Do We Fix It?" podcast, from the coolest podcast hosting dynamic duo we know and love,  Richard Davies and Jim Meigs. These two have real fun together and with their guests—and we all get to listen. This episode of How Do We Fix It? "The Middle 70%: In This Together" features Bill Shireman, host of the podcast "A Moment of BS Bill Shireman Disrupts the Dividers". President of Future 500, where he invites Greenpeace, ExxonMobil, Rainforest Action Network, Mitsubishi and other corporate and environmental leaders to work together. We hope you'll take a moment to jump over to How Do We Fix It? right now to listen to more interviews with people like Jonathan Haidt, David Bornstein, Lenore Skenazy, Mike Rowe—and so many more (including our founder Liz Joyner) on "positive ideas for challenging times. Village SquareCast and How Do We Fix It? are both proud members of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Village SquareCast will be back with brand new episodes of Village SquareCast this fall.

Why do we connect emotionally with some places and not others? Why does that matter? What does loving the place you live in have to do with healing the partisan divide? We explore these questions and hear about solutions from author, researcher and speaker Peter Kageyama.This shared episode is an edited version of a podcast released earlier this year by "Village Squarecast". Our show includes extracts from a speech delivered at a special meeting of The Village Square in Tallahassee, Florida.Peter Kageyama is the author of For the Love of Cities: The Love Affair Between People and Their Places, the follow up, Love Where You Live: Creating Emotionally Engaging Places and his latest, The Emotional Infrastructure of Places. He loves cities and is the former President of Creative Tampa Bay, a grassroots community change organization and the co-founder of the Creative Cities Summit, an interdisciplinary conference that brings citizens and practitioners together around the big idea of ‘the city.'"The mutual love affair between people and their place is one of the most powerful influences in our lives, yet rarely thought of in terms of a relationship," says Peter. "As cities begin thinking of themselves as engaged in a relationship with their citizens, and citizens begin to consider their emotional connections with their places, we open up new possibilities in community, social and economic development by including the most powerful of motivators—the human heart—in our toolkit of city-making." In this episode we learn about the importance of "high touch" local entrepreneurs and local innovators who send "love notes" to the places where they live.Peter shares creative initiatives and speaks of the work of local innovators and public artists. Examples mentioned here include the transformation of Times Square's public space in New York City, The Bean (Cloud Gate) in Chicago, and the Grand Rapids Lip Dub.A warm thankyou to Liz Joyner, President and CEO of The Village Square for giving us permission to share this episode. Village Square is a non-profit organization based in Tallahassee, Florida. It "builds community in our hometown across the ideological, racial, ethnic and religious divisions that have deepened so dramatically in our nation and that have prevented us from addressing the challenges we face together. Hometowns with strong and deep relationships are communities that thrive." Learn more here. "How Do We Fix It?" and "Village Squarecast" are proud members of The Democracy Group podcast network of shows covering democracy, civic engagement and civil discourse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Village Square is truly delighted to offer you a feed drop episode of the "Let's Find Common Ground" podcast, from the extraordinary national leader in bridging divides Common Ground Committee.  (Shout out to the co-founders Bruce Bond and Erik Olsen. We're groupie fans.) Meet them: With polarization dominating public discourse, can we find a path back to the common good? Tune in as journalists Richard Davies and Ashley Milne-Tyte explore diverse solutions to today's most urgent issues with top thought leaders, journalists and others committed to bipartisan action. Tell us what you think! Rank recent episodes and issues that matter to you, and leave us a note or voice message. This episode of Let's Find Common Ground features the scholar Dr. Theodore Johnson, someone who has also been a guest on SquareCast. Dr. Johnson wrote the book "When the Stars Begin to Fall" about his unique journey to love of country—and the imperative that we seek racial healing together. We hope you'll take a moment to jump over to Let's Find Common Ground to listen to more great content (and subscribe). Village SquareCast and Let's Find Common Ground are both proud members of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Village SquareCast will be back with brand new episodes of Village SquareCast this fall.

This episode from the Village SquareCast is a conversation between Manu Meel, executive director of Bridge USA and Mónica Guzmán, a senior fellow for public practice at Braver Angels and author of I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.Manu and Mónica discuss how to fight back against political division and find the answers you need by talking with people—rather than about them—and asking the questions you want across the divides you want, curiously. Mónica argues that seeing where people are coming from isn't just possible, it's easier than you think.I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided TimesSubscribe to the Village SquareCast 

The Village Square is truly delighted to offer you an episode of one of the best podcasts in the democracy space—Democracy Works.  Meet them: The Democracy Works podcast seeks to answer that question by examining a different aspect of democratic life each week — from voting to criminal justice to the free press and everything in between. We interview experts who study democracy, as well as people who are out there doing the hard work of democracy day in and day out.  This episode of Democracy Works is Separating News From Noise, examining the very real dynamic of news avoidance.  How much news is too much? Or not enough? News Over Noise, the new podcast from Penn State's News Literacy Initiative explores that question and offers guidance on how to consume news that enhances your participation in our democracy without becoming overwhelmed by all the noise on social media and the 24/7 news cycle.  If your first reaction is to demonize people who don't want to read the news, hold up. Read this Washington Post piece by our favorite journalist Amanda Ripley "I stopped reading the news—is the problem me or the product." The Village Square is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Both The Democracy Group and Democracy Works are projects led by the wise and wonderful Jenna Spinelle of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State University. If you don't know them already you should. Village SquareCast will be back with brand new episodes of Village SquareCast this fall.

The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. —Abraham Lincoln.This episodes tells the story of one group of people who have risen.Built by patriotic volunteers, Braver Angels is a national movement to bridge the partisan divide, equally balanced between conservatives and progressives at every level of leadership. They work in communities, on college campuses, in the media, and in the halls of political power. We'll offer up a behind the scenes view of this extraordinary group of Americans—how they formed, what they've learned and what's next.Find bios for our participants and a full program description online here.We hope you'll join us as we explore what happens when people of goodwill who might not agree cross each others' thresholds and break a little bread together. Whoever you are, whatever your beliefs, bring an open mind, an open heart (and an empty stomach) for a continuing conversation on the two topics your mother taught you to never broach in polite company: politics and religion. We can't wait.Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.Additional InformationThe Democracy Group listener surveyThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Don't miss this warm, funny professional's guided tour of an industry that is failing us—the "Broken News." You'll laugh, you'll cry. You'll know a thing or two to do to fix it.Our very special guest, Chris Stirewalt—a former Fox News political editor— gives us an inside view of the rage-driven political environment we've found ourselves plunged into: “Rage revenue-addicted news companies are plagued by shoddy reporting, sensationalism, groupthink, and brain-dead partisan tribalism. Newsrooms rely on emotion-driven blabber to entrance conflict-addled super users.” We think that just about nails it. Chris Stirewalt is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he focuses on American politics, voting trends, public opinion, and the media. He is concurrently a contributing editor and weekly columnist for The Dispatch. Before joining AEI, he was political editor of Fox News Channel, where he helped coordinate political coverage across the network and specialized in on-air analysis of polls and voting trends.Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

This is a special BONUS EPISODE of Village SquareCast. Here are the show notes from our friends at The Village Square:   "When Daryl Davis was ten, he didn't understand hate yet. But then he was the only black scout in a parade to honor Paul Revere's ride to Concord, when he began getting hit by bottles. It was then that he formed a question in his mind that he's spent much of a lifetime answering: 'How can you hate me when you don't even know me?' Failing to find his answer in books and history, as an adult and an accomplished musician, he realized who better to ask than a member of an organization formed around the premise—the KKK. So began our guest's extraordinary story, in which a black man befriended over 200 KKK members, starting with a grand wizard. We'll learn how his improbable, impossible, openhearted journey can light our way.   "This important programming is offered in partnership with Florida Humanities as a part of our multi-year series 'UNUM: Democracy Reignited.' Keep reading to meet our streaming partners and learn more about Mr. Davis.   "Musician and Race Reconciliator Daryl Davis, has single-handedly been the impetus for over two hundred White supremacists to renounce their ideology and turn their lives around. As a Black man, Daryl has attended more Ku Klux Klan rallies than most White people and certainly most Blacks — short of being on the wrong end of a rope. His true-life encounters with Grand Dragons, Imperial Wizards, neo-Nazi Commanders are detailed in his documentary Accidental Courtesy, and his riveting first book Klan-Destine Relationships. Daryl tours around the country and around the world performing musical concerts and giving lectures on race reconciliation, inspiring both racists and non-racists to redirect their positions toward working together to truly make America the greatest country it can be.   "We're delighted to welcome streaming partners Braver Angels,  McCourtney Institute for Democracy, National Institute for Civil Discourse, BridgeUSA, Listen First Project, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future,  Common Ground Committee, Civic Health Project, YOUnify, Citizen Connect, Center for the Humanities at University of Miami, Tallahassee Democrat, WFSU Public Media,and Network for Responsible Public Policy."   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.    tlh.villagesquare.us/event/daryl-davis/   tlh.villagesquare.us   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   twitter.com/coreysnathan

This is a special BONUS EPISODE of Village SquareCast. Here are the show notes from our friends at The Village Square:   "When Daryl Davis was ten, he didn't understand hate yet. But then he was the only black scout in a parade to honor Paul Revere's ride to Concord, when he began getting hit by bottles. It was then that he formed a question in his mind that he's spent much of a lifetime answering: 'How can you hate me when you don't even know me?' Failing to find his answer in books and history, as an adult and an accomplished musician, he realized who better to ask than a member of an organization formed around the premise—the KKK. So began our guest's extraordinary story, in which a black man befriended over 200 KKK members, starting with a grand wizard. We'll learn how his improbable, impossible, openhearted journey can light our way.   "This important programming is offered in partnership with Florida Humanities as a part of our multi-year series 'UNUM: Democracy Reignited.' Keep reading to meet our streaming partners and learn more about Mr. Davis.   "Musician and Race Reconciliator Daryl Davis, has single-handedly been the impetus for over two hundred White supremacists to renounce their ideology and turn their lives around. As a Black man, Daryl has attended more Ku Klux Klan rallies than most White people and certainly most Blacks — short of being on the wrong end of a rope. His true-life encounters with Grand Dragons, Imperial Wizards, neo-Nazi Commanders are detailed in his documentary Accidental Courtesy, and his riveting first book Klan-Destine Relationships. Daryl tours around the country and around the world performing musical concerts and giving lectures on race reconciliation, inspiring both racists and non-racists to redirect their positions toward working together to truly make America the greatest country it can be.   "We're delighted to welcome streaming partners Braver Angels,  McCourtney Institute for Democracy, National Institute for Civil Discourse, BridgeUSA, Listen First Project, USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future,  Common Ground Committee, Civic Health Project, YOUnify, Citizen Connect, Center for the Humanities at University of Miami, Tallahassee Democrat, WFSU Public Media,and Network for Responsible Public Policy."   Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.    tlh.villagesquare.us/event/daryl-davis/   tlh.villagesquare.us   www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion   twitter.com/coreysnathan

"WHEN TWO ENEMIES ARE TALKING, THEY'RE NOT FIGHTING."When Daryl Davis was ten, he didn't understand hate yet. But then he was the only black scout in a parade to honor Paul Revere's ride to Concord, when he began getting hit by bottles. It was then that he formed a question in his mind that he's spent much of a lifetime answering: “How can you hate me when you don't even know me?” Failing to find his answer in books and history, as an adult and an accomplished musician, he realized who better to ask than a member of an organization formed around the premise—the KKK. So began our guest's extraordinary story, in which a black man befriended over 200 KKK members, starting with a grand wizard. We'll learn how his improbable, impossible, openhearted journey can light our way.Musician and Race Reconciliator Daryl Davis, has single-handedly been the impetus for over two hundred White supremacists to renounce their ideology and turn their lives around. As a Black man, Daryl has attended more Ku Klux Klan rallies than most White people and certainly most Blacks — short of being on the wrong end of a rope. His true-life encounters with Grand Dragons, Imperial Wizards, neo-Nazi Commanders are detailed in his documentary Accidental Courtesy, and his riveting first book Klan-Destine Relationships. Daryl tours around the country and around the world performing musical concerts and giving lectures on race reconciliation, inspiring both racists and non-racists to redirect their positions toward working together to truly make America the greatest country it can be.Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities.Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Hedrick Smith, Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times reporter and editor and Emmy award-winning producer/correspondent, has established himself over the past 50 years as one of America's premier journalists. His best-seller, “Who Stole the American Dream” is a startling and revealing portrait of the past 30 years of U.S. political and economic history, hailed both for its compelling stories and ”brilliant analysis.”In 26 years with The New York Times, Smith served in Saigon, Cairo, Paris, the American South and as bureau chief in Moscow and Washington. In 1971, he was a member of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team for the Pentagon Papers series and in 1974, he won the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting from Russia and Eastern Europe.His subsequent book The Russians was a No.1 American best-seller translated into 16 languages. Smith's next book, The Power Game: How Washington Works, was bedside reading for President Clinton. Many members of Congress used it as a political bible. He has written three other best-sellers.For PBS, Hedrick Smith has created 26 prime-time specials and mini-series since 1989 on such varied topics as “Inside the Terror Network,” “Is Wal-Mart Good for America?” “The Wall Street Fix,” “Inside Gorbachev's USSR,” “Can You Afford to Retire?” and “Rediscovering Dave Brubeck.” He has won most of television's top awards including two Emmys, two national public service awards, and two Dupont-Columbia Gold batons for the best public affairs programs on U.S. television in 1991 and in 2002.Join us for this conversation with Hedrick Smith, facilitated by Mary Ellen Klas, Capitol bureau chief for the Miami Herald.Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

We continue our Best of 2022 episodes with an  episode from the Village SquareCast podcast, hosted by the Village Square.How do societies respond to great demographic change? This question lingers over the contemporary politics of the United States and other countries where persistent immigration has altered populations and may soon produce a majority minority milestone. Or where the original ethnic or religious majority loses its numerical advantage to one or more foreign-origin minority groups. Until now, most of our knowledge about large-scale responses to demographic change has been based on studies of individual people's reactions, which tend to be instinctively defensive and intolerant. We know little about why and how these habits are sometimes tempered to promote more successful coexistence.Dr. Justin Gest is an Associate Professor of Policy and Government at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government. He is the author of six books, primarily on the politics of immigration and demographic change—all from Oxford University Press or Cambridge University Press.Dr. Gest's research has been published in journals including the British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Comparative Political Studies, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Global Governance, Global Policy, International Migration Review, Migration Studies, Polity, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He is the editor of Silent Citizenship: The Politics of Marginality in Unequal Democracies (Routledge, 2016), special issues of Citizenship Studies, and the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.He has also provided commentary, analysis, or reporting to a number of broadcast networks, including ABC, BBC, CBC, CNN, and NPR, and news publications including The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, POLITICO, Reuters, The Times, Vox, and The Washington Post.Find this program online at The Village Square.This podcast series is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities.Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

This is a special bonus episode we're sharing of the Village SquareCast. The panel is titled Bridge Building and Bipartisanship. Bridge building?!  (We're not talking about the Golden Gate, people.)  An industry that was recently unknown and almost nonexistent has exploded in recent years, as average citizens begin to see the sharp growth in political divisions as an emergency that requires our attention. In the midst of a divisive election season, we'll take a pause to chat with leaders in the bridge building field about the outlook for cooperation across political differences and potential improvements on the horizon that we can all reach for. Is there hope of a tipping point where bridge-building is more prominent than the divide-and-(attempt to)-conquer approach of late?  Might average Americans like our heroic guests and listeners have to roll up their sleeves and show our politicians the way? Speaking of the politicians:  stay tuned until the end to learn about the Common Ground Scorecard where you can find out which candidates on your ballot are interested in bridging divides. #Mavericks Joining the conversation are Pearce Godwin, Founder & CEO of Listen First Project; Kristin Hansen, Executive Director of Civic Health Project; and Liz Joyner, Founder and President of The Village Square. Listen First Project leads the collaborative movement to heal America by bridging divides. They elevate the impact, visibility, and voice of the bridge-building field by aggregating, aligning, and amplifying the efforts of 500 #ListenFirst Coalition partner organizations into large scale, national campaigns and strategies. Together these organizations transform division and contempt into connection and understanding. Civic Health Project is dedicated to reducing America's toxic partisan polarization and enabling healthier public discourse and decision-making across our citizenry, politics, and media. Through grantmaking, advocacy, and convenings, Civic Health Project supports the most promising research and interventions to reduce political division and foster social cohesion across the country. This episode is part of The Democracy Group's 2022 Midterm Series.

This is a special bonus episode we're sharing of the Village SquareCast. The panel is titled Bridge Building and Bipartisanship. Bridge building?!  (We're not talking about the Golden Gate, people.)  An industry that was recently unknown and almost nonexistent has exploded in recent years, as average citizens begin to see the sharp growth in political divisions as an emergency that requires our attention. In the midst of a divisive election season, we'll take a pause to chat with leaders in the bridge building field about the outlook for cooperation across political differences and potential improvements on the horizon that we can all reach for. Is there hope of a tipping point where bridge-building is more prominent than the divide-and-(attempt to)-conquer approach of late?  Might average Americans like our heroic guests and listeners have to roll up their sleeves and show our politicians the way? Speaking of the politicians:  stay tuned until the end to learn about the Common Ground Scorecard where you can find out which candidates on your ballot are interested in bridging divides. #Mavericks Joining the conversation are Pearce Godwin, Founder & CEO of Listen First Project; Kristin Hansen, Executive Director of Civic Health Project; and Liz Joyner, Founder and President of The Village Square. Listen First Project leads the collaborative movement to heal America by bridging divides. They elevate the impact, visibility, and voice of the bridge-building field by aggregating, aligning, and amplifying the efforts of 500 #ListenFirst Coalition partner organizations into large scale, national campaigns and strategies. Together these organizations transform division and contempt into connection and understanding. Civic Health Project is dedicated to reducing America's toxic partisan polarization and enabling healthier public discourse and decision-making across our citizenry, politics, and media. Through grantmaking, advocacy, and convenings, Civic Health Project supports the most promising research and interventions to reduce political division and foster social cohesion across the country. This episode is part of The Democracy Group's 2022 Midterm Series.

This episode of the series comes from the Village SquareCast podcast, hosted by Vanessa Rowse, featuring Pearce Godwin, Founder & CEO of Listen First Project; Kristin Hansen, Executive Director of Civic Health Project; and Liz Joyner, Founder and President of The Village Square.Bridge building?!  (We're not talking about the Golden Gate, people.)  An industry that was recently unknown and almost nonexistent has exploded in recent years, as average citizens begin to see the sharp growth in political divisions as an emergency that requires our attention. In the midst of a divisive election season, we'll take a pause to chat with leaders in the bridge building field about the outlook for cooperation across political differences and potential improvements on the horizon that we can all reach for.Is there hope of a tipping point where bridge-building is more prominent than the divide-and-(attempt to)-conquer approach of late?  Might average Americans like our heroic guests and listeners have to roll up their sleeves and show our politicians the way?GuestsListen First Project leads the collaborative movement to heal America by bridging divides. They elevate the impact, visibility, and voice of the bridge-building field by aggregating, aligning, and amplifying the efforts of 500 #ListenFirst Coalition partner organizations into large scale, national campaigns and strategies. Together these organizations transform division and contempt into connection and understanding.Civic Health Project is dedicated to reducing America's toxic partisan polarization and enabling healthier public discourse and decision-making across our citizenry, politics, and media. Through grantmaking, advocacy, and convenings, Civic Health Project supports the most promising research and interventions to reduce political division and foster social cohesion across the country.Additional InformationVillage SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Join us as podcast host Corey Nathan of Talkin' Politics and Religion without Killin' Each Other flips the switch by interviewing The Village Square's Liz Joyner and Vanessa Rowse about how we make pigs fly.  We were fast friends with Corey right from the start because of our shared goal to have constructive and respectful conversations about those taboo topics of politics and religion.Corey started TP&R to take back some of the airspace from the screamers who feed off our divisions. He says politics and religion are too important to be left only to the extremes, so he hosts engaging, provocative and fun conversations about the most pressing issues of our times.  We (obviously) love his mission, we love the show, and we love hanging out with Corey, so we were thrilled when he invited us on the show.  Now we're sharing that talk with you because we think you'll love Corey and his podcast too.From Corey, about this episode:  "We get into all kinds of important, timely topics including:how we're all living in this "high energy environment";the "us vs. them dynamic" and what the solution is;the value of actually getting together in person;how the Village Square is able to get people of diverse views in the same venue together;how the first casualty in this environment is nuance;and being played by the "conflict entrepreneurs.""Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

On this special edition of Village SquareCast, we're excited to introduce you to one of our BFFs in the saving democracy space. Jenna Spinelle of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy has a new podcast we think you'll love, so we're sharing episode #1 in our feed. When the People Decide is a new eight-episode narrative series on ballot initiatives that tells the stories of activists, legislators, academics, and average citizens who changed their cities, states, and the country by taking important issues directly to voters. This first episode of When the People Decide tells the story of a campaign in Michigan to end partisan gerrymandering in 2018 and shows how it is part of a legacy of ballot initiatives dating back to the 1800s. After becoming disillusioned with the results of the 2016 election, Katie Fahey took to Facebook to gauge the interest of grassroots mobilization amongst her colleagues, friends and family. Now the executive director of a nonpartisan voter reform organization, Fahey shares how the ballot initiative excited everyday people about becoming active in politics, including its 10,000 volunteers, and how they were inspired to make political changes in their communities. We also hear from historian Steven Piott about the unlikely origin of the initiative and referendum in the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group. Check out one of our fellow network podcasts here: 70 Million

It's really easy to be in touch right now with the dark side of human nature that's been so thoroughly highlighted through the pandemic, but is there something else to see?  Maybe transcendence, empathy and heroic self-sacrifice?  And where there isn't much to look at that's positive, can we turn our trauma into a spiritual evolution — personally or even as a culture?   Join us as we welcome God Squad regulars Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, Pastor Joe Davis Jr. of Truth Gatherers Community Church, and Rabbi Michael Shields of Temple Israel to guide us through this conversation. Plus, we will be joined by guest Reverend Margaret Fox of First Presbyterian Church of Tallahassee. Find this program online at The Village Square. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group. Check out one of our fellow network podcasts here:  Politics in Question.

Rick Wilson, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, knows today's Republican Party better than just about anyone from having run GOP campaigns for decades. But Rick was an early and vocal critic of Donald Trump which ultimately cost him a great deal in the Trump era. He also co-founded @ProjectLincoln to help defeat Trump in 2020. We discuss all that as well as how TLP addressed the problems that were revealed about the organization in late 2020. We also talk about what Democrats need to do in 2022 and beyond. Rick Wilson is a renowned Republican political strategist and infamous negative ad maker getting his start on Connie Mack's Senate campaign in 1988 as well as on the Presidential campaign of George H.W. Bush that same year. Since that time he's been the key advisor to political candidates, SuperPACS, state parties and the national campaign committees. Rick is also a writer, speaker and commentator who regularly appears on national news networks including CNN and MSNBC, shows such as Real Time with Bill Maher, and has had columns published in The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, Politico, Rolling Stone, USA Today, The Hill and The Bulwark among others. Rick is also the author of Everything Trump Touches Dies (a NYT #1 bestseller) and Running Against the Devil which came out in January of 2020. Shoutout to our friends at The Village Square right in Rick's neck of the woods, Tallahassee, FL. They have a great podcast called Village SquareCast. www.therickwilson.com/about/ https://lincolnproject.us/ https://tlh.villagesquare.us/squarecast/ https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson https://twitter.com/projectlincoln https://twitter.com/VillageSquareFL  

Vanessa Rowse is the host of Village SquareCast, the flagship podcast of The Village Square. The Village Square is a non-partisan public educational forum on matters of local, state and national importance. It is dedicated to maintaining factual accuracy in civic and political debate by growing civil discourse on divisive issues, and recalling the history and principles at the foundation of our democracy. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/americas-talking/support

Meet "The Skeptics," a DIY lay version of God Squad — they're a group of politically and spiritually diverse group of people who've been meeting once a week for years (in some private location that for some reason they're not letting on to). Lucky us — we'll meet four of the Skeptics (a Catholic, a Protestant, a Mormon, and an atheist) who have forged deep friendships by gathering regularly to discuss spiritual topics in a respectful manner where disagreement is both welcomed and appreciated. They'll let us in on an hour of their private conversation and even lend a little support to new Skeptic groups that might be inspired to launch. Facilitated by Village Square Founder Liz Joyner and featuring The Village Square's Bill Mattox — both a veteran of more God Squad programs than he'd imagine and a member of "The Skeptics." Also a Skeptic, former NACo President Bryan Desloge. Find this program online at The Village Square. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group. Check out one of our fellow network podcasts here:  Swamp Stories

On this episode of Village SquareCast, we're thrilled to introduce you to one of our besties in the saving democracy space. Corey Nathan, host of Talkin' Politics and Religion without Killin' Each Other, is committed to taking some airspace back from the screamers who feed off our divisions. He says politics and religion are too important to be left only to the extremes, so he hosts engaging, provocative and fun conversations about the most pressing issues of our times. We're sharing an episode of Talkin' Politics and Religion in our feed because we think you'll be hooked just like we are (you're welcome).  We selected an episode featuring Christine Todd Whitman, the former Governor of New Jersey.  Hear it straight from Corey about why you should tune in: "In this conversation with Christine Todd Whitman, the former Governor (of the best state in the union!) and Cabinet Member, we talk about how she started her career in politics by going around the country and actually listening to people. Imagine that! We also discussed how she was able to achieve bipartisan collaboration during her 2 terms as governor of New Jersey; an assessment of how the Biden Administration is doing on climate initiatives; other achievable actions that can have a positive effect on the environment; what she's doing to resist the danger posed by candidates who are brazenly anti-democracy; the encouraging work of States United Democracy Center - "more than a think tank... an action tank"; a sober warning about current governors who are deploying the tactics of dictators; her experience with Donald Trump back when he was screwing over small contractors who built his casinos in New Jersey; and we even get to talk about religion! Christine Todd Whitman is the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the States United Democracy Center and she is the President of The Whitman Strategy Group. Governor Whitman served in the cabinet of President George W. Bush as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and was the 50th Governor of the State of New Jersey, serving as its first woman governor. Governor Whitman also serves a number of non-profit organizations including as Chairman of the American Security Project, Vice-Chairman of the Trustees of the Eisenhower Fellowships and Advisor on Renew America Movement. Among quite a few other non-profits and causes, she was co-chair of the Commission on the Rule of Law and Democracy at the Brennan Center at New York University. Also during the 2020 election cycle she served as Chair of Republicans and Independents for Biden. And on top of all of that, she is the author of a New York Times best seller called It's My Party Too: Taking Back the Republican Party... And Bringing the Country Together Again." Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group. Check out one of our fellow network podcasts here:  Democracy Works

How do societies respond to great demographic change? This question lingers over the contemporary politics of the United States and other countries where persistent immigration has altered populations and may soon produce a majority minority milestone. Or where the original ethnic or religious majority loses its numerical advantage to one or more foreign-origin minority groups. Until now, most of our knowledge about large-scale responses to demographic change has been based on studies of individual people's reactions, which tend to be instinctively defensive and intolerant. We know little about why and how these habits are sometimes tempered to promote more successful coexistence.Dr. Justin Gest is an Associate Professor of Policy and Government at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government. He is the author of six books, primarily on the politics of immigration and demographic change—all from Oxford University Press or Cambridge University Press. Dr. Gest's research has been published in journals including the British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Comparative Political Studies, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Global Governance, Global Policy, International Migration Review, Migration Studies, Polity, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He is the editor of Silent Citizenship: The Politics of Marginality in Unequal Democracies (Routledge, 2016), special issues of Citizenship Studies, and the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.He has also provided commentary, analysis, or reporting to a number of broadcast networks, including ABC, BBC, CBC, CNN, and NPR, and news publications including The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, POLITICO, Reuters, The Times, Vox, and The Washington Post.Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

“Trenchant and groundbreaking work.” —Molly Ball, National Political Correspondent, TIME Magazine “The go-to source for understanding how demographic change is impacting American politics.” —Jonathan Capehart, The Washington Post and MSNBC How do societies respond to great demographic change? This question lingers over the contemporary politics of the United States and other countries where persistent immigration has altered populations and may soon produce a majority minority milestone. Or where the original ethnic or religious majority loses its numerical advantage to one or more foreign-origin minority groups. Until now, most of our knowledge about large-scale responses to demographic change has been based on studies of individual people's reactions, which tend to be instinctively defensive and intolerant. We know little about why and how these habits are sometimes tempered to promote more successful coexistence. Dr. Justin Gest is an Associate Professor of Policy and Government at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government. He is the author of six books, primarily on the politics of immigration and demographic change—all from Oxford University Press or Cambridge University Press.  Dr. Gest's research has been published in journals including the British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Comparative Political Studies, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Global Governance, Global Policy, International Migration Review, Migration Studies, Polity, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He is the editor of Silent Citizenship: The Politics of Marginality in Unequal Democracies (Routledge, 2016), special issues of Citizenship Studies, and the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. He has also provided commentary, analysis, or reporting to a number of broadcast networks, including ABC, BBC, CBC, CNN, and NPR, and news publications including The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, POLITICO, Reuters, The Times, Vox, and The Washington Post. Find this program online at The Village Square. This podcast series is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group. Check out one of our fellow network podcasts here: How Do We Fix It?

Today we're joined by Liz Joyner and Vanessa Rowse of the Village Square. Liz is the Founder and CEO and Vanessa is the Podcast Producer of their great podcast Village SquareCast. We get into all kinds of important, timely topics including  how we're all living in this "high energy environment"; the "us vs. them dynamic" and what the solution is; the value of actually getting together in person; how the Village Square is able to get people of diverse views in the same venue together; how the first casualty in this environment is nuance; and being played by the "conflict entrepreneurs"; in addition to a lot more ground we cover. The Village Square is a nonprofit organization devoted to building vibrant civil dialogue across partisan and ideological divides on matters of local, state, and national importance in communities across America. Founded in Tallahassee, Florida in 2006 after a contentious debate on a local issue, the Village Square builds social civic community in a 21st century revival of the old-fashioned American town hall. The Village Square offers a menu of cutting-edge civic engagement programs, many in partnership with local government. https://tlh.villagesquare.us/ https://pod.link/1520059234

Today we're joined by Liz Joyner and Vanessa Rowse of the Village Square. Liz is the Founder and CEO and Vanessa is the Podcast Producer of their great podcast Village SquareCast. We get into all kinds of important, timely topics including  how we're all living in this "high energy environment"; the "us vs. them dynamic" and what the solution is; the value of actually getting together in person; how the Village Square is able to get people of diverse views in the same venue together; how the first casualty in this environment is nuance; and being played by the "conflict entrepreneurs"; in addition to a lot more ground we cover. The Village Square is a nonprofit organization devoted to building vibrant civil dialogue across partisan and ideological divides on matters of local, state, and national importance in communities across America. Founded in Tallahassee, Florida in 2006 after a contentious debate on a local issue, the Village Square builds social civic community in a 21st century revival of the old-fashioned American town hall. The Village Square offers a menu of cutting-edge civic engagement programs, many in partnership with local government. https://tlh.villagesquare.us/ https://pod.link/1520059234

100 Coffees.  Coffee and people are two of the joys of Alex Workman's life. He has a long-standing goal of trying to have coffee with someone he's never met (or doesn't know very well) once a week. In 2021, Alex embarked on a challenge to meet 100 people for coffee – he reached his goal by May and kept right on going. 163 coffees later he tells us what he learned. We think it will change your life.Countless dinner guests.  Alex and Chelsea Workman are a husband-and-wife creative team in Tallahassee, FL who help individuals, businesses and organizations tell their story. By chance, they ended up with many political clients – on both sides of the aisle. Ignoring advice that they'd have to pick a side, they show us how we can chart our own path and make our community a better place along the way. Oh, and their signature move is to invite clients over for dinner.Intentional living.  You can't spend time with Alex and Chelsea without noticing that family is everything. Their marriage is strong; their kids are in tow; they revel in the journey. And just like they're all-in with each other, they're all-in with their community. They believe that instead of just complaining about how things are, we should work to make things better. And they do exactly that – check out their impressive list of community projects on their website.Aren't they smart?!  Alex & Chelsea's way of life demonstrates how to put some of The Village Square's best advice into action: spend time with people of various backgrounds and viewpoints; lead with relationships instead of issues; and connect in inviting social settings. (We must be soul mates because they didn't even realize they were taking our advice.)The Workmans challenge each of us to “make our community a place where people are KNOWN instead of just being KNOWN OF!”Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

In episode 40 of our “Swamp Stories” podcast, Weston talks with former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) — who currently sits on the board of directors of Issue One and is a member of Issue One's National Council on Election Integrity and ReFormers Caucus — about how he became involved in politics, pushing back against lies that the 2020 election was stolen, and why standing up for the rule of law, our elections, and democratic institutions matters.This is the seventh episode in our periodic series of longform conversations between host Weston Wamp and elected leaders, activists, and experts from across the political spectrum on how to fix America's broken political system. To learn more about Village SquareCast, another show in the Democracy Group podcast network, visit: https://www.democracygroup.org/shows/village-squarecast

Are you tired of us vs. them, good vs. evil, partisan politics? Join us on Village SquareCast, "the podcast your mother warned you about,” for a fresh take on the topics you're not supposed to discuss in polite company—politics, religion and race—between people who don't look or think alike—with respect, friendship, even laughter. Over 15 years, The Village Square has hosted hundreds of gatherings with tens of thousands of people—in bars, in churches, and even across 100 continuous tables in the middle of a downtown street. And now we bring you our favorite conversations, from inspiring leaders to cool people exhausted by the political rancor and looking for a better way.  Subscribe to Village SquareCast wherever you listen to podcasts.

Rick Wilson, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, knows today's Republican Party better than just about anyone from having run GOP campaigns for decades. But Rick was an early and vocal critic of Donald Trump which ultimately cost him a great deal in the Trump era. He also co-founded @ProjectLincoln to help defeat Trump in 2020. We discuss all that as well as how TLP addressed the problems that were revealed about the organization in late 2020. We also talk about what Democrats need to do in 2022 and beyond. Rick Wilson is a renowned Republican political strategist and infamous negative ad maker getting his start on Connie Mack's Senate campaign in 1988 as well as on the Presidential campaign of George H.W. Bush that same year. Since that time he's been the key advisor to political candidates, SuperPACS, state parties and the national campaign committees. Rick is also a writer, speaker and commentator who regularly appears on national news networks including CNN and MSNBC, shows such as Real Time with Bill Maher, and has had columns published in The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, Politico, Rolling Stone, USA Today, The Hill and The Bulwark among others. Rick is also the author of Everything Trump Touches Dies (a NYT #1 bestseller) and Running Against the Devil which came out in January of 2020. Shoutout to our friends at The Village Square right in Rick's neck of the woods, Tallahassee, FL. They have a great podcast called Village SquareCast. www.therickwilson.com/about/ https://lincolnproject.us/ https://tlh.villagesquare.us/squarecast/ https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson https://twitter.com/projectlincoln https://twitter.com/VillageSquareFL  

Overcoming Racism and Renewing the Promise of America “We can be different and united—the value of the American experiment is contingent on the truth of this proposition.” —Theodore Roosevelt Johnson III Dr. Theodore R. Johnson is the great-grandson of sharecroppers who, unfathomably, believed in what Johnson calls “the Promise,” that we Americans are created equal and that “each of us will respect and defend the rights and liberty of others.” Willie and Annie Johnson so believed in that promise that they named Dr. Johnson's grandfather and namesake Theodore Roosevelt Johnson, after our 26th president invited the first black man, Booker T. Washington, to the White House for dinner. Dr. Johnson shares his family's deep reverence for this American experiment, but also believes our failure to bind together around our highest ideals is an existential threat to our future. Join us as Dr. Johnson makes an invitation—and a challenge—to all of us, born of lived experience as a black son of the American south and love of this country he took an oath to preserve. Facilitated by Dr. Nashid Madyun, Executive Director of Florida Humanities. Dr. Theodore R. Johnson is a public policy scholar and military veteran who served as a White House Fellow and speechwriter to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Ted is currently a Senior Fellow and Director of the Fellows Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law. He holds a Doctorate of Law and Policy, and his research focuses primarily on African American political behavior as well as civic solidarity. Find this event online at The Village Square. This podcast series is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group. Check out one of our fellow network podcasts here: Democracy Paradox 

It's easy to lose touch with just how extraordinary it is that America's charting Declaration named “the pursuit of happiness” right up there with life and liberty as our opening argument to stick it in the king's eye. So are we happy? If you look at objective measures of late, the answer is “no.” And our sense of it is that if “we the people” are miserable, this can't be good for the American experiment. Join us as we become bound and re-determined to be happy. And we're beyond delighted to announce that our special guest in this journey is the extraordinary Arthur Brooks—a one man beacon of inspiration toward both happiness and radical decency in politics. This former AEI President, bestselling author, Atlantic columnist and Harvard professor is devoting the most recent chapter of his extraordinary career to discovering how to live our best lives. Fresh off the release of his most recent book, “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life,” Brooks made one of his first stops to see us.  Arthur is the bestselling author of 11 books on topics ranging from economic opportunity to human happiness. His recent bestseller, Love Your Enemies, released in March 2019, is a guide to building a better country and mending personal relationships amidst our culture of political polarization. In February 2022, Arthur released From Strength to Strength, a new book on finding meaning, success, and deep purpose in the second half of life. Read more about our special guest here. Facilitating the conversation is our friend and owner of Midtown Reader, Sally Bradshaw. Sally's extensive career includes serving as Jeb Bush's campaign manager during his successful bid for Governor in 1998, and as his Chief of Staff from 1999 until 2002. She has also acted as a senior advisor to Mitt Romney and Florida's Republican Party. In 2016, after years of consulting, Sally opened Midtown Reader. Find this event online at The Village Square. This podcast series is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group. Check out one of our fellow network podcasts here: The Bully Pulpit

As the political landscape has devolved into a Mad Max hellscape of blame and retribution (and sometimes even worse), can we find a way to wrestle up a little empathy for our fellow human, even the ones who we don't agree with — liberal or conservative; Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Atheist; black, white or brown and everyone in between? Is it possible to find humanity amidst the age of political ruin? We'll find out.We'll be joined by God Squad originals Pastor Betsy Ouellette Zierden of St. George Island United Methodist Church, Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, and Rabbi Jack Romberg, author of "A doorway to Heroism: A decorated German-Jewish Soldier who became an American Hero."Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

Prepared to explore “Empathy in the Age of Schadenfreude,” the God Squad showed up to a room full of people disturbed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.  It turns out our planned topic was just the opening we needed to explore how one addresses the moral complexities of the war in Ukraine. Join us for this timely conversation as we seek spiritual reinforcement from God Squad originals Pastor Betsy Ouellette Zierden of St. George Island United Methodist Church, Father Tim Holeda of St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral, and Rabbi Jack Romberg, author of "A doorway to Heroism: A decorated German-Jewish Soldier who became an American Hero." Schadenfreude = the experience of feeling joy due to another person's misfortune. As the political landscape has devolved into a Mad Max hellscape of blame and retribution (and sometimes even worse), can we find a way to wrestle up a little empathy for our fellow human, even the ones who we don't agree with — liberal or conservative; Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Atheist; black, white or brown and everyone in between? Is it possible to find humanity amidst the age of political ruin? We'll find out. Find this event online at The Village Square. This podcast series is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group podcast network.

It's hard to reconcile that the author of the most central and sacred words in the American experiment—that all men are created equal—enslaved people.  Always game for a challenge (or possibly lacking the good judgment our mothers raised us to have), we've invited Jefferson scholar and host of "The Thomas Jefferson Hour" and author of the recently released "Repairing Jefferson's America" Clay Jenkinson to help us wrestle with a healthy and historically full picture of this man so deeply central to our story as a nation, in both its glory and its shame. Find this event online at The Village Square. This podcast series is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group podcast network.

Think it's impossible to bridge today's divisions? We beg to differ. Join politically diverse Village Square moderators looking back on the "best of" fifteen years—and now 50 podcast episodes— of bringing people together who don't look or think alike to discuss the thorniest issues of our time, while actually having fun. You'll hear about what made them laugh and cry, what inspired them, and other behind-the-scenes moments they've been mum about (until now, that is). Bill Mattox, Vita Woodrich, and Liz Joyner take a trip down memory lane while the rest of us pull out our notepads and soak up their wisdom.  This 50th SquareCast episode is packed with practical tips used by our guests as they navigate the challenges and joys of building bridges in their personal lives and with their beloved Village Square family. Find this event online at The Village Square. This podcast series is presented in partnership with Florida Humanities. Village SquareCast is part of The Democracy Group podcast network.

This program is part of the Created Equal and Breathing Free podcast series presented in partnership with Florida Humanities.Find this event online at The Village Square.A year-long project by More in Common came up with a description of most of America that a lot of us relate to: “the exhausted majority.” Everything has become political, high conflict, and seemingly inescapable as the electromagnetic suck of angry politics forces us to be either “us” or “them,” when most of us would rather do nothing of the sort. If we have ever needed one, now's the time to chart a path forward that takes the higher ground. And is it even possible that by turning our attention to something else we might — unfathomably — be doing exactly what just might fix the political mess?  We'll find out together, with God Squad sherpas leading our way.Joining us are God Squad regulars Pastor Gary Shultz of First Baptist Church of Tallahassee, Dr. Dan Leshem of Hillel FSU, Betsy Ouellette Zierden, and guest Latricia Scriven of New Life United Methodist Church to guide us through this discussion.Check out the More in Common study here.Additional InformationThe Village SquareCast PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group

The annual Tallahassee Town Hall brings together City and County Commissioners to discuss the hottest topics facing our community today.  This is a replay of the April 2021 Town Hall presented by The Village Square in collaboration with WFSU, Leadership Tallahassee, the City of Tallahassee, Leon County, and the Tallahassee Democrat.  Join us for this crossover episode from Village SquareCast to learn what our commissioners think about homelessness, poverty, crime, jobs, growth, vaccination access and plans for Covid relief funding. Thanks to these community organizations for making this event happen - and letting us air it on Let's Get Local Tallahassee: The Village Square WFSU Leadership Tallahassee City of Tallahassee Leon County Tallahassee Democrat This is a crossover episode from Village SquareCast.