How Do We Fix It?

Braver Angels Ambassadors are among the most courageous of courageous citizens.Not only do they bridge the partisan divide, these volunteers meet people where they are. At meetings and events across the country, they go speak about Braver Angels as they try to convince skeptics that rebuilding civic trust is a cause worth supporting. In this episode, we hear from Barbara Hancin and Ron “Sugar Bear” McFarland, volunteer co-chairs of the Braver Angels ambassadors program.“What we’re were doing is giving hope to people,” says Barbara. “We don’t have to stay in the rancor. There are ways to build bridges and we’ll help you do that.”Barbara has more than 35 years of experience in higher education, with expertise in linguistics and second language learning, global studies, and academic administration. She’s a moderator for workshops that bring people together across differences. Barbara leans Blue and lives in Colorado. Ron leans Red and calls home home Ames Iowa. A former star college football player at Iowa State University, Ron has enjoyed a long and distinguished career as an educator, coach, mentor and civic bridge builder. In this episode, we hear about the mission of Braver Angels Ambassadors, plus exactly how and why they do their work. We share compelling and surprising examples of how Ron and Barbara engage with total strangers.Both of them say their volunteering has brought personal rewards. “It made me be more patient,” says Ron. “It changed me to understand that just because I think something should be a certain way that doesn’t mean the other person agrees.”“How Do We Fix It?” publishes frequent reports on the people, projects and ideas of Braver Angels, the largest nation group of citizen volunteers who are working to overcome America's divides and restore civic trust. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it possible to find points of agreement on some of the most heated and divisive issues in American politics? Can people who profoundly disagree sit down and learn from each other? The answers to both questions is an emphatic "yes!".In this episode we hear about the current work of the Citizens Commission on Immigration from its Director, Braver Angels co-founder, David Lapp. The goal of the Citizens Commission is to demonstrate to Congress and the nation that Americans with differing views on immigration can find common ground. The Commission works in a red/blue balanced way and includes Americans from all sides of the issue. Over the past two years, grassroots Americans and national experts and advocates of all sides of the immigration issue have met together."There have now been about 50 immigration events across the country," David tells us. "We can find some meaningful areas of agreement." Large majorities of participants from the left and right agree on the need for secure borders, and believe that businesses should face penalties for hiring undocumented workers. Some agreement was also found on a pathway to citizenship for "Dreamers" who came to the US as children. The Commission was launched after about 750 delegates at the 2024 Braver Angels National Convention voted to establish immigration as a Braver Angels priority issue. By the end of this year The Commission aims to hold one hundred grassroots events across the country, and eight National Roundtable meetings.The point of having a citizens commission on immigration speaks to what Abraham Lincoln said: "In America we're a government of the people, by the people, for the people", says David. "Our laws and our policies should reflect what we the ordinary people think."In our interview we also discuss what David has learned in his years of committed work with Braver Angels. If you want to get a sense of the heart and soul of this movement, it's well worth listening to him. Before helping to start Braver Angels, David spent several years interviewing working-class Ohioans about their life experiences and families. He lives with his wife, Amber, and their six children in South Lebanon, Ohio—the site of the first-ever Braver Angels workshop in December 2016. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conflict entrepreneurs get money, influence and power by sparking anger and outrage. The Braver Angels call for courageous citizenship does precisely the opposite. In this podcast we hear the case for citizen power not paralysis, action not reaction, and why building America's civic muscle is so much better than burning things down.Here is a passionate, thoughtful and curious conversation between Braver Angels C.E.O. Maury Giles and Wilk Wilkinson, Director of Braver Angels Media Operations. Both came to their work with the campaign after years in the private sector. Maury and Wilk are conservatives in a movement where a majority is either independent or leans blue.Our episode is the latest in more than two dozen "How Do We Fix It?" discussions on the people, projects and ideas of America's largest organization committed to civic renewal and building trust across partisan divides. The edited recording was first published in longer form by Wilk's podcast, "Derate The Hate"."At the end of the day the common thing we're trying to get to is how do you get out of the outrage cycle so you can see clearly what you're going to do next," says Maury.Hear about about America’s crisis of mistrust, and the responsibility of citizens to act with courage, instead of reacting with fury and fear. Gain a fully understanding of the case for courageous citizenship. Learn why it's important to recruit more conservatives to our movement. Get the scoop about "A Pledge Renewed", the theme of this year's Braver Angels Convention in Philadelphia. This episode covers them all and a good deal more.Here's a link to "The Power of Giving Away Power How The Best Leaders Learn to Let Go", by Matthew Barzun, mentioned by Maury during the conversation. Thank you to Wilk for his help and giving us permission to share this discussion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The recent immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to several thousand arrests, mass detentions, angry protests, deepening political divides, and the deaths of two US citizens in Minneapolis is coming to an end. What’s life been like for the residents of the Twin Cities during the recent surge of at least three thousand ICE agents on the streets? How will Braver Angels and other groups who work to reduce toxic political divides show up going forward? We consider these and other questions in this special episode of “How Do We Fix It?”Our guests are two leading members of Braver Angels Minnesota, Melinda Voss who leans blue, and Scott Schluter who leans red. Both say this has been a time of elevated emotions, anxiety and fear for public and personal safety.“It is so easy to be outraged when your fear level is so high,” Scott tells us. Discussions across divides have been difficult, he says. “Other than saying ‘ICE out’, then what happens?”Melinda says “the more we can sit down face-to-face with those we disagree, that in itself brings down the political temperature."Melinda and Scott acknowledge that a great deal of healing and community work will be needed in the coming weeks, months and years. Minneapolis-Saint Paul is an overwhelmingly liberal and progressive region. Having an honest and respectful conversation across divides requires courage, especially now.In this episode we look at the state of political polarization in the city, and talk about ideas to lower the temperature. We speak with Scott and Melinda about the work of Braver Angels in their state and what success could look like several years from now.Scott Schluter is the red-leaning Minnesota State Coordinator, having previously established the Minneapolis Alliance and leading the "World's Best Workforce" for the Minneapolis Public Schools. Scott developed key skills through his experience in retail sales and management, including bridging divides by asking thoughtful questions, listening well, seeking understanding and staying curious — qualities that align closely with the Braver Angels mindset.Melinda Voss is one of two state coordinators for Braver Angels Minnesota. She leans blue. Now retired, she was a staff writer for the Des Moines Register and Tribune for nearly 26 years, taught journalism at three universities, co-founded the Association of Health Care Journalists, starting as unpaid coordinator 1997-2000 and as executive director 2000-2004 and served as public relations director for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system 2005-2012.“How Do We Fix It?” reports on the people, projects, and ideas of Braver Angels. In recent episodes we’ve spoken with new CEO Maury Giles about recent initiatives and changes, Steve Saltwick about Citizen-Led Solutions, and Sam Rechak of the Braver Angels debate team. We are planning many more podcast episodes this year.A warm thank you to Minneapolis facilitator and connector Jessica Shyrack for timely and wise help as we prepared to produce this episode.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If we’re going to get out of the political mess that we’re in right now, we will need a lot of help from Gen Z. Young people inherited our broken civic space, and they’re ones who will be the courageous citizens who   reimagine it.In this episode we learn from two former Braver Angels debate interns, Natalie LaRoche and Genevieve Raushenbush, about the skills, energy, and passion students and young people bring to the movement to depolarize politics. We also hear from them about they have learned at Braver Angels.Natalie LaRoche is the program manager for the Debate Team. Natalie was an intern in late 2021 and joined the Braver Angels staff a year later. She holds a BA in Government at Smith College. Genevieve Raushenbush was a recent intern at Braver Angels. Now she works at Sway, a start up focused on mobilizing citizen-led voting groups. Genevieve holds a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and in 2025 was a legislate intern on the Hill. Both women are in their mid-twenties.“Young people are disengaging from political chaos,” says Natalie. But they’re also “really passionate about engaging in bridging movement exercises, whether with Braver Angels or partnership organizations like Bridge USA on campuses or Heterodox Academy. There are so many organizations in this space that really do engage young people.”Both Natalie and Genevieve share creative ideas about how young people can help Braver Angels up its game with new forms of digital outreach. We share two examples of short videos they created. Genevieve told us what she’s learning about reaching out and organizing voters in her work with Sway,“How Do We Fix It?” reports on the people, projects, and ideas of Braver Angels, the national movement working across tribal and partisan divides to heel our country and make a better world. Find more of our episodes about Braver Angels at our website. Subscribe to our latest episodes wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.