Workshop to focus on mutual respect and depolarization

NEW MILFORD, Conn. — A workshop that encourages civil discourse with mutual respect is on the horizon in town.

The Connecticut Alliance of Braver Angels, a nonprofit organization that leads the nation’s largest cross-partisan, volunteer-led movement to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic, and St. John’s Episcopal Church will present a “Depolarizing Within Workshop” Saturday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. at the church.

The free three-hour workshop will address how individuals may inadvertently be complicit in, or possibly even encourage, polarization. 

Polarization can be driven by how individuals talk with like-minded people about those on the other side. Too often, individuals stereotype, dismiss, or ridicule fellow citizens who support the other political party, its leaders, and its policies, according to event organizers.

The workshop will teach participants to examine their attitudes and develop approaches for engaging in political discussions without rancor.

Participants will complete a self-assessment exercise, learn to counteract their inner polarizer, and practice communication to avoid polarizing conversations.

Organizers said the goals are to help attendees become more aware of their inner polarizer, learn how to criticize viewpoints without stereotyping, dismissing, ridiculing, and holding contempt for those who disagree, and to develop ways to speak up in polarizing conversations with peers about people on the other political side.

The workshop is open to all. It is ideal for organizations, such as communities of worship, social clubs, or educational institutions who want to reduce or avoid the divisiveness of political polarization.

To sign up, click here.