Events

Braver Angels workshops are typically free events as part of our mission to depolarize America. Braver Angels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. We invite you to consider a gift to Braver Angels; all donations are tax deductible.  Your support will allow us to offer more workshops and debates with the ultimate goal of uniting America. To donate to Minnesota Braver Angels, go to Support a Braver Angels Field Organization - Minnesota.

Minnesota events are listed below, as well as some national events. To find additional national events, visit the Events Calendar on the national Braver Angels website. The national BA events calendar offers in-person and online events and can be searched by date and location. Most Registration links go to Eventbrite, a service that lists events and manages registrations.

Upcoming events and activities in Minnesota

Oct 13 - West Suburban Alliance - Concord Coalition: Tackle the Federal Budget!

Monday, Oct. 13, 6-8 p. m.
Host: West Suburban Alliance
Brookdale Library
6125 Shingle Creek Parkway #Suite 800 Brooklyn Center, MN 55430

Register

Join us for a hands-on, interactive exercise that puts you in Congress’s shoes for two hours as we tackle the federal budget.

Working in small groups, you’ll debate spending cuts, tax changes, and national priorities. You will grapple with the same tough choices lawmakers face and see just how challenging it is to balance competing demands. Along the way, you may also discover surprising areas of agreement across political divides.

This program uses the Principles & Priorities budget exercise from the nonpartisan Concord Coalition, trusted nationwide to spark constructive conversations. Participants explore trade-offs, weigh their personal principles against fiscal realities, and learn how citizens with different viewpoints can still find common ground.

Whether you lean red, blue, or somewhere in between, you’ll leave with a clearer understanding of the federal budget, your own priorities, and a deeper appreciation for the power of working together.

To ensure that sufficient materials are available, registration is required.

Questions? Contact Bob Sigafus at bsigafus@braverangels.org

Oct 14 - Our Ballooning National Debt – Will It Eventually Pop?

Tuesday, Oct. 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Camp Sacajawea Retreat Center

5121 McAndrews Road Apple Valley, MN 55124

Host: Dakota County Alliance

Register

Join us for a hands-on, interactive exercise that puts you in Congress’s shoes for two

hours as we tackle the federal budget.  Working in small groups, you’ll debate spending

cuts, tax changes, and national priorities. You will grapple with the same tough choices

lawmakers face and see just how challenging it is to balance competing demands.

Along the way, you may discover surprising areas of agreement across political divides.

This program uses the Principles & Priorities budget exercise from the

nonpartisan Concord Coalition, trusted nationwide to spark constructive conversations.

Participants explore trade-offs, weigh their personal principles against real fiscal

realities, and learn how citizens with different viewpoints can still find common ground.

Whether you lean red, blue, or somewhere in between, you’ll leave with a clearer

understanding of the federal budget, your own priorities, and a deeper appreciation for

the power of working together.

Oct. 22 - Beyond the Politics of Contempt, Book Discussion

Wed., Oct. 22, 2025 7-8:30 a.m.
Thorson Memorial Library, 117 Central Ave N, Elbow Lake, MN 56531

Gather with your Grant County neighbors to discuss the importance of community after reading Beyond the Politics of Contempt, written by two Braver Angels members.

Nov. 10 - Common Ground Workshop on Immigration

Mondy, Nov. 10,    6-9:15 p.m. CST

Host Organization: Twin Cities East Metro

East Ridge High School (Use main entrance by the flag pole)

4200 Pioneer Drive Woodbury, MN 55129

REGISTER

About this event

Join us for a Common Ground Workshop on Immigration.

The Braver Angels Common Ground Workshop brings together equal numbers of Conservatives and Liberals – Reds and Blues (4-8 of each) – for a deep dive into a problem, such as addressing climate change, electoral reform or abortion. Together participants talk about their connection to the issue and their opinion on solutions. By the end of the workshop, participants have come up with jointly and unanimously held Points of Agreements on values, concerns and policies.

The Common Ground workshop is an out-growth of Braver Angels signature Red-Blue workshop and allows participants to go deeper into a single issue. Points of Agreement can be fleshed out at future group meetings, and when possible lead to joint Red-Blue actions such as op-eds, joint speaking and meetings with legislators.

Goals

• To delve into a single issue where citizens differ, and learn how each other sees the problem

• To delineate areas of common ground and points of agreement

• To learn something that might be helpful to others in our community and the nation.

Logistics

There are two ways to join a Common Ground Workshop:

• Participant: A participant will engage in small- and large-group discussions with individuals of both the same and different political persuasions. Participants must identify as “red” (Republican or leaning conservative) or “blue” (Democrat or leaning liberal). We will strive for an equal balance of red and blue participants: 4 to 8 people on each side.

• Observer/Alternate: An observer/alternate will not participate in the discussions directly but will have the opportunity to watch and listen. Observers/Alternates should be ready to step in and participate as their “color” in the event of participant cancellations. In areas that have a geographic “color” imbalance, allowing for up to 15 Observers/Alternates provides an opportunity for more people to experience a Red/Blue workshop. Observer/Alternates have found observing a workshop to be amazingly valuable.

Who can come? Anyone interested in developing a deeper understanding of, and connection with, people whose political beliefs differ from their own. You should honestly be able to answer “yes” to the following question:

“Are you willing to listen to the other side, and are you willing to speak to the other side with respect?”

Organizers reserve the right to switch people between Participant and Observer/Alternate status depending on the needs of the workshop.

Questions? Contact Melinda Voss at mvoss@braverangels.org

This workshop is a free event brought to you by Minnesota Braver Angels as part of our mission to depolarize America. Braver Angels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. We invite you to consider a gift to Braver Angels; all donations are tax deductible.  Your support will allow us to offer more workshops and debates with the ultimate goal of uniting America. Click here to donate.

** This event is open to the media upon approval. Send requests to press@braverangels.org

Click here to sign up now!

Nov. 15 - Families and Politics

Saturday, Nov. 15, 9 a.m. – noon

Black Hawk Middle School

1540 Deerwood Drive Eagan, MN 55122

Host: Dakota County Alliance

Register

Family relationships can become casualties of a toxic political environment. Family members are having bitter political arguments, avoiding each other, or even cutting off lifetime relationships. If you want to preserve important family bonds while still being true to your values and political beliefs, this in-person workshop will offer you:

• Insight into why family differences over politics are uniquely challenging

• Recognition of common roles that family members play in political conversations

• Strategies and skills for handling family political differences in a constructive way

Although the focus is on family relationships, you can use learnings in this workshop with any loved one. You’ll laugh and have some fun in this workshop—it won’t be all serious. After all, we all come from quirky families.

Questions? Contact Kraig Finwall at kfinwall@braverangels.org

National Events - Online

Oct. 6 - Update on the Citizens Commission on Immigration (CCI) (online)

Monday, Oct. 6, 5-6 p.m. CDT

Host: BA National - Citizens Commission on Immigration

Register

David Lapp will present an opportunity to partner with the Problems Solvers Caucus in Congress, including organizing Common Ground workshops followed by BA Conversations on Immigration with the Congress Member and constituents.

Oct. 6 - Braver Angels Faith Caucus Monthly Fellowship  (online)

Monday, Oct. 6      7-8:30 p.m. CDT Online
Host: Braver Faith Caucus
Register
Faith Caucus Next Meeting Together we’ll reflect, share, and build dialogue across differences. Invite a friend who values conversation rooted in faith and understanding. This workshop is a free event brought to you by Braver Angels as part of our mission to depolarize America.

Oct. 11 - Skills for Disagreeing Better (online)

Sat, Oct. 11    1-2:45p.m. Central Time
Host Organization: BA National - Workshops 

State/Region: - National 

Setting: Online 

Register

In this polarized time, we lack basic understanding of why people on the other political side hold their beliefs. We don’t see them as they see themselves–their core values and central concerns–but instead as we choose to see them. We are tempted to regard our own side as principled and the other side as self-interested.

When we try to communicate across this gap, we often lack the skills for listening carefully, looking for common ground, and sharing our perspectives in ways that connect rather than create more misunderstanding.

We can learn to disagree better in polarized times, which means accurately seeing where we differ and where we share common ground.

Goals

• More understanding of the values and concerns of people who differ from you politically

• Better skills for listening in a way so that the other person feels heard

• Better skills for sharing viewpoints in a way the other person might hear — even if they disagree

For national online opportunities, visit Braver Angels Events Calendar.