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

June 23 - Dollars & Dialogue: The Search for Common Ground on the Federal Budget

Monday, June 23  7-8:30 p.m.

Jerrys Foods Upstairs Meeting Room

 7760 Hargis Parkway Woodbury, MN 55129

Host: Twin Cities East Metro BA Alliance

Register

Join us for what promises to be a lively, enlightening and useful discussion about the federal budget. We’ll begin by reviewing some basics about federal spending as many of us haven’t paid much attention to this massive thing and are feeling a little lost. Don’t worry if you don’t know squat about the federal budget. All of us need to get up to speed. Let’s see if it’s possible to have some fun in this discussion. All are welcome.

Goals:
• To review some basics about the federal government.
• To understand what’s behind our disagreements about the budget.
• To discover what, if any, common ground exists about the federal spending.
• To identify where trust in federal spending is lacking and how it could be improved
• To encourage participants to contact their elected officials to let them know their views.

You may begin by asking yourself:
• What are my top three priorities for federal spending? What personal experiences and/or values have helped shape my view?
• Think about that pesky national debt. Are you concerned? Why or why not?
• Do I trust the government to spend taxpayer money wisely? Why or why not? What would need to change for me to feel more confident?

This workshop won’t be a debate. Rather, it is an opportunity to practice and strengthen democracy through respectful dialogue. Braver Angels seeks to create opportunities to have your views understood and for you to understand the views of others.

We’ll email you a fact sheet but don’t worry if you don’t have time to look at it beforehand. We’ll have handouts.

Here’s a nonpartisan source, Federal Finances by USA Facts, to check out if you want to delve deeper.

National events - online

June 21 - Skills for Disagreeing Better - Online

Saturday, June 21, Skills for Disagreeing Better, 1-2:45 p.m. CDT

Host Organization: BA National  

Setting: Online 

Register

Note: This Free event is to be attended online (Promo Code "BRAVER"). You will not need physical or virtual tickets in order to attend this event.

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

*Tickets are Free, Donations Help Use promo code BRAVER during registration to get a free ticket. Donations beyond the free ticket support Braver Angels, 501(c)3.

Please be on time. Because this is an interactive workshop, latecomers may not be admitted.

Questions? Contact paige@braverangels.org

June 26 - National Film Club discussion of declining birthrates

Thursday, June 26, National Film Club discussion of declining birthrates, 7-8:30 p.m. CDT

Host Organization: BA National  

Setting: Online 

Register

Our discussion on June 26 at 8 p.m. ET will be about the decline in birthrates worldwide. We will discuss various theories about why this is occurring, including the theory presented in the movie “Birthgap,” and the economic and environmental implications of a worldwide decline in the number of babies born. Please watch in advance:

America’s shrinking population: Economic impact of falling U.S. birth rate (6 min.)

Birthgap – Childless World (50 min.) [Ignore the Part One label; this is the only one we will discuss.]

Is a declining birthrate a blessing or a curse? (27 min.)

July 1 - Crossing the Continental Divide

Thursday, July 1, Crossing the Continental Divide 5-6:30 p.m. CDT 

Host Organization: BA National 

Setting: Online 

Register

Crossing the Continental Divide provides participants with an introduction to Braver Angels and an overview of its principles. During this presentation participants will:

• Participate in two brief activities (one taken directly from the Depolarizing Within workshop)

• Watch a video of a Braver Angels’ Red/Blue workshop in action

• Gain knowledge about how to have better conversations

• Learn about other Braver Angels’ experiences and opportunities

This is an interactive event and is meant to be attended in-person, or in a live Zoom. We may record the event for Ambassador training purposes but we do not share for general viewing.

July 6 - “Faith and Freedom” Through Prayer and Reflection

Sunday, July 6, 6-7:15 p.m. CDT 

Host Organization: BA National - Braver Faith 

Setting: Online

Register 

Braver Faith will be hosting a 75-minute, national, online, multi-faith worship service for Independence Day Weekend.  The gathering will include witnesses, prayer, and music featuring representatives from a wide array of religious traditions and political perspectives.  Braver Angels’ Music and Arts team will also provide inspirational patriotic hymns.

Join us in healing our nation through worship as, together, we begin the year-long countdown towards our country’s 250th anniversary.