Braver Angels 2025 tour
Willmar

Reduce the Rancor Minnesota Bus Tour

(Worthington, Willmar, Kerkoven, Fergus Falls, Moorhead, Bemidji and Brainerd)

April 24-May 3, 2025

Five Events for Willmar and Surrounding Areas
Monday, April 28, 2025

SAVE THE DATE!

Local citizens in Fergus Falls and surrounding areas are working with Braver Angels Minnesota to offer several events in your area. Begun in 2016, Braver Angels is a national, nonpartisan nonprofit with a particularly strong base in Minnesota dedicated to reducing unhealthy polarization without either side compromising its values. BA offers proven methods and strategies that people can use immediately to forge better relationships. By using these tools and supporting efforts to reduce the rancor, we can strengthen our communities and our democratic republic.   


Questions? Pablo Obregon, pobregon@willmarmn.gov, Sara Carlson, scarlson@communitygiving.org, Alex Wolter, woltera@willmar.k12.mn.us  or Melinda Voss, mvoss@braverangels.org 

Local Co-sponsors include:

 

Navigating Difficult Conversations with Constituents and Colleagues Workshop
 For elected officials and administrators who deal with the public (There is no charge.)
Sponsored by City of Willmar, Willmar Public Schools, Willmar Area Community Foundation, Vision 2040, University of Minnesota Extension Services and the League of Women Voters.
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Monday, April 28, 2025
 Willmar Conference Center, 2100 Highway US-12 East, Willmar, MN 56201

Register 


In a time when norms of civility and compromise have broken down, this lively and interactive 90-minute workshop offers elected officials and public administrators a way to build additional skills for managing conversations when constituents or colleagues are frustrated, angry, or locked in their viewpoints. Led by a national Minnesota-based Braver Angels leader, the workshop includes four specific skills and guided practice around common scenarios that elected officials encounter every day. The focus is on one-to-one conversations rather than large public meetings. The goals are for you to be able to:


There is no charge for this workshop, which has been conducted around the state for the last several years after being endorsed and supported by the Minnesota School Boards Association, the League of Minnesota Cities, the Association of Minnesota Counties and the Minnesota Association of Townships.  


Leadership Luncheon on Bridging Divides in Today's World                 
 For elected officials/administrators and community Leaders (Lunch provided)
Sponsored by City of Willmar, Willmar Public Schools, Willmar Area Community Foundation, Vision 2040, University of Minnesota Extension Services and the League of Women Voters.
Noon – 1:30 p.m. Monday, April 28, 2025
Willmar Conference Center, 2100 Highway US-12 East, Willmar, MN 56201

To register, contact Sara Carlson scarlson@communitygiving.org

 Please be our guest at lunch with other community leaders for an interactive session led by a national Braver Angels leader about how we can head off the forces that divide and instead focus on bridge building in the years ahead. Nearly all Americans agree that we are too divided. Polarization started at the national level and has spread to local communities and even families. 


Polarization in Today’s World: How It Affects Society and Higher Education (Online)

Private event for faculty and staff at Ridgewater College
Afternoon,  Monday, April 28, 2025
Ridgewater College, 2101 15th Ave NW, Willmar, MN 56201

Come to an interactive presentation about polarization, its sources and effects, and how we can address it at colleges and universities. The presenter is Bill Doherty, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor at the University of Minnesota and cofounder of the nonprofit Braver Angels, a leading organization working to build bridges in a world where bridges are burning down. This presentation is part of Braver Angels Minnesota's bus tour through rural Minnesota this spring.

  

Bridging Divides, Building Community: A Braver Angels Open House
For the public
1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Monday, April 28, 2025
Willmar Area Foundation 1601 East Highway 12, Suite 9, Willmar, MN 56201

Register (Registration requested, walk-ins welcome.)

Tired of toxic polarization? Join us for a Braver Angels Open House—a welcoming space for anyone who wants to bring friends, families, and communities back together despite political and cultural differences. Since 2016, Braver Angels has worked to reduce unhealthy divisions without asking anyone to compromise their values. With a strong Minnesota presence, Braver Angels focuses on changing not what people believe, but how they see each other—through respectful disagreement and civic friendship. Come learn how you can be part of the movement to heal our democratic republic, one conversation at a time. Let’s turn discord into dialogue!


Hopes and Concerns for the New Administration
 For the public
7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.  Monday, April 28, 2025
Willmar Senior High School, 2701 30th St NE, Willmar, MN 56201

Registration requested; walk-ins welcome 

Reactions to the last election are as divided as the election itself. Feelings range from excited and hopeful to concerned and fearful. We don't need to agree, but our country will be stronger if we can at least understand and respect people in our community who differ from us. In this 90-minute interactive session, a subgroup of participants will volunteer to share hopes and concerns while others listen and learn. The goals are to: