Civic Health Project invests in initiatives focused on four pillars of activity
Expose
Slanted media and sophisticated algorithms make it easier than ever to inhabit echo chambers that confirm our political worldviews and validate our tribal loyalties. But each of us can consciously choose a healthier, more balanced diet of news, information, and media from diverse perspectives. Exposing ourselves to both pro- and counter-attitudinal perspectives is shown to reduce extremity, bias, and blind spots in our beliefs about the world, and each other.
Promising interventions (examples):
AllSides, The Flip Side, RealClearPolitics, and The Thread encourage Americans to pierce their media filter bubbles by accessing news feeds curated from diverse sources and perspectives
Gnomi is a political news aggregator app that puts the power of media bias ratings into the hands of news consumers
ProCon offers deeply-researched analyses of controversial topics from various perspectives, empowering Americans to shape more informed electoral and policy opinions
Gell is an online, moderated conversation forum in which American of all political stripes can come together to discuss and debate topics respectfully
Ceasefire rewards participants in its online discussion forum for demonstrating open mindedness, and engaging in respectful interaction, on forum topics
Engage
As the past few years in America have demonstrated, talking and listening across political and ideological divides is difficult. Naturally, we all feel more comfortable interacting with people who see things the way we do. However, engaging in respectful civil discourse with people who see things differently is the lifeblood of any healthy democracy. Intergroup contact theory explains the critical role that constructive dialogue can play in reducing conflict, prejudice, and animosity – while increasing tolerance, empathy, and connection – between groups of people who might otherwise be prone to demonizing, dehumanizing, or even harming each other.
Promising interventions (examples):
Living Room Conversations facilitates respectful civic dialogue among Americans with diverse perspectives, in homes, public spaces, and online
Better Angels hosts workshops attended by equal numbers of “reds” and “blues” to engage in structured dialogue on challenging topics
National Conversation Project and the ListenFirst Coalition promote listening, conversing, and respecting one another’s perspectives
The Center for Deliberative Democracy orchestrates deliberative polling events as an active, citizen-centric form of democratic engagement
BridgeUSA champions ideological diversity, solutions-oriented politics, and responsible discourse among college students on campuses across America
The Conversationalist invites America’s Gen Z’ers to join an online forum for interactive dialogue about issues relevant to this distinctive generational cohort
AllSides Connect is a realtime video platform that connects students, civic groups, and adult individuals “across distance and divides” to engage in respectful dialogue
Educate
Most organized efforts to encourage healthier social behavior (examples include anti-smoking campaigns, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and efforts to wean Americans off fossil fuels) conduct public education and outreach to shore up support. Similarly, Americans of all ages need to be directly educated about why we are becoming affectively polarized, why this is unhealthy for us, and how we can reverse course. Empowered with these new insights, we also need to undertake collective skill-building to reduce our cognitive biases, cultivate intellectual humility, strengthen listening skills, and practice civil discourse.
Promising interventions (examples):
OpenMind Platform offers an online curriculum in intellectual humility and open mindedness
The Center for Humane Technology educates American adults and youth about the polarizing role of technology and social media
News Literacy Project, Civic Online Reasoning, and Bites Media teach students and adult citizens how to discern among fact, fiction, and bias when consuming news and information
AllSides for Schools offers curricular programs and tools to help educators impart integrated skills in news literacy, critical thinking, and civil discourse
American Pals revives the traditional penpal model in modern form, connecting American students from different backgrounds to practice writing skills while learning about each other
Elevate
As America sorts and contorts itself into politically-defined tribes, social identity theory has come to the foreground to explain “why we are tribal,” and how we can make this natural human instinct work for us rather than against us. Part of the answer lies in reaffirming cross-cutting identities that pierce the tent walls of our political tribes and enable us to connect with a broader range of people and perspectives. Looking upward together — towards a more elevated and common identity (“we are all Americans”) – can also help dampen partisan fervor. Finally, reframing contentious issues and policy proposals in terms that resonate better with our political “others” may help yield positive, enduring political and social outcomes.
Promising interventions (examples):
The Aspen Institute’s Weave Initiative is working across America to end social loneliness and isolation and to weave more inclusive communities
One America Movement works across diverse civic groups and faith communities to identify areas of common ground and collective social impact
Golden Rule 2020 connects church congregations across America in dialogue about how to revive the principle of “treating others as we wish to be treated”
More In Common aims to understand the forces driving Americans apart, to find common ground, and help to bring people together to tackle shared challenges
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