Builders

Starts With Us is now Builders. New name, same mission: to equip citizens to overcome toxic polarization and solve our toughest problems together. Join the Builders Movement to defy division, choose solutions, and BUILD a future with curiosity, compassion, courage, and creativity. Head to buildersmovement.org to learn more. #BeABuilder

Two years since the Covenant shooting. Three months since Wisconsin’s deadliest school shooting. What now? Two years ago, Nashville’s Covenant School shooting left six dead. Three months ago, Wisconsin experienced its deadliest school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School. Different states, different communities—yet the same devastating cycle. After the Covenant shooting, eleven Tennesseans with opposing views on guns came together—not to argue, but to find solutions. They crafted eight proposals for gun safety, five of which earned majority support from 30,000 Tennesseans. Meanwhile, lawmakers remained stuck in gridlock. Now, their story—the story of The Tennessee 11—is coming to Madison. On March 30, a free screening will be followed by a conversation that moves beyond blame toward real solutions. Madison leader Ali Muldrow, frustrated by the same cycle of tragedy and inaction, reached out to the Builders Movement to make this happen. Gun violence affects us all. If we can’t talk to each other, how can we protect our kids? The “division industrial complex” profits from our outrage, but Tennesseans proved we’re not as divided as we’re told. https://lnkd.in/gJQz73Mb

Should we have empathy even for those we see as dangerous and extreme? Plus: Perspectives on Trump's recent actions.

While students are exploring policy issues during the Legislative Semester, teachers encourage them to listen with an open mind and seek common ground. These are key skills for civil dialogue, and are a part a good faith effort at finding solutions to complex public problems. An upcoming film screening and panel discussion in Madison, hosted by Builders, is focused on exploring common ground around guns, one of the most emotional and intractable problems policy makers face. We know that this is an issue of intense interest to young people today, and that they deeply appreciate a chance to research and discuss gun policy in a serious way. https://lnkd.in/gSTE6BFt Listen First Project

Are you seething with hatred toward those with different beliefs? Remember this: Your rage won't solve anything. Screaming into your echo chamber only deepens the divide.?Real change starts with getting out of your bubble, listening, and having tough conversations. #builders Builders

Excited to be participating in Listen First Project's National Week of Conversation by facilitating a screening and discussion of the Builders documentary, The Tennessee Eleven, at the Glen Rock Public Library Thursday, April 24th at 6:30. Register here: https://lnkd.in/eSWHt_w6

I've seen this so many times where the most sensitive souls feel betrayed by their party and swing dramatically to the other side. But the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.

When allies become enemies... Plus: A book by the man who coined the phrase "culture wars"

If we lose the skills to deal with difference, we lose both our democracy and the foundation of our entrepreneurial system. It's up to all of us to continue building our muscles of curiosity, creativity, courage, and compassion - the 4 Cs of a Builders Mindset.

Political scene from the show The White Lotus goes viral. Have you seen it? Plus: Advice to populists and to defenders of democracy.