Resources + Civic Social June 26th

Author

Erika Olson
June 19, 2025

June’s Civic Social is next week!
5:00-6:30 PM Thursday, June 26th, The Hangar, Kenmore

We have the larger space this time and an extra 30 minutes, so feel free to invite civic-minded friends. If you plan to attend, please respond here so I have a rough count.

As always, this time is for open civic conversation, so bring your thoughts about what’s happening, what’s on your mind, what’s on your radar. Personally, I want to share a few things I learned attending the Share Our America Summit, hosted online by 92NY. (If you’re interested in viewing the recording, I might be able to share it. LMK)

I hope to see you there!

May’s Civic Social kicked off with some garden talk and neatly transitioned into conversations about the book “The Gardens of Democracy” by Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer. If you’re not familiar, check it out (literally – KCLS has it!)

We also talked about the challenges of dialog and engagement across the political divide. This is not new, but it’s hitting deeply for so many right now. I recently talked with a professional mediator about this, who said what I think most of us know: We want to win. And that keeps the conflict going. It can be really (really) hard to focus on conversation versus debate; understanding versus persuasion.

If you’re interested, check out Braver Angels e-courses (free anytime)
Skills for Bridging the Divide
De-polarizing Within
Families and Politics
Skills for Social Media
Managing Difficult Conversations

And, on a lighter note, these Conversation Cards are fun and useful, billed as “a delightful game of cards to inspire real conversation.” A few examples:
If you could master any new skill instantly, what would it be?
If you had a free day with no obligations, how would you spend it?
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

Community Calendar:
I haven’t had time to pull together the calendar this time. Can we crowdsource it, please? Events, classes, get-togethers, etc. in the PNW of interest for this group of community-minded people. (I did find an event from Humanities Washington, Fish Wars: Tribal Rights and Resiliency in the Pacific Northwest, but I can’t go. Maybe you can!)