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Event Recap: How we Turn ‘On-Ramps’ into Lasting Change

Writer's picture: Allison RalphAllison Ralph

During the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, Danny Morales learned about Braver Angels, an organization dedicated to bridging America’s deep political divides. And this week, I sat down with Danny to chat about his work and how to increase long-term impact. You can watch the full event recording here:



Through workshops, trainings, and citizen debates, Braver Angels tackles toxic polarization head-on, seeking to foster understanding between people with opposing views—specifically between “reds” and “blues.” Today, with wars intensifying in Ukraine and the Middle East and polarization deepening ahead of the U.S. Presidential Election, this work is as important as ever. Doing it well means more than smooth logistics and pleased participants, it means really changing the way we engage with each other in a diverse democracy. Supporting that kind of real effectiveness is why Cohesion Strategy exists!  


In our conversation, Danny underscored how meaningful dialogue starts with self-reflection: “We have to come to terms with our own biases before we can truly work with other people.” It’s a lesson I’ve learned myself and I appreciated hearing it again. 


Workshops offered by Braver Angels aim to create spaces where everyone feels seen and heard. But, as Danny emphasized, it requires intention to engage with those who hold different views: “It takes a lot of intention these days ... to have meaningful dialogue and engagement with people who you know think differently than you.” I agree! It’s a big first step, but my take is that while: “You can make folks feel warm and fuzzy, that doesn’t necessarily change their behavior.” Behavior change is a little harder. 

Watch this clip to learn more about how these two quotes connect and what they might mean for your organizations:  



Danny explained that Braver Angels uses before-and-after surveys in their workshops to gauge changes in polarization levels and understand their impact. What we both agreed on is that lasting change ultimately depends on how deeply people are willing to engage.  

Though Braver Angels boasts over 5,000 subscribers in Danny’s state of South Carolina, his most impactful interactions are often with a smaller circle of about a dozen individuals. Still, those thousands of subscribers are no small feat nor are they anything to discount. It is my hunch that all those people, through the work of Braver Angels, are gaining access to a crucial on-ramp through their workshops, dialogues, and debates. I think the opportunity for the field is to harness the existing on-ramps to connect folks who start with dialogue to other types of deeper, more collaborative and goal-oriented engagement. I think there’s another way large scale dialogue strategies can have a big impact. After the webinar was over and the recording off, Danny and I stayed on to chat and he said something that stuck with me.


He said something like, “For me, if Braver Angels can keep one person from getting sucked into extremism, it’s all worth it.” That’s pretty powerful, and I think it’s possible.  


It is because I believe that both kinds of opportunities are possible (and crucial) to promoting small-d democratic norms of conflict resolution that I offer evaluation services focused on Outcome Harvesting. This method is especially suited to social change organizations where you're really trying to change the behavior of people or institutions in dynamic situations. It's a method that asks "what happened" rather than "how well did we do what we expected to do." I believe it’s a method that will provide your organization with much more helpful information. For Danny, who also identifies as a person of faith, the work of Braver Angels is about more than just political dialogue. It’s about living out his values and beliefs in practice. My work to partner with social change organizations and improve outcomes is also all about living out my values.  


So, if you’re curious, like Danny and me, about how to answer this vital question – how do we, as individuals and organizations, navigate bridging work in an increasingly polarized world – and want to explore what Outcome Harvesting would mean for your programs, reach out. Let’s talk.  

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Cohesion Strategy LLC partners with nonprofit and philanthropic organizations working toward religious pluralism and social cohesion. Our consulting services include strategy development, facilitation for convenings, research, evaluation, operations support, and keynote speaking. We are based in Washington, D.C., with clients across the United States.

© 2023 Cohesion Strategy LLC

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