Citizen Solutions

Citizen solutions

Citizen Solutions is a civic experiment that gives citizens across the ideological spectrum the power to co-create solutions to divisive issues. Led by Builders, a nonprofit working to overcome toxic polarization and extremist thinking, in collaboration with Convergence Center for Policy Resolution, an organization dedicated to bringing people together across differences to solve tough problems, Citizen Solutions offers a new model for people to discover common ground and drive policy change.

Led by

Citizen Solutions has, so far, focused on three states, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Texas, and achieved a documentary and a legislative win.

TENNESSEE

The Work

Eleven Tennessee residents convened across perspectives on gun rights and safety. Their consensus solutions were sent to citizens across the state for feedback and more than 30K people weighed in on them. Their five proposals received majority support from Tennessee citizens across the state.

The Result

The group briefed legislators on their solutions and their journey was captured in a documentary unveiled at the Nashville Film Festival, The TN11, and covered by PBSNewsHour.

Wisconsin

The Work

Fourteen Wisconsinites convened across perspectives on abortion co-created proposals to support women, children, and families. Their consensus solutions were sent to citizens across the state for feedback.

The Result

Citizens from across the political spectrum united to support mothers and families, and state legislators took note. On February 19th, in a nearly unanimous vote, Republicans and Democrats passed a bill that will extend Medicaid coverage for low-income mothers from 60 days to 12 months after childbirth, a recommendation from the participants and champions of the Citizen Solutions initiative.

Texas

The Work

From November 2025 to January 2026, Texans of all backgrounds and political viewpoints were invited to make their voices heard during a statewide public input period addressing an issue that impacts everyone — healthcare. Texans from across the state shared personal stories and practical ideas related to healthcare with our AI host Ima. The goal is to turn public input into actionable policy solutions.

What's Next

Builders and the participants are working to move their great ideas closer to reality.

Convergence Facilitator Helps Lead Participants Through Solution Building Process (1)

Convergence CEO and facilitator Mariah Levison begins to write down group agreements (1)

In the News

Tennesseans from across the political spectrum unite to address gun violence

Abortion can be difficult to talk about. These 14 strangers took it on anyway

Dissolving abortion’s battle lines

Should the government do more to help children? This bipartisan group thinks so

Testimonials

“For three days, we dived past stereotypes and political catchphrases and talked about real people in real life. We talked about solutions. I’d be lying if I said we agreed on everything. I’d also be lying if I said we walked away unchanged.”

“I deal with my problems in the mountains, and others deal with theirs in the city, and they look awfully familiar. This process has broadened my perspective. We are all in this together, and we’ve got to find a way to solve problems together as Tennesseans.”

“We don’t know each other’s battles, histories, or experiences, and we don’t often get to walk in other people’s shoes. Our goal was to come together on shared experiences and figure out a way to work together for the common good."

“While my beliefs on the sanctity and protection of all human life have not changed, my experience with attendees who think much differently than I do has increased my compassion for what mothers go through and helped me realize that this issue has a lot of complexities.”

Interested in funding a project in the future?

We rely on a diverse and growing mix of sources, including individual donors, foundations, and stakeholders at the table. Please contact Jenn Dziak at jenn at convergencepolicy dot org or check out our donate page if you are interested in providing support for this project or for Convergence’s work more broadly.

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