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Convergence Center For Policy Resolution

EVENTS

Convergence
February 6, 2024 5:00 pm
Public Event
In-Person Event(s)

Join Convergence to celebrate the release of “In This Together: A Cross-Partisan Action Plan to Support Families with Young Children in America” at an in-person event on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, February 6th from 5:00-6:30pm featuring remarks from Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

“In This Together: A Cross-Partisan Action Plan to Support Families with Young Children in America” is the Blueprint for Action formed by the Convergence Collaborative on Supports for Working Families, a cross-partisan, cross-sector group of leaders convened by Convergence who have dedicated their careers to improving the lives of children and families in America. One of the most ideologically and sectorally diverse groups to address family policy that has convened in recent decades, the Collaborative came together against a backdrop of historic polarization and political divides. They met regularly throughout 2023 and their final report, to be released on February 6, is an action plan to help low-to-moderate income families with young children flourish.

The event will also include remarks by Abby McCloskey, Director of the Convergence Collaborative on Supports for Working Families and Founder of McCloskey Policy LLC, and will feature a short panel conversation with Collaborative participants Indivar Dutta-GuptaPresident and Executive Director at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP); Lina GuzmanChief Strategy Officer and Director of the Hispanic Institute at Child Trends; Katharine StevensFounder and President of the Center on Child and Family Policy; and Patrick Brown Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center sharing about the consensus they found for advancing public dialogue and action across party lines. Topics will include what it means for families to flourish, shared principles to guide collaborative action, and recommended actions for policymakers, employers, communities, and philanthropy.

David Fairman, Senior Director at the Consensus Building Institute and Associate Director of the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program, will moderate the discussion. Drinks and light hors d’oeuvres will be provided.

The Convergence Collaborative on Supports for Working Families was made possible thanks to the generous support of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Convergence Center for Policy Resolution and Interfaith America
February 14, 2024 12:00 pm
Public Event
Virtual Event(s)
A virtual leadership development series to equip business professionals to bridge divides in corporate America.

A virtual leadership development series to equip business professionals to bridge divides in corporate America.

 

Description:

From Feb. 14 through April 3, hosted by Convergence Center for Policy Resolution and Interfaith America, the Bridging Divides in Corporate America Leadership Development Series will explore the detrimental effects of toxic polarization on business and how leaders can meet the very real challenges of this moment for their companies and the country. A series of monthly cohort meetings will offer participants the opportunity to deepen their knowledge,  build skills, and network with peers at no cost as they pilot best practices in their company.

Participants will–

  • Learn from leaders in the bridgebuilding field and explore how to apply best practices to their particular context
  • Build skills to engage deep difference inside their companies and with external stakeholders
  • Identify and pilot an initiative to increase bridgebuilding efforts in their company and workshop challenges and opportunities with their peers.

Details:

This will be a live, virtual series that runs from February – April 2024, consisting of 5 meetings. All sessions will take place from 11:00-1:00 PM CT on the following dates (with tentative topics):

  • Wednesday, February 14: Why Build Bridges
  • Wednesday, February 21: The Divided Mind
  • Wednesday, March 06: Collaborative Problem Solving
  • Wednesday, March 20: Engaging Tension Constructively
  • Wednesday, April 03: Leading with Values in the Workplace

There is no cost to participate. Registration is limited to 30 learners. The deadline for registration is Friday, February 2, 2024.

Learn more:

Who should attend this course?

This series is intended for business professionals who recognize the impact of polarization in their workplaces and who lead teams, projects, or initiatives where they have the opportunity to introduce a bridgebuilding approach. Attendees will be asked to select a problem or challenge they are facing related to polarization in their company and will identify a bridgebuilding practice to pilot as a response.

Will the class sessions be recorded or shared in any way?

No, we will not record the class sessions. Our intention is to open a space in which attendees can be comfortable navigating territory that might be unfamiliar, challenging, or delicate, without concerns about what might be recorded or shared.

Do I need to attend all five sessions, or can I choose from among them?

We strongly recommend that learners commit to all five live sessions in the series. That said, we will work with you to accommodate reasonable scheduling conflicts as they arise.

What is the time commitment?

The time commitment for this series is approximately 2.5 hours per session week. Each month’s learning entails: 1) reviewing pre-session materials (such as a written resource, video, or tool), 2) attendance at a 2 hour live, online session, and 3) self-paced work on your individual project outside of the scheduled meeting time. The full course will run from February 14 – April 3.

Register

Convergence
October 3, 2023 2:00 pm
Public Event
In-Person Event(s)
Watch the highlights from our October 2023 Convergence Leadership Council Meeting.

Watch the highlights from our October 2023 Convergence Leadership Council Meeting featuring:

  • Welcome from Dusie Cassata, Convergence COO (00:00)
  • An update from Jean Molino, Chair of the Convergence Board (2:00)
  • An update from Mariah Levison, Interim CEO (5:42)
  • An update from Rob Fersh, Convergence Founder (12:29)
  • A conversation with Participants of the Convergence Collaborative on Pathways to Better Jobs: Deeneaus “D” Polk (3Levate Founder), Jenna Shrove (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director of Strategic Advocacy and Advisor to the Chief Policy Officer), and Scott Fast (Innovate+Educate, Director of Colorado Projects) (14:08)
  • An update on current and future Convergence projects from program directors (1:00:27)
  • A sneak peek into Rob Fersh and Mariah Levison’s new book (1:25:11)
  • Closing Remarks from Dusie Cassata, Convergence COO (1:37:22)

June 2, 2023 12:00 pm
Public Event
Virtual Event(s)

Charitable giving has the power to influence the political and cultural agenda on a massive scale, advancing progress on critical issues and organizing people around common goals. There is enormous momentum in the philanthropic community today to deploy this power to usher in a more pluralistic and less polarized America, culminating around a high-profile announcement of the donor collaborative The New Pluralists at President Biden’s United We Stand Summit earlier this year. Big donors are largely in agreement about what ails America, but there is far less agreement about how we solve the problem. For our next Convergence Live conversation, we will consider what has worked historically, and where we need to chart a smarter, more inclusive, and more impactful course for using the power of philanthropy to bridge America’s growing divides.

Join us live on YouTube for an engaging conversation between passionate experts, Kathleen Enright, President & CEO of the Council on Foundations, and Chris Stackaruk, Director of Neighborly Faith and Senior Fellow at Cardus. When you do, you’ll have the opportunity to ask our speakers questions and converse among a diverse range of professionals.

Bookmark the YouTube link now and sign-up for event updates below.

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About Convergence Live

Convergence Live is a series of far-ranging discussions with leaders in their fields about finding lasting solutions to problems in American public life with civility and humanity. This series is premised on the belief that we can disagree without hating each other, and that we can find common ground across even the deepest ideological divides to effect positive change.

DC Jewish Film and Music
February 20, 2023 7:30 pm
Public Event
In-Person Event(s)
The movie tells a complex story about criminal justice reform and addiction amongst the country’s divides. Van Jones and a team of advocates bring together politicians and everyday people working to pass legislation to bring people home. As conveners of the Convergence Dialogue: Re-entry Ready, we understand the need to continue to have bipartisan conversations around criminal justice reform. We invite any and all members of our community to join us for this important screening & discussion, featuring Convergence President and CEO David Eisner.

Edlavitch DCJCC, 1529 16th Street NW, Washington DC

We’re excited to partner with The First Step on the D.C. theatrical release of the film on February 20th at 7:30pm!

The movie tells a complex story about criminal justice reform and addiction amongst the country’s divides. Van Jones and a team of advocates bring together politicians and everyday people working to pass legislation to bring people home. As conveners of the Convergence Dialogue: Re-entry Ready, we understand the need to continue to have bipartisan conversations around criminal justice reform.

We were pleased to see members of our community joining us for this important screening & discussion, featuring Convergence President and CEO David Eisner.

Convergence
January 27, 2023 12:00 pm
Public Event
Virtual Event(s)
Watch our inaugural Convergence Live event for a lively debate about the challenges around online discourse and polarization in public life between two leaders in the field. Convergence President & CEO David Eisner moderated this spirited conversation between Harvard Fellow and journalist Heidi Legg and first amendment attorney Ari Cohn.

How can online discourse change to decrease toxic polarization instead?

Watch our inaugural Convergence Live event for a lively debate about the challenges around online discourse and polarization in public life between two leaders in the field. Convergence President & CEO David Eisner moderated this spirited conversation between Harvard Fellow and journalist Heidi Legg and first amendment attorney Ari Cohn.

Watch the event.

 

Virtual Event
June 22, 2022 10:00 am
Public Event
Virtual Event(s)
Hear the inspiring conversation with 2022 recipient of the Convergence Bridge-Building Leadership Award, John Powell. Also hear from several staff members actively involved with the Convergence’s Economic Opportunity Portfolio.

Read on to learn more about the June 22, 2022 Leadership Council meeting and watch the event recordings.

A Conversation with john powell: 2022 Recipient of the Convergence Bridge-Building Leadership Award

“Bridge-building is saying ‘I respect you. I want to hear you. I’m not questioning you humanity. I’m curious about you. We won’t agree but I will listen to you.’”

Tune in to hear more from the inspiring conversation with 2022 recipient of the Convergence Bridge-Building Leadership Award, John Powell.

 

Economic Opportunity Discussion June 2022 Leadership Council

“Access to economic opportunity for everyone and a multiple pathways approach to opportunity where there’s lots of ways to get on track that really fit with your own life and life experience… We believe that that’s actually connected to our health as a society and our democracy overall.” – Russell Krumnow, Vice President, Programs

Watch for an immersive look into Convergence’s Economic Opportunity Portfolio, and hear from several staff members actively involved with the work, including:

  • Mariah Levison: Convergence’s new Chief Program Officer (who many of you may know from her service on the Leadership Council!)
  • Russell Krumnow: Vice President, Programs
  • Anita Chandramohan: Director, Convergence Dialogue on Pathways to Better Jobs
  • Abby McCloskey: Director, Convergence Dialogue on Supports for Working Families

Dr. Rose-Margaret Ekeng-Itua
May 24, 2022 10:00 am
Public Event
Virtual Event(s)
Convergence hosted a virtual discussion featuring cross-sector experts on economic mobility and job training.

“At the end of the day, what each American wants is to put food on their table, take care of the children, and have a chance at the American dream.” – Dr. Rose-Margaret Ekeng-Itua

On May 24, 2022 Convergence hosted a virtual discussion featuring cross-sector experts on economic mobility and job training to launch of the Convergence Dialogue on Pathways to Better Jobs. The conversation was moderated by Anita Chandramohan, Director of the Dialogue.

We were joined by Dr. Stephen Goldsmith, Derek Bok Professor of the Practice of Urban Policy and the Director of the Data-Smart Cities Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government; Dr. Rose-Margaret Ekeng-Itua, Professor of Engineering, Program Director, Smart Manufacturing Technology Program, Ohlone College, Fremont, California; and Della Adams, Upward Academy Program Manager at Tyson Foods.

The Convergence Dialogue on Pathways to Better Jobs seeks to address why millions of job seekers – low- to moderate-income earners who are currently employed, under-employed, or long-term unemployed – are unable to access and navigate resources, tools, and opportunities to move into new, improved, and stable avenues of employment.

Webinar
April 25, 2022 10:00 am
Public Event
Virtual Event(s)
Convergence co-hosted an event on ‘Bridging Across Generations.

“If you look at any massive social or political movement in U.S. history it has been because of transformations along generational lines.” – Layla Zaidane

During the fifth annual National Week of Conversation, Convergence co-hosted an event on ‘Bridging Across Generations’ with Convergence CEO David Eisner; Layla Zaidane of Millennial Action Project (MAP); Manu Meel of BridgeUSA; and Marc Freedman of Encore.org facilitating the discussion. The event drew a terrific turnout, and participants discussed the topic with wonderfully thought-provoking comments and questions throughout the conversation.

More notable quotes from the event:

David Eisner: “We distort the amount to which our views are opposed to those of other people.”

Marc Freedman: “Right now, we have a largely white older population and a much more diverse younger generation. If we can solve the generational divide, we have a better chance at success across the political divide..”

Manu Meel: “We want people who WANT to have discussions about generational divide to have louder voices..”

Watch Video.

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