This paper calls on love as a cure for injustice. It is not a formal research paper. It comes from the heart. It is meant to be used—like love itself. It is meant to start talks and make us think.

Holiday Conversation Starters

Spark meaningful discussions that honor your values this holiday season. Whether you're hosting a Dinner for Democracy or sitting down with family members who hold different views, these prompts help you connect with intention.

"As the largest employer in the world, our federal government cannot afford to have leaders that all look and think the same. I support the Pledge for Diversity campaign because our nation was founded on the principle of unity, not despite our varying backgrounds, but specifically because of it."

— Leon Panetta, Former Secretary of Defense and White House Chief of Staff

A free online resource helping local government leaders identify and implement evidence-based strategies to improve upward economic mobility for their residents.

Over 50 high-level strategies and nearly 200 specific programs backed by rigorous research. From early childhood to workforce development, housing to financial security.

Why This Matters

• For Renters: Rent jumped 9% in one year. Many families must choose between rent and other basic needs.

• For Homebuyers: Home prices rose faster than incomes. The typical family can't afford the typical home.

• For Communities: Over 500,000 people live in areas threatened by floods, heat, and bad air.

• For Policy Makers: Climate and housing problems are connected. Solutions must address both.

• For Our Future: Houston is becoming less affordable and less safe to live in.

One Small Step

Let's Talk For A Change

Have a real conversation with someone who sees the world differently than you do. No debates. No arguing. Just two people getting to know each other as human beings.

A StoryCorps initiative bringing together people with different political views for 50-minute conversations that remind us of our shared humanity.

Peer-Learning Cohort for Fundraising Professionals in the US Democracy Space

Connect with fundraising peers at democracy organizations. Share ideas, build community, and grow together through monthly sessions with expert facilitation.

A 9-month program for mid-level development professionals working to strengthen democracy.

What to Expect

The Healing Art Circle provides a supportive space to process emotions about current events and racial suffering through creative expression. Using an adapted Healing Circle format combined with art-making, participants explore their feelings in a safe, judgment-free environment.

Healing Circles Help Us:

Step out of ordinary time into a safe and accepting environment. We listen with compassion and curiosity, honor each other's unique paths to healing, and trust that each person has the guidance they need within them. We rely on the power of silence to access our inner wisdom.

Core Practices:

• Listening with attention: Being fully present for others' experiences

• Speaking with intention: Sharing authentically from the heart

• Tending to the well-being of the circle: Supporting collective healing

What You'll Need:

• Any materials or writing and art supplies you have available

• Any medium you choose (poetry, music, watercolors, collage, pen and paper, digital art, dance, etc.)

• No art experience necessary—all forms of creative expression are welcome

Past participants have created diverse forms of expression including poetry, music, watercolors, collage, paper and pen drawings, digital art, and dance. The focus is on the healing process, not artistic skill.

Core Principles:

• Strictly Nonpartisan: Tools and opportunities for all women regardless of party affiliation

• Inclusive: Special focus on underserved women, women of color, and young women

• Collaborative: "All in together" means partnering across sectors and organizations

• Action-Oriented: Moving beyond awareness to tangible civic participation

• Sustainable: Building lifelong commitment to democracy beyond election cycles

What makes AIT different:

• Only national nonpartisan organization focused exclusively on women's civic engagement

• Combines education, training, research, and media to create systemic change

• Reaches millions through media while training thousands on the ground

• Addresses gender-based violence survivors and marginalized communities

• Led by women with deep expertise in both civic life and business leadership

Dialogue and Bridging Workshops

Learn proven, science-based skills to navigate differences, build trust across divides, and solve problems together. From self-paced online courses to intensive facilitation training, these programs equip you with tools to bridge political, cultural, and ideological divides.

Three leading organizations offer workshops and training at every level—from 5-minute practices to multi-month fellowships.

Restorative Justice Apprenticeship: Circle Keeping for Community Building

Learn the ancient practice of circle keeping to build stronger communities, facilitate healing conversations, and create spaces where everyone belongs.

📅Spring 2026

This groundbreaking event returns to Houston Community College for the first time since 2020, inviting you to experience the world through someone else's eyes using the power of virtual reality.

Join HCC Central for a special VR for Empathy event on Saturday, November 15. This groundbreaking initiative was first held at HCC in 2019, followed by a larger, more impactful edition in 2020, and now returns with fresh perspectives on how immersive technology can help us understand one another more deeply.

"This experience is exhilarating. It's like going on a rollercoaster that looks scary, but after you go through the drops and loops, you're like 'I want to do that again!' The Civic Gym is like that but without the long lines."

— Civic Gym Student Participant

Why Church Safety Matters

Your church should be a safe place. Everyone should feel welcome and protected. But many churches don't know where to start with safety planning.

What churches deal with:

• More than 75% of churches don't have a safety team

• Many churches don't know what rules they need to follow

• Church leaders want to help but don't know what to do first

• Communities need safe places to gather and worship

This event will help you learn simple ways to make your church safer for everyone.

Why Belonging Matters

Families sign up their kids for swim lessons or sports not just to learn skills, but to make friends and feel like they belong. Seniors come for exercise classes and stay to talk over coffee. People walk through our doors for programs, but they stay because they feel seen and supported.

Recent research shows that feeling connected to others is more important for success than age, race, or income. The Y uses this information to create programs that bring different generations together and help people feel less alone.