Civil Discourse: The Outward and Inward Work of Bridging Divides and Finding Peace in the Face of Differences This is the title of this year’s Nevola Symposium on Spirituality and Health at Colby College, Waterville, Maine. Register and learn more here. At this year’s Symposium Craig Freshley will offer two workshops where he will discuss the Make Shift Coffee House model. Participants will actually experience a Make Shift Coffee House as part of each workshop. The Nevola Symposium is sponsored by the…

Can Civility Save Us? A Public Talk, Tuesday, August 14, 2018, 5:30pm Portland Public Library 5 Monument Square, Portland, Maine What’s the right response to troubling political trends? Protest? Tweet? Violence? Vote? What role should civil discourse play to bring change or make peace? Come hear Make Shift Coffee House founder and public policy expert Craig Freshley share his views and lead a discussion.   Craig Freshley speaks with John McDonald on WGAN weekend radio show about the August 14…

Why are political differences so hard? How does the political divide affect your everyday life? What ARE the political differences that divide us?  If you affiliate with a particular political party, why?  If you feel strongly about a political issue, why? We want to hear your views AND how your views were shaped by your childhood, your education, and other influences on your life.

What About Guns? A conversation about the role of guns in contemporary American society. This event is part of The President’s Forum (an event series on controversial issues at the University of New England), in partnership with a Make Shift Coffee House (a pop-up place for people to understand each other’s political views). Audience participation will be encouraged. Special guests: • State Senator Eric Brakey, Republican, Senate Chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee • State Representative Charlotte Warren,…

Does equality mean that underprivileged people should get more? How do you know if something is unequal? Can “separate but equal” work well? Does equal access to space and other resources make everything okay? Should we force people to share?

Why Do You Vote The Way You Do? As with all Make Shift Coffee Houses, this is not a debate. It’s not about persuading each other or arguing with each other. It’s not about deciding what’s best or what’s worse, who’s right or who’s wrong, who’s good or who’s bad. It’s simply about UNDERSTANDING each other’s political views. It’s a lot more about listening than telling. We want to hear your political views AND how your views were shaped by your childhood, your education,…

If you are a Republican, why? If you are a Democrat, why? If you are a Green or a Libertarian, or not in a political party at all, why? Why do you see things the way you do? Do you think people have less tolerance today for people with different views? Do you think we are becoming more politically polarized? Why?

What’s the right response to troubling political trends? ⇒Protest? ⇒Tweet? ⇒Violence? ⇒Vote? What role should civil discourse play to bring change or make peace? Come hear Make Shift Coffee House founder and public policy expert Craig Freshley share his views and lead a discussion. As a volunteer Craig has organized 25 Make Shift Coffee Houses – places where liberals and conservatives come to understand each other’s political views. As a professional facilitator Craig has run over 3000 meetings of nonprofits,…