July updates from My Country Talks

Dear friends of My Country Talks,

Welcome to the second edition of our monthly newsletter. We’re happy to share the latest news from our dialogue events around the world. Read about intimate encounters with political strangers in the USA, watch a discussion about the removal of colonial-era statues in the UK and listen to a podcast about the power of face-to-face conversations

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Britain Talks

More than 9,000 participants signed up to meet their political opposite in the second edition of Britain Talks one year after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was torn down during a Black Lives Matter Protest. 

In this video produced by The Mirror, Delroy Hibbert, director of the organisation Freestyle Bristol speaks to Professor Sir Geoff Palmer, professor emirof the Heriot-Watt University, about the removal of Britain’s colonial-era statues that has divided the country. 

Click here to watch the video

“Speaking with - not against - each other”

Our project lead Hanna Israel was featured on the podcast “Gesellschaft besser machen” (Make society better) from the Körber-Stiftung. Click the link below to hear about the power (and magic!) of face-to-face conversations across political divides, their ability to create empathy for new perspectives and our vision to create dialogue around the world. 

Listen to the podcast (in German)

America Talks 

In June, we engaged more than 6,000 participants in political dialogue, together with the USA Today Network and other groups across America.  

Tim Swarens, Hidden Common Ground editor at USA Today, was one of those participants. In a recent piece in USA Today, he published his thoughts on why he signed up for America Talks and about his conversation. Swarens, himself a conservative, spoke to David, a left moderate. Far from a shouting match, Swarens writes that the conversation was controversial but friendly, especially regarding “our hopes and fears for our country, our communities and our families.”

Read the article

Who were the participants of America Talks?

Participants for America Talks came from all 50 states in the USA. One participant registered from Puerto Rico. The median age was 60 years old; around 46% of the participants identified as female, 52% as male, and 2% did not specify their gender. 

The most polarising question was “Is free speech threatened on college campuses?” with 54% of participants answering “yes” and 46% answering “no.” On average, women and men were 8 percentage points apart in their answers. The biggest difference was in the question of whether a $15 minimum wage was a good idea. Around 83% of women answered “yes”, compared to 61% of men. 

Interesting read

Dr. Peter Coleman’s new book, The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization. Dr. Coleman is Professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University, and an expert in the field of conflict resolution and dialogue. The Way Out offers “insights from leading research on how deeply divided societies can and do change.”

During our Europe Talks 2020 Digital Live Event, we interviewed Dr. Coleman on how two people can have a productive conversation about politics. 

His advice: be open and don’t try to convince your partner of your own views.  

Watch the full interview here

Calling all European media....

We are searching for media partners from around Europe to participate in our annual, pan-European dialogue event Europe Talks 2021.

Engage your audience in political dialogue and put readers at the center of crucial debates about the future of Europe. Become a partner of Europe Talks 2021 and join a network of pan-European media organisations, such as Newtral, VoxEurop, La Repubblica and Mirror Online.  

Europe Talks 2021 runs from October to December. To participate, send an email to Hanna Israel at hanna.israel@mycountrytalks.org

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