Cobleskill Braver Angels to Host Skills Workshop on October 19th

Bipartisan group to teach local residents in Schoharie County skills for having difficult political conversations

Cobleskill – On October 19th from 9am to 12pm, Braver Angels of the Capital District will hold a workshop at Cobleskill United Methodist Church designed to teach skills for having political conversations across the divide.

In today’s polarized environment, political conversations often turn angry and counterproductive. Braver Angels skills help people listen and understand without arguing to build trust, clarify disagreements, and find common ground based on common values and humanity.

Interested members of the press should reach out to Cobleskill United Methodist Church’s Pastor Anna Blinn Cole for details to participate in the workshop.

Launched in 2016, Braver Angels is a non-profit bipartisan citizen’s movement to unify America. By bringing Red and Blue Americans together into a working alliance, Braver Angels is building new ways to talk to one another, participate together in public life, and influence the direction of the nation.

“Schoharie County is not immune to deep political divisions. In many ways, we have forgotten how to have productive political conversations without it devolving into a shouting match,” organizer Rev. Blinn Cole said.

Recent polls show that a majority of Americans feel our country is more divided than ever, and increasingly view members of the opposite political party as not just wrong—but bad people. At the same time, Americans are increasingly divided into bubbles and echo chambers with limited exposure to “the other side,” consuming news that confirms their opinions and stereotypes.

By creating opportunities for meaningful discussions, Braver Angels works to dial down the heated rhetoric that gets in the way of real conversations and accurate understanding of our differences. The objective is not to push an agenda or change participant’s minds, but rather to provide a safe place for deeper understanding.

The workshop is free, but registration is requested. Please register here: https://tinyurl.com/ymsv4shw or call the church office with questions, 518-234-3671.