In a time when it feels like everyone is divided, The Mount Horeb Public Library invites the community to come together during their new Disagree Better: Building Connection Across Difference initiative. Designed to support constructive engagement, foster understanding, and build trust across diverse viewpoints, this multi-part program features guest speakers, discussion moderator training, and deliberation dinners which combine shared meals with guided conversations around meaningful topics. In partnership with the Village of Mount Horeb and the Mount Horeb Area School District, Disagree Better strives to reach across generations, organizations and perspectives, with a goal of creating spaces where community members can engage with different ideas—and with each other-- in a thoughtful way. Rather than avoiding disagreement, the program encourages participants to approach differences with curiosity, respect, and care.
This is a year long programming series. More events will be added!
Funded in part by a grant from Wisconsin Humanities, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Wisconsin Humanities strengthens our democracy through educational and cultural programs that build connections and understanding among people of all backgrounds and beliefs throughout the state.
Communicating Across Political Divides: The Power of Talking Together
Guest speaker: Amber Wichowsky, Associate Professor of Public Affairs and Leadership Wisconsin Endowed Chair for the Division of Extension, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Watch the recording. (Thanks to Trollway TV!)
Tuesday, April 28, 6:30pm
Deciding What's True in a Polarized Society
Guest speaker: Michael W. Wagner, Professor Journalism, UW Madison
In a time when news is everywhere, all the time, it's important to think about the news we see, and how we interpret it. This talk with UW-Professor Michael Wagner reviews research on fake news, fact-checking, selective exposure to like-minded media outlets and describes the implications for democracy.
Michael W. Wagner is William T. Evjue Distinguished Chair of the Wisconsin Idea and Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he directs the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal. His work, exploring how individual interactions in the information ecology affect what people believe, what they want, and what they do has been published in prestigious journals such as Science, Journal of Communication, the International Journal of Press/Politics and in books he has co-authored at Cambridge University Press, CQ Press, and Sage Press.
Deliberative Dialogue Moderator Training*
Saturday, May 2, 9am-4:30pm (Lunch Provided.) Registration Required. Sign up here. (Opens March 9)
Are you ready to learn how to lead conversations in a more productive way? Deliberative dialogue moderator training will introduce participants to a nationally recognized model of civil dialogue designed to address difficult issues in local communities.
Deliberative Dialogue is a decision making process composed of analyzing three or more approaches to a particular issue, learning how and why people value different actions, and seeking common ground to address the issue.
Workshop Highlights
- Experience firsthand a deliberative dialogue
- Understand the purpose and appropriate use of deliberative dialogue
- Learn the structure and format of deliberative dialogue
- Gain facilitation and notetaking skills
- Practice moderating techniques in a safe environment with peers
With Eric Giordano, founding executive director of the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service (WIPPS), a unit of the Universities of Wisconsin. He and the WIPPS staff bring the resources of the university to address community identified needs through research and dialogue strategies. Eric specializes in deliberative dialogue and inquiry, group facilitation, conflict management, and survey and focus group research and analysis. Eric has a tenured appointment as an associate professor at UW-Stevens Point and received his Ph.D. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Funded in part by:
SAVE THE DATE!
Come to the Table: Community Conversation on Mental Health
Part of the Mt. Horeb Public Library's Disagree Better Series
Attendees will be seated in small groups, each guided by a discussion moderator. Together, participants will explore multiple perspectives, engage in thoughtful deliberation, and work toward shared solutions.
g Across Political Divides:
The Power of Talking Together
Monday, March 9, 6pm*