Events

Alliance events are a good place to improve your citizenship skills.  The purpose of this section is to give you some guidance on how to improve your citizenship skills.

FREE SPEECH

Our nation's founders believed in the competition of ideas.  Free Speech is how you participate in this competition of ideas.

Free Speech is a conversation between two roles: A Speaker role and a Listener role.  You can improve your Free Speech skills by improving your skills as a speaker and your skills as a listener.

Speaker Role

• The goals are clarity and helping the listener understand.

• Before you speak, preparing your comments helps you achieve clarity.

• While preparing your comments, focus on short comments.

• To help the listener achieve understanding, listen to the listener's questions and consider adjusting your comments.

Listener Role

• The goals are understanding and helping the speaker achieve clarity.

• While listening, focus on understanding the comments not your rebuttal to the comments.

• To help the speaker achieve clarity, explain what you don't understand by asking clarifying questions.  Do not talk about what you disagree with.

RESPECT

Braver Angels mission is bringing Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.  Another way of describing this mission is that Americans need to learn to work together despite not thinking alike.  Treating fellow Americans with respect is an important part of learning to work together. 

To better understand respect, you should review this document.  

• • Teamwork Skill - Respect

PARTICIPATION

Democracy isn't a spectator sport.  Citizenship requires active participation to strengthen our democratic republic.

You can improve your participation skills by doing the following: 

• Learn how to invite your fellow Americans to an Alliance event.

• Encourage a new member to return by making them feel comfortable and supported.

INFORMED CITIZEN

Informed citizens understand multiple perspectives on important issues. By understanding others, you can build trust when listening to and understanding other opinions. In addition, you can gain a fuller view of complex issues.

Thomas Jefferson stated “You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. Citizenship is a tough occupation which obliges the citizen to make his own informed opinion.”

The SouthShore Alliance has many Zoom sessions that will help you become an informed citizen.  These Zoom sessions expect you to review and reflect on preparation material for that session.

Sun Feb 15 Skills for Disagreeing Better Workshop

Location: Firehouse Cultural Center Annex at 2pm

Sun Mar 15 Current Events Discussion - Focus on Immigration

Location: Firehouse Cultural Center at 2pm

Review this presentation to improve our discussion Immigration 101

Sun April 19 Concord Coalition Federal Budget Exercise

Location: Firehouse Cultural Center Annex at 2pm

To improve our session, review this material before the meeting

• Concord Coalition Workbook 

• Concord Coalition Budget Options 

Sun May 17 Review Listening Skills and Discuss Immigration

Location: Firehouse Cultural Center Annex at 2pm

Review this immigration video Immigration 101

Tue June 9 Meet and Greet

Location: Zoom at 7 pm

Tue July 14 Discuss election issues with Craig Latimer, Supervisor of Elections for Hillsborough County

Location: Zoom at 7pm

Tue Aug 4 Beyond the Politics of Contempt

Location: Zoom at 7pm

Topic: Building a politics of hope and a national culture of kindness, dignity, respect.

• • Discussion will be led by Doug Teschner and Beth Malow, Braver Angel Leaders and co-authors of Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps to Build Positive Relationships in Divided Times, will be joining us.

  • This is a link to their website. Beyond the Politics of Contempt

Tue Sept 8 How to Talk about Our Value with Nuance

Location: Zoom at 7pm

Values Handout

Tue Oct 13 Constitutional Unity

Location: Zoom at 7pm - Zoom recording

Preparation Material

Tue Nov 10 Thoughts on the Election Results

Location: Zoom at 7pm - Registration link

Tue Dec 8 Meet and Greet

Location: Sunset Grill at 2 pm - Registration Link