Braver Angels

Dear Friends,

We care about you... and we care about Oregon - and we need your help. There is a vexing problematic Rural/Urban divide in Oregon. Rural and Urban Oregonians live different lives, and have different experiences - in all sorts of ways. Too often there is little mutual understanding and even less constructive dialogue to help bridge this divide.

In rural Oregon - from ranching and farming, to forestry and indigenous concerns; rural citizens do not feel heard or respected in our state capital in Salem. The problem is so profound that some Oregonians would like to defect from Oregon and become part of Idaho.

We at The Oregon Rural-Urban Project (ORUP) are addressing this issue, and we need your help. ORUP is an initiative of Oregon Braver Angels, which is a part of the national Braver Angels, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization working to depolarize America. As part of Braver Angels, Oregon; the Oregon rural urban project is focused on healing the rural urban divide.

Here is our no-nonsense result-oriented approach:

We are reaching out to Oregonians across the state to learn how they view the current political climate and how effectively their needs are being met. This effort involves extensive personal outreach including contact with community leaders, churches, political parties, fraternal organizations, volunteer organizations and presentation of Townhall meetings. A lot of listening going on…

Following our outreach and Townhall meetings we will host a series of moderated discussions where equal numbers of rural and urban delegates will get together for a full day of discussion and brainstorming. Delegates will identify mutually agreeable suggestions for bridging the rural-urban divide.

The project will conclude with a report submitted to the governor, state legislature, and available publicly.

Friends, we are trying something entirely new. We are providing an opportunity for “We the People” to share thoughts and opinions, and develop suggestions for addressing this challenging problem. Our goal is to complete this work by fall 2027.

We need your help for this important work. We are able to host Townhall meetings for about $1000 each and we estimate that the moderated discussions will cost about $10,000 each. We are busy writing grant-requests and we have received some funding. But we also need help from citizens like you.

Please help us out in any way that you can. In addition to financial support, we are also looking for volunteers with a wide variety of skills, and you do not need to live in Oregon to lend a hand.

Thank you - the volunteer team at ORUP

https://oregon-rural-urban-project.braverangels.org

https://braverangels.org/oregon

https://braverangels.org

Our Story: Bridging Divides, Healing America

In the Sunshine State, and across the nation, the landscape of our political discourse has changed. Politics has always been a passionate subject, marked by differences of opinion and spirited debates—that’s how democracy thrives. But today, something is deeply broken.

We’ve reached a point where Americans no longer see their political opponents as simply wrong or misguided. Instead, they are seen as enemies. Neighbors and friends have become estranged, conversations have been replaced with accusations, and our communities are paying the price.

This division doesn’t just hurt our relationships—it threatens the very fabric of our democracy. It’s as if we’re living through a “cold civil war,” and it takes a toll on all of us. Many of us have felt the pain of losing connections with loved ones over political disagreements, and the loneliness and sadness that follow.

This growing mistrust, this inability to talk to one another, isn’t sustainable. It’s an injustice to our shared identity as Americans.

And it’s why we’re stepping up.

Braver Angels Florida is part of a movement to repair what’s been broken.

We don’t ask people to change their political beliefs or to meet in the middle. Instead, we invite people with differing views to come together to listen, to speak, and to see the humanity in one another again. Our work is rooted in courage—the courage to have hard conversations, to face our neighbors, and to lead with empathy even when it’s uncomfortable.

Here’s how we do it:

Workshops: We bring people who voted for different candidates into the same room and guide them through conversations that foster understanding and mutual respect.

Debates: Our debates aren’t about “winning” or “losing.” They’re about learning from one another while remembering the rules of civil discourse.

Training: We train community leaders to carry this work forward, building resilience and trust in their neighborhoods.

This isn’t a left-wing movement. This isn’t a right-wing movement.

This is an American movement. Braver Angels Florida is powered by volunteers—every workshop, every debate, every community event is led by people who believe that our country is worth the effort.

But we can’t do it alone.

This Giving Tuesday, we’re asking for your help to raise $5,000 to fund a year of workshops, training, and resources here in Florida. That’s $417 a month to make conversations possible, to rebuild trust, and to show that we’re stronger when we come together.

Your support will help us create spaces where neighbors become friends again, where the courage to talk replaces the fear of division, and where Florida leads the nation in proving that unity is still possible.

Because at the end of the day, love for our country means love for our fellow Americans. It’s time to stand for something larger than politics—for connection, for courage, and for each other.

Together, we can make Florida a shining example of what’s possible when we summon our braver angels.

Join us. Support us. Help us heal.