On June 28, 2022. we launched our first event in the ongoing series (Un)Common Threads: Co-creating Societies of Belonging, where we discussed radical belonging and the critical tool of bridging. Engage with civic leaders from Europe and the US including OBI Director john a. powell, Rocío Martínez-Sampere, Director of Fundación Felipe González, Stephen Hawkins, Research Director at More in Common, Nani Jansen Reventlow, Founder of Systemic Justice, and Míriam Juan-Torres González.

Today we are facing a ‘superstorm’ of challenges, including polarization, rising authoritarianism, the global climate crisis, inequality, structural racism, and group-based hate, among others. This requires a coordinated response and for civic leaders from all walks of life to be in conversation. But for too long, civic leaders concerned centrally with democracy and those concerned with the rights of marginalized and minority communities have worked in silos, despite the many shared goals and values that both groups share.

Can a re-orientation towards belonging help us counter the forces that seek to divide us? What is bridging and how can we bridge across differences in order to advance true belonging?