Essential Partners

Founded in 1989 as the public conversations project, the organization's work is grounded in family therapy, narrative therapy, social cohesion theory, deliberative democracy and conflict resolution practices. The organization offers training, consultation, coaching, and facilitationfor people who work across deep ideological differences. The organization also Partners with communities and organizations who wish to build constructive patterns of communication into their culture.virtually and in person, the organization Partners with schools, civic groups, faith institutions, colleges, and organizations to support deeper engagement and connection across differences. The organization has helped build relationships that make healing and change possible in more than 60 communities in the past year across the united states (including communities in Alabama, Arkansas, California, indiana,massachusetts, new jersey, north carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, d.c. and more.) This year, the organization helped communities and institutions have transformative conversations about some of the most pressing issues of the moment, such as partisan politics, race, the pandemic, education, the mental health crisis, gun violence, and more. Using the organization's approach, these conversations built and repaired relationships and trust, even when agreement or compromise on the central issue was impossible. The organization and its Partners are using dialogue to build cultures of deep belonging and inclusion, where all opinions are heard and taken seriously, and where decisions made reflect the perspectives and voice of everyone impacted.