Wellesley Civil Discourse Initiative

10/21/2025

Inspiring series in CommonWealth Beacon aiming to navigate our polarized approach to complex policies: "...when you don’t view the opposing side as morally bankrupt or just plain ignorant, there may actually be opportunities for finding common or higher ground, maybe not to reach a final consensus, but at least to take a step forward together."

“THERE'S A PLACE in the world for the angry young man,” wrote Billy Joel almost 50 years ago.  Unfortunately, that place seems to have expanded in

10/14/2025

Wellesley Community: Please join us for an upcoming dialogue on belonging, October 27 (in person) or October 30 (virtual). The Town’s Equity Audit consultant, Bird Guess of Racial Equity Group, will present a brief overview of the recent Equity Audit, followed by small group discussions to explore how Wellesley can address a key finding of the audit that not all community members feel included in the Town’s traditions, celebrations, and observances. Input from dialogue participants will inform future planning by Town staff. Registration closes this Friday, Oct. 17 at 5 pm (or earlier if full). Sign up here: https://forms.gle/mveB2GEHmXyGzg7s9

07/05/2025

There Is so much power in bringing people together across differences — especially in these polarized times. Happy 4th, everyone.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/16/metro/rfk-jrs-maha-health-expert-zoom/eni

When public heealth experts and MAHA activists broke bread together, they found more in common than they expected.

04/19/2025

Powerful example of Americans coming together to bridge political differences in these perilous times.

In an effort to reach across political divides, a group of veterans has been holding regular gatherings to talk about it — all over a beer. They call the events "Pints and Patriotism."

10/28/2024

Such a wonderful example of students learning to talk to each other across geographical, politicial, and social divides! These teachers are an inspiration.

Regular Zoom calls help our students make sense of America’s cultural and political divides.

06/23/2023

Here's a podcast that is right up our alley: "How to Talk to People: A series exploring the barriers to community building and why—in a world with endless opportunities to connect—many people still feel alone."

A series exploring the barriers to community building and why—in a world with endless opportunities to connect—many people still feel alone.

04/18/2023

The Wellesley Civil Discourse Initiative invites community members to participate in a structured dialogue to reflect on racial identity and racism, and explore how we might be inspired to create a community where every individual who lives, works in, or visits our town, feels valued and accepted. Participants will meet in small groups for a single two-hour dialogue. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/NrVn5mXfHL92s6Th6

05/10/2022

Needham Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick assembled this inspiring crowd-sourced poem about what she and her colleagues in town government long to see in cities and towns: "Heaven knows we could use some hope for the future. My goal was to create an aspirational poem—not one about what we like, or what we wish for, but what we long for." Here's how the poem begins: "We long for civility. We long for a city where people focus more on what we have accomplished, with pride and amazement, and focus less on what remains to be done, with frustration and criticism."

A crowd-sourced poem from those in local government about the communities we aspire to have.

04/26/2022

Wellesley's Annual Town Meeting (which wrapped up last night!) is part of a great New England tradition of neighbors coming together to have sometimes difficult conversations to decide important issues for the community. In this 30-minute podcast, Erica Heilman offers a taste of what makes town meeting so special: "This centuries long practice of towns doing the slow and hard work of disagreeing and arguing and compromising on how to govern themselves—this has a profound impact on a place, and what it means to be from a place."

In most of New England, town citizens become legislators for one day a year. They get together in school gyms and town halls and vote in person, and in public. This centuries long practice of towns doing the slow and hard work of disagreeing and arguing and compromising on how to govern themselves.....

04/16/2022

Concerned about the impact of social media on young people? On Sunday, May 1, 2 to 4pm, the Becca Schmill Foundation is holding a forum on "Social Media and Our Youth: A Virtual Mental Health Forum" with Needham State Rep. Denise Garlick. Register for this free event here: https://www.beccaschmillfdn.org/event

01/05/2022

What a great story about people helping each other in an emergency! More of this mutual support and care for others is what will help us all get through these difficult times.

The couple called Schmidt Baking Company in Baltimore to ask if hungry travelers could have some of the bread products.