#ListenFirst Project

Join the movement of 500+ organizations bringing Americans together across divides to build understanding, trust, relationships, and solutions.

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

Our elections belong to all of us. This Sunday, let's pray for them together.

Register: https://t.co/lmvFNgtGUT

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

At our Greenville Community Conversation, Adriana Teodoro-Dier spoke with our team about what drew her to The South Carolina Forum, and what she would tell a friend about the experience. Here is what she had to say.

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

The 2nd Annual Bridging Movement Summit kicks off tomorrow in Kansas City! Stay tuned all week for updates as bridging leaders from around the country come together to work on “Turning Down the Heat: Rebuilding Trust in an Age of Outrage.”

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

From September 23–25, leaders from across the bridging movement will come together to explore how we can turn down the heat, rebuild trust, and strengthen our ability to work across differences.

Read the full piece: https://t.co/0zGRdtuDtb

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

Sign up to watch the opening panel livestream: https://t.co/17FsyJakyY

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

The 2nd Annual Bridging Movement Summit kicks off this week in Kansas City, Missouri! Leaders from across will gather to explore the roots of the current “trust recession” and the cultural forces that sustain it.

Stay tuned throughout the Summit for live updates!

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

This September, BROTHERHOOD: A Cinematic Musical is hitting the road.

The free Love Your Neighbor Tour is coming to 20 U.S. cities with live music, first-look film scenes & conversations about what it really means to love your neighbor.

Find your city: https://t.co/oMkxeGQ9KN

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

Trust is declining. Outrage is everywhere. What will it take to turn down the heat?

This September, bridging practitioners are coming together in Kansas City to share what’s working and tackle what comes next.

Work in the field? Join us! https://t.co/kV5xR2JTiI

[Civic Health Project @civichealthproj]

We wanted to share a unique opportunity to take part in a national conversation.

What does the American Dream mean in America’s 250th year? Join a small-group conversation with people from across the country about opportunity, success, and what’s ahead, then see your voice reflected in a national report featured by Newsweek.

Register here → https://t.co/aoNENX1SYM

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

All month long, communities nationwide have been coming together for the Better Together Film Festival, free screenings, real conversations, neighbors choosing curiosity over contempt. In our 250th anniversary year, that's a story worth celebrating.

https://t.co/iLqClnFMfB

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

All month long, communities around the country have been participating in the Better Together Film Festival, which aims to shift the culture away from division and toward cohesion and hope. 

https://t.co/9potv2zVau

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

Should schools teach patriotism? Join a national conversation exploring civic education, patriotism, and respectful dialogue across differing viewpoints. https://t.co/EFCpTzxyOR @school_convo @braverangels @AllSidesNow @prohuman_org @LivingRoomConvo @TheDignityIndex

[Builders @BuildersMvt]

Today, America celebrates 250 years.

Our history has never been a straight line. It's been shaped by moments of extraordinary progress, painful setbacks, and generations of Americans wrestling with what this country can and should be.

Lincoln spoke these words at one of the nation's darkest moments because he believed our differences didn't have to define our future. Two and a half centuries into the American experiment, that challenge still belongs to us. The next chapter won't be written by people who always agree—it will be written by people willing to stay connected even when they don't.

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

This #ListenFirst Friday, we are bringing you a special message from America's Potluck.

https://t.co/qyRZ16Hn4W

[Civic Health Project @civichealthproj]

Are you building tech tools to strengthen social cohesion in the US? Or trying to stay current on what's emerging in the space?
Join Listen First Project and Civic Health Project for the Roundtable for Bridge Building Tech-Tools — a virtual gathering for innovators and organizations working at the intersection of AI/LLM technology and civic connection.

📅 Tuesday, June 30, 2026
🕒 3–4:30pm ET | Zoom

The first hour features lightning presentations from tech innovators showcasing their tools. The second half opens into a peer discussion for bridge-building tech innovators (invite only).
Whether you're building or learning, there's a seat at the table for you.

🔧 Present your tool → https://t.co/NiaDcPeo68
📋 Register to attend → https://t.co/fVq6QvLc4O

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

🎬 The Better Together Film Festival is back! Join screenings across the country throughout July–in alignment with America’s 250th Anniversary–to see stories of people finding common ground. Sign up to host or attend today! #ListenFirst
🔗 https://t.co/Lt6Lp3VNZh

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

Happy Listen First Friday from the team at PBS News Student Reporting Labs!

https://t.co/lb4sCcz2xr

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

Have you watched “Fire Pit” yet? This series brings together two people from very different backgrounds to gather around a fire together. Season one included opposites like a conservative influencer and a drag queen.

[Bridge Entertainment Labs @BridgeEntLabs]

Happy Earth Day!

@United_ByNature – powered by @NINP_org – is rebranding conservation to make it fun, rewarding, and something every American feels called to be part of.

With their new online show "The Fire Pit," they're showing that Americans still care deeply about protecting our wild places, and the best way to spark real change is by meeting people where they already are: in culture, not politics.

The “Fire Pit” YouTube series brings together two people from very different backgrounds around one of humanity’s oldest rituals: gathering by a fire. Season one included opposites like a conservative influencer and a drag queen.

We’re excited to see a show that prioritizes surprising connections between folks who initially might think they don’t have very much in common. By the end, viewers are left with the sense that communing with nature creates connection, even between the most unlikely pairs. Who would you bring to your campfire?

https://t.co/Zf64CTqA16

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

During National Week of Conversation, Ole Miss explored the perception gap in real time.

Students participated in an interactive pop-up lab that compared perceived beliefs with actual responses across key issues.

Understanding the gap is the first step to closing it.

[#ListenFirst Project @ListenFirstProj]

Congratulations to @BridgeEntLabs on this feature in The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

BEL serves as the entertainment arm of the bridge-building, and this article features their fantastic work.

[Bridge Entertainment Labs @BridgeEntLabs]

Eden Stiffman’s latest for the @Philanthropy captures the strategic bet behind our work: inspiring the entertainment industry to create better stories of us: “This Nonprofit Whispers in Hollywood’s Ear About Polarization. They Hope You Tune In.”

Stiffman explains that BEL focuses on turning research into practical insights that storytellers can apply. The goal isn’t to make storytellers “eat their vegetables” or to introduce explicit bridging themes into every story; instead it’s to make small changes that might encourage audiences to think more deeply about a certain character or group. As BEL CEO @StevenOlikara says, stories don’t merely inform people. They shape what feels normal, what feels possible, and who feels recognizable. With Bridge Entertainment Labs, the goal is to move beyond “us versus them” narratives.
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This work is also subtle. As Erica Lynn Rosenthal, director of research at the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California, puts it, “When people feel like they’re being preached to or manipulated … they tend to shut down and reject the message.” The best stories feel authentic, not didactic.

As Steven says: “If it feels like a lesson, it doesn’t work.”

As Stiffman points out, our work is about reaching a Hollywood that values viewpoint diversity. “There are many more people in the entertainment industry, storytellers we work with who are more heterodox in their views, beliefs, and political opinions, than people would realize,” Steven says. “They almost come out quietly to us. They feel like we are a trusted space where they can truly be their full selves and not have to silence certain parts of them for fear of being canceled.”

And, while this kind of work can be slow, it’s also very powerful. Hollywood has used storytelling to move the needle on issues from drunk driving to gay marriage. Indeed, BEL’s efforts are already driving real change within the entertainment industry. As Steven puts it: “We just see more and more of an effort among storytellers to connect our mission to the work that they’re doing. It’s now really part of the zeitgeist in the industry.”

🙏🙏@flyingwrestler

Link to the article in comments!