Using media to foster curiosity.
The Problem:
Some communities have become so ideologically divided that people with different beliefs see each other as enemies.
This leads to anger, anxiety, isolation, extremism and misinformation.
Our Solution:
Curious, generous dialogue is crucial to sustaining cohesive communities, and is a proven pathway to social stability and personal success.
We Tell & Support & Teach to Tell stories of people talking to each other about their different beliefs.
Telling
We produce content which shows curious dialogue in action. Then we think of inventive ways to get it out to people.
Our first project is a documentary series of 26 short episodes, based in a county in rural Utah which has some of the least belief in climate change in the USA. Instead of focusing on divisions, each 4-7 minute episode looks at how different beliefs form, and how to have productive conversations across idealogical divides.
We also produce a weekly email publication which conducts anonymous long-form conversations with everyday people about how they’re doing.
There are people out there already doing fantastic work in bridging.
We support them through pro-bono documentary, commissioned work, funding support, and educational resources.
If you are an organization looking to commission work, get in touch here. Or click the button below to read about funding and support for other projects which use innovative media and tech to bridge divides.
Supporting
Teaching to Tell
We are committed to teaching others to be curious about their own communities. We run programs focused on teaching students the value of curiosity, and we help students use media as a mechanism to flex their curiosity muscles.
We help young people use the skills of documentary interview to foster curiosity, while learning important career and life skills. These “Curiosity Days” include seminars, screenings, and a big focus on interactive activities.
Click below to view a short vid about a recent workshop, run at UC Berkeley, in partnership with the Othering and Belonging Institute, the Greater Good Science Center, and Haas Business School. Get in touch if you would like to discuss the full workshop curriculum.
Who we are.
We are a collection of experts from various fields, with experience in documentary film, technology, the social sciences, community outreach, and nonprofit consulting.
Let’s work on this together.
As our organization grows, we are building a network of creators, teachers, thinkers and community volunteers. Get in touch if you are interested in social cohesion through civil dialogue projects - we have a million ideas to try together.
Drop us a line at info@socialcohesionlab.org
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