ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Friday, health and wellness practitioners meet at Bay College to discuss how political toxicity is negatively impacting their clients and ways to make a difference.
Bay instructor Dr. June Klees led a conversation about civic wellness, a growing movement to bridge political divides and promote healthy dialogues. According to Dr. Klees, thousands of organizations are working to promote meaningful conversations centered on listening, understanding different perspectives, and the “Perception Gap.”
“[It is] a study by a group called More In Common,” Klees said. “As people get more extreme on either the left or the right, they tend to villainize the opposite and make it as if the dangers are heightened more than they really are. Most Americans actually are in so much more agreement even on issues that we’re being told divide us. If we educate ourselves about the data and understand how we can challenge our own bias, it allows us to have more constructive conversations with people who we disagree with.”
Dr. Klees says health and wellness providers are hearing about the challenges surrounding civic wellness more frequently. She says discussions like the one held at Bay College give those providers tools to better serve their patients.
“I discovered this through conversations that I’ve had locally about sad stories about people being isolated and disconnected from family and friends because of political division,” she said. “We want to give people some sort of constructive place to go. Talking with and empowering the people who directly provide those services with these resources will help them help people in Delta County.”
For more information on the Perception Gap, visit perceptiongap.us. Below is a list of organizations and resources cited in Friday’s discussion for those looking for healthy ways to engage in political discussions.
– Braver Angels, a cross-partisan organization that hosts workshops on political discourse – braverangels.org
– Living Room Conversations, an organization that provides conversation guides – livingroomconversations.org
– The Unify Challenge, an initiative to break Americans out of their political bubbles – unifyamerica.org/unify-challenge
