What we’re about
Civil, respectful conversation with people with different political views?
Yes, it is possible. We’re doing it and you can, too.
Crossing Party Lines is YOUR brave space to meet and talk with people you disagree with and may not even understand. You might have fun!
Our events include:
- DISCUSSIONS: We meet as small groups where you can talk to real people about the issues that divide us. Share your unique insights, encounter new perspectives and new ways of looking at the world, and experience what it's like to feel heard and understood.
You'll find that it is possible to disagree in a way that leaves you feeling true to yourself and your beliefs without losing your friends or your cool.
- WORKSHOPS: We teach the skills you need to effectively talk across differences. You will learn ways to foster curiosity and invite listening, acquire strategies for overcoming common communication barriers, and develop the confidence to talk politics with people you know, live, and work with.
- COMMUNITY EVENTS: We’re not just about talking – we’re also about community. We host game nights, screen videos, share books, and offer many other ways of connecting across differences.
At all events, trained facilitators set the tone of the discussion and help the group build trust. Come see what civil, respectful conversation is like. Who knows, you might make friends with someone you disagree with!
More about Crossing Party Lines:
We are a national nonprofit with chapters in eight states. Because we believe that the success of America’s unique democracy relies on the diversity of our viewpoints, we encourage people of all political views and parties to join and participate.
Come learn, explore, practice, and grow with us. Join this grassroots movement and become the change in your community.
Note: Due to COVID, most of our events are online. Unless otherwise stated, events are open to all Crossing Party Lines chapters, giving you a chance to interact with people from all over the country.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Network event19 attendees from 12 groups hostingCPL Workshop September 2025Link visible for attendees
# CPL Workshop: Listening Politics
One of the first things people ask us when they hear about Crossing Party Lines is how we get politically divided people to listen and speak respectfully to each other. Our response is that we’re about listening politics, not arguing politics.
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Attendees: Before the meeting, please download and print the handouts, which are located on this page: https://crossingpartylines.com/cpl-102-listening-politics
************************Workshop Description**************************
***Listening politics ***refers to listening in a way that supports dialogue instead of debate. Rather than the typical listening we see in political discussion that is all about listening for a chance to argue or to defend, CPL’s listening promotes curiosity, respect and connection; it enables an open-minded search for discovery, the kind that detectives use. But it doesn't come naturally because we’re conditioned to pre-judge and to defend our point of view.
In this workshop we will:- Learn how our intentions in joining a conversation dictate how we listen.
- Cultivate curiosity about views that are different from yours.
- Learn about Active listening as well as how and when to use it.
- Practice skills that make it possible for us to listen and speak across our differences in a way that moves us all forward.
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ABOUT CPL Workshops
Get the training you need to effectively cross party lines. Crossing Party Lines provides a series of FREE classes teaching the skills we use to talk across differences. We teach proven, science-based techniques to foster curiosity, invite listening, and connect across differences.
We designed these techniques based on recent discoveries in such fields as cognitive science, neurobiology, and evolutionary psychology. Because understanding the partisan brain is central to the work of Crossing Party Lines, our workshops cover both the skills and some of the basic science behind them.There are no prerequisites for this course.
Please do your best to arrive at the beginning of the meeting – once we are in breakout rooms and the conversations have started, the meeting doors close to new arrivals. The breakout rooms open (and the doors close) approximately 15 minutes after the hour. - Network event18 attendees from 12 groups hostingBook Club: Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human SpiritLink visible for attendees
In his final book, the late Henry Kissinger joins forces with two leading technologists to mount “a profound exploration” (Walter Isaacson) of the epochal challenges and opportunities presented by the revolution in Artificial Intelligence: a breakthrough that dramatically empowers people in all walks of life while also raising urgent questions about the future of humanity.
We also chose a book for our next discussion after that to allow more time to get it:
Why We’re Polarized, by Ezra Klein, 2021, 268 pages (David, Michael)
America’s political system isn’t broken. The truth is scarier: it’s working exactly as designed.See more details in our Books for Discussion where you can also add book suggestions for future discussions and your names to vote for the books that you'd like to discuss next.
Past events (390)
See all- Network event54 attendees from 12 groups hostingThe Civil Rights Act of 1964: Law Then, Litmus Test Now?This event has passed
