‘Braver Angels’ hope to heal the political divide

The formal launch of a local alliance - Braver Angels - will take place next week to create an opportunity to bridge political divides and strengthen civic connection.

"We are trying to transform how people interact with and respect each other," said Alex Berg, co-chair of Braver Angels SWFL Alliance. "Braver Angels is a national, nonpartisan volunteer-led movement. We are dedicated to depolarizing America. We want to bring conservatives, and liberals, and everyone in between, together. It's not about changing people's minds on issues - it's how do we preserve and relate to others as human beings."

Braver Angels SWFL Alliance will launch its efforts at South Cape Community Center, 4544 Coronado Parkway, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 19.

The launch will include background information about Braver Angels, its mission, a five-minute video sharing an overview of the circumstances that led to the formation of Braver Angels, as well as the various programs offered through the organization.

"Then we want to plan next steps and future events," Berg said.

He hopes to recruit a co-chair and a leadership team. Berg said all alliances require a conservative and liberal partnering, so all political persuasions feel it is a safe space.

"Ultimately our goal is simply to help people communicate in a more meaningful and constructive way and that happens one person at a time," he said. "The ground game is really important."

Berg said people have way more in common than they care to admit, but because everyone is so polarized, they do not have the opportunity to talk about it, which is the core challenge.

Berg became frustrated because he has friends across the political spectrum with fewer on the opposite side because everyone puts up walls based on their political beliefs. He said he felt he needed to do something about it, which turned into launching a consulting practice that he was planning to leverage with a coaching platform, Positive Intelligence, which navigates how to intercept negative emotions and shift to a positive outlook based on empathy and curiosity.

When Berg used artificial intelligence to write a business plan, he was connected with Braver Angels about six weeks ago.

"It was perfectly aligned with my personal mission," he said.

After reaching out to Braver Angels he learned that they have alliances but very few in Florida and none in Southwest Florida.

"I decided to start an alliance here in Southwest Florida, starting in Cape Coral because obviously we have a diversity of opinion here and I have seen how differences of opinions have impacted relationships, business activity," Berg said. "It's having a negative impact on us personally, professionally, and a community as a whole."

Each alliance is locally and community driven. He said each alliance sets its own objectives of what the local leadership would like to do and what the people feel as most important.

"That will drive the direction of local alliance," Berg said.

Braver Angels began in South Lebanon, Ohio in December 2016 after 21 residents came together - 11 who voted for President Bill Clinton and 10 who voted for President Donald Trump - for a weekend to talk with one another. There was a realization that "lightning in a bottle" was captured, so a grassroots organization began to bring that type of experience to people throughout the United States.

The mission is to "Bring Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic."

For more information, email Berg at aberg@braverangels.org, or visit braverangels.org. Register HERE.