What We Do
UR Action empowers and supports communities through Uniting for Action Local Hubs. Our Local Hubs increase social cohesion, boost civic participation, and strengthen local institutions by bringing Americans together across divides to tackle our country's most urgent challenges.
Three integrated initiatives maximize impact in Uniting for Action Local Hubs.
01
Bring Americans together to solve problems across differences where they live
02
Strengthen civic infrastructure through community workshops in third spaces
03
Power pluralism in democracy
Uniting for Action Programs
Uniting for Action program participants, called Uniters, work across ideology, race, religion, age, geography, and other differences to tackle a local challenge in partnership with anchor community institutions. Our cohorts of Uniters spanning several adjoining counties gather over many months to:​​​​
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Strengthen Individual Skills
Engage in constructive conversation across lines of difference, manage conflict, and analyze and jointly solve problems.
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Build Enduring Relationships
Work and play together across lines of difference, using newly developed skills to understand different perspectives and productively navigate conflict.
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Take Action to Make the Community Stronger
Gain shared understanding of an urgent problem and opportunities for solving it. Design and implement an intervention that addresses the challenge and impacts the broader community. Partner with an anchor organization in the community to ensure the intervention is sustained beyond the program.
Community Workshops in Third Spaces
We strengthen the civic infrastructure and social health of our Local Hub communities by providing accessible, memorable, and interactive workshops where individuals and organizations enhance their ability to navigate conflict, take collaborative action in their communities, and strengthen community safety. Free skills workshops are hosted in public libraries, houses of worship, coffee shops, parks, rec centers and other “third spaces” to maximize community reach and impact. See our upcoming public events!
Beyond our Uniting for Action Local Hubs, UR Action conducts customized workshops to help organizations of all kinds strengthen their capacity for navigating conflict. Can we help your team or community work together more effectively? Email us!
Promoting Pluralism in Democracy
Strengthening institutions via a cohort-based leadership and action program.
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Powering Pluralism in Democracy engages institutional and community leaders, applying the bridging, belonging, and action tools from our Uniting for Action programs to local institutions' relationship with the communities they aim to serve.
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Local leaders of public, private, and civil society institutions strengthen their community engagement and collaboration skills while making their institutions more responsive, accountable, and transparent so that they’re more worthy of community member trust.
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Pluralism in Action
Each leader implements one democratic practice / reform within their institution and/or vis-a-vis the community that results in more participatory, transparent, responsive, and/or accountable governance.
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Collaborative Skills Development
The leaders learn and apply collaboration skills, and then promote them within their institution and community.
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Relationships Across Differences
The leaders build trust and connections across lines of difference and sectors within the cohort and then promote community norms of collaborating across differences to address problems.
