Intermestic Learning and Exchanges

At a time when authoritarianism and divide-and-rule politics are resurgent and democracies have been backsliding in the US and globally, there is a need for fresh approaches to pro-democracy movement building. Research has found that investments in cross-border learning and convening spaces are some of the most effective ways to build skills, relationships, and solidarity needed to block anti-democratic practices, bridge across difference, and build strong and resilient democracies.

The Horizons Project embeds an intermestic (cross-border) approach across all areas of our work. For example, we convene learning cohorts of interdisciplinary trainers and facilitators; narrative scholars and practitioners; and pro-democracy movement leaders across regions to strengthen relationships and collaboration among practitioners from different disciplines and contexts to bolster the global pro-democracy ecosystem.

We also invest in applied research to better understand the pillars of support for authoritarianism in the US, and what insights historical cases in the US and around the world can give us on how to change the incentives of key pillars to disrupt authoritarianism and incentivize pro-democracy behavior. And we work with “intermestically minded” partners to organize practitioner learning exchanges and adapt strategic nonviolent action and peacebuilding resources to address key movement-building opportunities and challenges across contexts.

While Horizons’ work is centered on the U.S. context, we are committed to breaking down siloes between U.S. domestic and international democracy organizing work to (1) develop a greater consciousness among Americans as part of a global democracy movement-building community, and (2) foster more two-way peer learning and exchanges (as opposed to one-way sharing that is more typical with U.S. engagement in the world).

Overall, Horizons’ intermestic work aims to foster higher order learning, planning, and action to address threats to democracy globally by:

• Building and strengthening relationships and trust among activists, organizers, peacebuilders, and democracy practitioners—and the trainers, facilitators, and coaches who support them—across the globe, to strengthen the global pro-democracy ecosystem
• Facilitating opportunities for cross-border learning, planning, and solidarity-building around strategies and tactics for pushing back against authoritarianism and advancing diverse, just, and inclusive democracy; and
• Co-creating interdisciplinary tools and resources that can be adapted for specific contexts to support pro-democracy movement capacity building, innovation, solidarity, and resilience.