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During the month of May, many important resources have been released on both the rise of authoritarianism and on global polarization. Horizons appreciates the opportunity to learn from across regional...

The situation in Florida clearly represents a threat to American democracy This article by Maria J. Stephan was first published May 14 on Salon. Florida has become the epicenter of...

During the month of April, we are reminded of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda who said, “they can cut all the flowers, but they can’t stop the spring...” Horizons continues to...

During this last week of March, the U.S. is hosting the Summit for Democracy and Women’s History Month comes to a close. As proclaimed by one of the Summit’s side...

Why should veterans and military families care about authoritarianism? American democracy is in a moment of crisis. Long-standing authoritarian trends and practices by a dedicated segment of our political class...

Why should labor unions and professional associations care about authoritarianism? American democracy is in a moment of crisis. Long-standing trends and practices that undermined agreement on the rules of the...

Why should faith communities care about authoritarianism? A flourishing democracy is one of the strongest protections for the free exercise of religion. From the persecution of Christians and ethnic cleansing...

Why should business leaders care about authoritarianism? There is a long-standing recognition among many American business leaders that fostering a democratic political environment is in the interest of American businesses....

This piece was originally published on March 1, 2023 on OpenGlobalRights by Julia Roig and James Savage. Versión en Español The rise in authoritarianism and democratic decline around the world...

The Narrative Engagement Across Difference (NEAD) Project is a unique consortium of actors - organizers, philanthropists, and academics – who have come together to gather insights into collaboration across difference...

The Horizons Project is celebrating Black History and Black Excellence this month and every month. This is especially important as this history is currently being contested and censored in some...

Position Title: Director of Applied Research Location: Virtual, New York or Washington, DC (preferrable but not required) Reports to: Co-Lead and Chief Organizer Status: Full-time, exempt Position Summary The Horizons...

Happy New Year from The Horizons Project! In January we celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and take the opportunity to look back on one of the greatest...

As the United States celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day on 16 January, it is a moment to look back on the ways a broad-based, pro-democracy movement came together to...

King understood that no single approach would be sufficient to combat the interconnected evils of racism, economic exploitation and militarism. This article by Maria J. Stephan was first published on...

December is a month to both reflect on the past year and look ahead. As we surveyed 2022, we compiled these top insights to share with you from our organizing...

Since our official launch in January of 2022, the Horizons’ team has spent the bulk of our time building relationships with the many inspiring organizers, network leaders, researchers, and funders...

At the time of writing our November newsletter, the results of all the US mid-term elections are still unknown. One clear win for democracy was that most of the local...

While many have recognized the rising crisis of American authoritarianism, making sense of the complexity of the authoritarian system is a challenge. Is the true problem misinformation fueled by social...

As the mid-term elections in the United States are fast approaching, check out this recent article from Horizons’ Chief Network Weaver, Julia Roig, on How to Rise Above Partisan Politics...

This article was first published on Waging Nonviolence. Recent polls have revealed that “threats to democracy” are a top priority for many of us living in the United States. On the...

The scope of the challenges of democracy in the United States are vast. For a movement to protect and expand American democracy to succeed, it is crucial that that movement...

Any movement that seeks to stand up against powerful opposition and advocate on important political issues must be prepared for a violent reaction. Eighty-six percent of major nonviolent movements around...

On September 14, 2022, The Horizons Project hosted a webinar to bring together movement trainers, facilitators, and organizers to discuss the current state of movement-building support in the US and...

The Horizons Project is growing! We are pleased to formally welcome both Nilanka Seneviratne as the Director for Systems and Operations, and Jonathan Pinckney as the Director for Applied Research....

This overview was created after a convening of organizations and networks who are endeavoring to map the larger “ecosystem of social change,” including social justice, bridge-building, and democracy organizations, practitioners,...

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Position Title: Research Assistant Location: Virtual, located within the US Reports to: Director of Applied Research Status: Temporary, part-time, non-exempt; Spring 2023; Between 10-20 hours per week (negotiable) Position Summary...

In the Northern hemisphere, August is a quiet month when we try to stay cool, hopefully take time off, and then prepare for the academic year to kick off again....

Get to know The Horizons Project team better, as our Chief Network Weaver Julia Roig and our Director of Partnerships and Outreach Tabatha Pilgrim Thompson share their own approaches to sensemaking in one of the episodes...

There are two types of people in the world, those that like podcasts and those that do not. If you've checked out any of our VISTAS, then you know that...

On June 6, 2022 Horizons’ Chief Network Weaver Julia Roig, shared the main stage at Rotary’s 2022 Presidential Conference in Houston with Gary Slutkin, the founder of Cure Violence and...

This article was first published on Just Security. The January 6th hearings have exposed a fundamental truth about authoritarianism: that it ultimately depends on the consent and acquiescence of individuals....

This article was first published on The Fulcrum. “How did we get to this point?” was how the third day of the January 6th hearings began on June 16th. Many...

To say June was an intense month in the US would be an understatement. We encourage everyone to keep tuning in to the January 6th hearings, a testament to the...

Purpose: The purpose of this document is to help US organizers, bridge-builders, and ordinary people understand the key attributes of authoritarian systems, how authoritarians wield power, and ways to counter...

The Horizons Project is partnering with Rotary International to explore how to embed concepts and practices of forgiveness, accountability, and societal healing within Rotary clubs and their partners around the...

As we grapple with the horrific mass violence that occurred this past month - and that continues daily in the United States - one piece that gave us solace and...

The Horizons Project has been convening various conversations with network leaders to reflect together on how key institutional pillars, notably business, faith, and media, can incentivize pro-democratic behavior and discourage...

WHAT WE’RE READING, WATCHING, AND LISTENING TO AT HORIZONS In April, we joined many friends and colleagues in mourning the sudden loss of Peter Ackerman, a visionary and treasured leader...

One of the three lines of work of The Horizons Project is “sensemaking.” As organizers and coalition-builders who believe in the power of emergent strategy, the practice of sensemaking is...

WHAT WE’RE READING, WATCHING & LISTENING TO AT HORIZONS In March, as the war in Ukraine took up so much of our news feeds, we have been inspired by the...

This article was first published on Waging Nonviolence. As courageous Ukrainians and Russian antiwar protesters resist Putin’s brutal war, we can do far more to support pro-democracy activists and movements....

WHAT WE’RE READING, WATCHING & LISTENING TO AT HORIZONS The Horizons Project continues to reflect deeply as a team and with our partners on the wonderful resources produced by so...

How do we think and talk about the future? This is one of the tension points Horizons has identified within the social change ecosystem: our different feelings about, and relationships...

WHAT WE’RE READING, WATCHING & LISTENING TO AT HORIZONS  There are so many wonderful insights and ideas that inspire us at The Horizons Project, helping to make sense of what’s...

By Embracing Our Healthy Tensions We are thrilled to announce that in January 2022, The Horizons Project has launched under the auspices of our fiscal sponsor, the New Venture Fund....

The Horizons team is made up of experienced organizers, facilitators and trainers with a deep commitment to prioritizing relationships with all our partners. We look forward to finding ways to...

This article was first published on Just Security. As the United States celebrated Martin Luther King Day this January, Americans also confronted the reality of the recently failed attempt to pass voting rights legislation...

This article was first published on Just Security. As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day on July 4th, it is crucial to recognize the gravity of the threats still facing U.S....

This article was first published on Just Security.President Joe Biden’s early reversals of Trump policies have included at least three that were the direct or indirect result of grassroots movements. The...

This article was first published on InkStick.“We Didn’t Start the Fire” is a column in collaboration with Foreign Policy for America’s NextGen network, a premier group of next generation foreign policy...

What does it mean to challenge injustices and address societal harms in ways that strengthen social bonds and encourage longer-term healing? Restorative Movement Building is at the nexus of social...

Nonviolence is a cornerstone of activism and radical change, but less attention has been given to the restorative power of nonviolent resistance. In this recent Horizons Project event, Senior Advisor...

Polarizing narratives are key tools of nonviolent mobilization and social justice activism. But today, deep-seated polarization, exacerbated by a growing faction that rejects basic democratic norms and practices, threatens the...

Polarization is generally considered a necessary and healthy aspect of democratic societies. In his writing on social change work, Quaker activist and trainer George Lakey compares polarization to “a blacksmith’s...

Building powerful movements for a just and democratic society requires tearing down the walls separating people and welcoming new people into the movement. It takes recognizing that individuals, shaped by...

Unaddressed traumas pose significant challenges to building a healthy democratic society, exacerbating intra-group and inter-group conflicts and making it difficult to find common cause. Healing individual and group traumas is...

As we continue the collective work towards a just, inclusive and peaceful democracy, it is important to be able to understand and talk about the shared values and ideas that...

What are the common values that underpin US democracy? What is the “big story” we all share about how society should work and how we fit together as citizens? In...