Bridging the Empathy Gap - Ideas for Change in America

What do you think is the most effective way to turn this idea into real policy? Add your suggestions here for how you think we should run an advocacy campaign to advance the idea – including the overall strategy, messaging, targets, and tactics.

Approach this from the standpoint that people reading this forum already agree with you on the importance of the issue, and are asking "What can we do to help make this a reality?"

You can also comment on and rank the suggestions submitted by others.

"I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsom and jetsom in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him. I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

CALL TO ACTION: Join me and contact President Obama today to ask him to support HR-808 the U.S. Department of Peace Act and/or HR-1064 the Youth PROMISE Act. In my opinion, keeping these bills on his radar and visible, are critical.

WRITE to the President: The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Please include your e-mail address

CALL the White House: Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 FAX: 202-456-2461

EMAIL the White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Thank you!

With Optimism,

Ana Campos
Board Member, The Peace Alliance
South Florida State Coordinator
U.S. Department of Peace Campaign

National Website: http://www.ThePeaceAlliance.org
DoPeace Website: http://DoPEACE.ning.com
Facebook: http://www.causes.com/departmentofpeace

Suggested by Ana Campos on 10/10/2009 @ 01:32PM PT
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We who created this proposal, Bridging the Empathy Gap are now planning IDEA (International Day of Empathic Action) Day on October 2, 2009, Gandhi's birthday. You can host an event in your community or join one already planned, you can also participate over the telephone through the NVC Academy.

Check out our website at worldempathy.org and go to nvctraining at the NVC Academy to sign up for a free hour long telephone session about empathy to prepare you for this day. Upcoming sessions are held on September 8, 16th and 24th.

Suggested by Sylvia Haskvitz on 09/06/2009 @ 02:58PM PT
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After having heard Obama's incredible "Cairo speech", I feel the urge to say that the new community "Bridging the empathy gap - Yes we can!" should seriously consider analyzing it in depth, discuss it on line, and suggest concrete actions both on a national (improving the dialogue between mainstream americans and american muslims) and international level (possibly promoting the interfaith dialogue between tenants of the three monoteistic religions). No matter how difficult it is going to be, it would be good that such a dialogue should not be conducted only in English, but also in other languages.
signed by a lonely European who voted fot the "empathy idea" at the beginning of the year

Suggested by marino ostini on 06/18/2009 @ 05:38AM PT
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Dear Friends of Peace:

President Obama has created a personal website asking the public "How can we strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness by making government more transparent, participatory, and collaborative?" Someone submitted a Department of Peace idea. There are only 95 votes. I just received an email that the contest rules had changed and this brainstorming session won't end until June 19th. I think whatever we can do to stay on President Obama and his staff's radar will help the entire movement! Whether this idea has anything to do with open government, it's still a chance to bring DOP information straight to the top.

With your help back in January, the "Department of Peace" idea was voted as one of the 10 top "Ideas for Change in America" and was given to President Obama's transition team 4 days before the Inauguration. I think his staff was inspired by the old COMPLETED contest on Change.org because the new contest below, is identical. Very interesting! Would you be willing to take a minute or two and click the link below to vote?

WILL YOU VOTE HERE AND distribute this link?http://opengov.ideascale.com/akira/dtd/3336-4049

ADVANCED WARNING - To vote you must click "Sounds Promising" - Type your email and select "NEW USER" and enter a PASSWORD. Then check your inbox for an email verification and click it. You will NEED to click AGAIN on "SOUNDS PROMISING" for your vote to register. It has to say "VOTE ACCEPTED" or it won't register.

If the link above doesn't work, please go to http://opengov.ideascale.com and type Department of Peace in the search engine box located in the top righthand corner of the page. Click to search and scroll down to the bottom of page to find your choice.

READ more about the contest details here:http://opengov.ideascale.com

As always I thank you for your continued support!

Ana Campos
South Florida State Coordinator
US Department of Peace Campaign

National Website: www.ThePeaceAlliance.org
Local Website: www.USCampaignforPeace.ning.com
Facebook and MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/DepartmentofPeaceFlorida

Suggested by Ana Campos on 05/30/2009 @ 11:26PM PT
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We'd like to start by focusing on the Empathy Corps part of the proposal. We are currently planning ways to offer the Empathy Corps trainings in a consistent and wide spread manner. In WA state, there are a few trainers from the Center for Nonviolent Communication who are currently training small groups in communities and prisons to be active empathy corps members of their communities.

Suggested by Kathleen Macferran on 03/24/2009 @ 02:09PM PT
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I feel all you have to do is to look around your neighborhood, your community, your city. There are people hurting everywhere. Lost jobs, not enough money to put food on their families' tables; losing their homes. I try and put myself in the other person's place (I personally have friends who have lost their jobs) who live right next door. I think anything you can do such as work in a soup kitchen, donate to a food bank, help your neighbors in whatever way they need help; let others know you care and are concerned. I think any of these steps will go a long way toward helping our friends, neighbors and country get through these trying times!

Suggested by Gayle Gottsche on 03/22/2009 @ 02:46PM PT
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Without giving advice or telling what I "think" about something, it sounds like (I am guessing) everyone is feeling concerned with feelings of apprehension about the conditions in our present government because we are all needing "empowering" honesty that would free us to create the life we want by changing the way we look at and experience the world. So in order to trust that in others in our government, could we make a time where we could hear whether they are meeting our needs (as our representatives and vice versa so that I could know then if I can trust what they do and say. I would like more "Open communication" publically that is interactive.

Suggested by Lynne Crick on 03/20/2009 @ 10:58AM PT
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I think what is needed is empathy between the government and the people. There are many good suggestions here, is there someone who will "hear" them and respond? As far as I know about empathy it means being deeply heard. In this blog, who is listening?

Anne Makeig

Suggested by Anne Makeig on 03/19/2009 @ 01:19PM PT
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I would like to suggest, to ask Marshall B. Rosenberg to advice this groupe. As you know, he is the developer of the non-violent-comunication. You´ll find very much interessting and much more relevant informations on his site: http://www.cnvc.org/en

I think, that a graet challange is to connect this method with conret tasks, than it´ll be alive.

Kind Regards

Robert Jautschus

Suggested by Robert Jautschus on 03/18/2009 @ 12:19AM PT
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The Academy for Peace in Costa Rica has been developing a program called BePeace. It involves proven techniques to first connect with your own heart, then non-violently communicating with others, learning how to empathize, and all the while respecting your own feelings and needs.

BePeace is an important program, it's been proven to work consistently, and the Costa Rican government endorses it. It is taught very successfully to schoolchildren. The Academy and the BePeace Foundation is headed by Rita Marie Johnson, an American and a Costa Rican citizen. An intensive teaching the techniques will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area, at Unity Center of Walnut Creek, on May 25 - 29. Graduates will be able to facilitate BePeace groups. These groups can be of anyone - children, adults, corporations, schools, social groups, or anyone who is interested in learning and sharing these skills. These are practical, proven skills that are all about learning and teaching empathy and compassion for others. To learn more about BePeace, go to http://academyforpeacecr.org/bepeace.html To learn more about the Intensive coming up in May, go to http://www.be-peace.org/

Suggested by Shari Dyer on 03/17/2009 @ 11:23PM PT
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