Community Stories About Bridging Divides

This free 90-minute online course lets you hear directly from organizers and activists who have done the hard, hopeful work of bridging divides. Real stories. Real communities. Real lessons you can bring back to your own work.

The course covers stories of bridging from several different contexts: Palestinian-Israeli dialogue, climate justice organizing, and collaboration between Indigenous communities and immigrants. Two writing exercises help you process what you hear and connect it to your own experience. When you finish, you earn a certificate. The course is guided by Sarah Crowell and offered through OBI (Othering and Belonging Institute) University, which is part of UC Berkeley.

Set aside 90 minutes when you can focus. Work through the video lessons at your own pace. Complete the two writing exercises — they are a chance to reflect on your own community and what bridging might look like there. Save your certificate when you finish. Then bring one idea or story from the course to your next organizing conversation, neighborhood meeting, or community group.

If you are involved in neighborhood associations, civic groups, faith communities, or organizing efforts anywhere in Houston, the bridging strategies in this course translate directly to local work. Topics like climate justice and immigrant and Indigenous collaboration are especially relevant in a city as diverse as ours.