7 Resources for Talking to People You Disagree With 

By Alex Buscemi, Editorial Manager at Builders

As our kids head back to school this month, we at Builders thought we’d join them. Not literally, of course (we've gained a few and no longer fit comfortably in a locker). But in the spirit of education, we thought now would be the perfect time to brush up on our civics skills. Here are seven resources full of readings, tools, and courses we'll be adding to our syllabus this school year. And don't worry, they're far more entertaining than the six-pound textbook that still gives you nightmares.

1. Disagree Better(opens in new tab) 

Launched in 2023 by Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox and Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore, Disagree Better runs on the idea that healthy conflict is good for a democracy and that people can get better at it with practice. The initiative encourages productive argument through debates, service projects, and civic-education campaigns. It even offers tools for home, including a parenting toolkit for raising kids who can sit inside a disagreement without falling apart. Because governors from both parties lead it, it carries a rare credibility: living proof that people with real political differences will still share a table. Start with their videos and toolkits, then keep an eye out for events in your state.

2. Braver Angels(opens in new tab)

Founded after the bruising 2016 election and named for Lincoln's "better angels of our nature," our partners, Braver Angels, seat equal numbers of "Reds" and "Blues" together for conversations designed to go somewhere other than a shouting match. The signature Red/Blue Workshop pairs seven conservative-leaning and seven progressive-leaning participants for moderated sessions that melt down the cartoon versions people carry of each other. There are also one-on-one conversations, debates, courses, and a national convention. Most of it is free to join.

3. Citizen University(opens in new tab)

Founded by author and former White House speechwriter Eric Liu, Citizen University works to revive the culture and rituals of citizenship, turning rooms full of strangers into a community. Its flagship "Civic Saturday" gatherings borrow the shape of a faith gathering and pour civic life into it: readings, some singing, a "sermon" on a civic theme, then real conversation with whoever's beside you. A fellowship trains local leaders to host these gatherings in their own towns. For anyone feeling the particular loneliness of modern civic life, it offers a place to belong to something bigger than yourself, across the lines that usually keep people apart.

4. The Preamble(opens in new tab)

Sometimes staying informed just means finally understanding how the machine runs. The Preamble — journalist and Movement Partner Sharon McMahon's runaway-hit civics newsletter — takes American government and the week's news and lays it out in plain language. No jargon. No team colors. Just a clear look at how a bill becomes law and what each branch really does. McMahon built an enormous following as "America's Government Teacher" precisely because she refuses to tell you what to think, handing over the facts and trusting you to decide. It's a low-lift, high-payoff habit, a few minutes of reading that leaves you better armed against the outrage sloshing through your feed.

5. The Catherine Project(opens in new tab)

The Catherine Project runs free, small-group tutorials and reading groups on books spanning philosophy, political theory, literature, poetry, and history. The groups are tiny, volunteer-led, and built around close reading and honest conversation. In an era that rewards skimming and the fast dunk, sitting with a difficult text and talking it through with strangers is a discipline worth building. It exercises exactly what our discourse has let wither: patience, and the humility to change your mind mid-sentence.

6. Good Conflict (opens in new tab)

Journalist and Movement Partner Amanda Ripley spent years chasing one question: why do some conflicts curdle into dehumanizing warfare while others lead somewhere worthwhile? Good Conflict, the venture founded alongside journalist and filmmaker Hélène Biandudi Hofer, boils that research down into practical tools for people who want to discuss difficult topics constructively rather than avoiding such discussions altogether. The premise is that conflict comes in two flavors: the healthy kind that moves people forward, and the toxic, dead-end "high conflict" that traps them. Good Conflict teaches readers to stay in the first, encouraging them  to stay curious about the story buried under someone's position. If arguments tend to leave you feeling worse, this is the field guide.

7. Be the Bridge(opens in new tab)

Be the Bridge stands out as one of the most respected resources for anyone ready to do the deeper, harder work of racial understanding and repair. Founded by Latasha Morrison, it equips people to build real relationships across racial lines through education, honest conversation, and a whole lot of listening. The organization offers discussion guides, curricula, and a framework for starting local "bridge-building groups" that meet to learn history, hear one another's experiences, and pursue genuine reconciliation. It never asks anyone to pretend hard truths away: honesty comes first, and only then, healing.

Class dismissed. Sort of. 

The lovely thing about this kind of school is that it never really lets out, and you never have to do it by yourself. So pick one of the resources above, sign up, and drag along a friend who sees the world nothing like you do. That's the whole assignment.

Alex Buscemi can be reached at abuscemi@buildersmovement.org(opens in new tab)

Art by Matthew Lewis(opens in new tab)