Ian Wooldridge's Contact Details

Ian Wooldridge's Company Details

American Public Square

Kansas City, MO, US • 5 - 9 Employees
Government

American Public Square is an organization that brings people from across the political and ideological spectrum together to create a civil, fact-based conversation about national, regional and local polarizing issues. Originally conceived as the Village Square in Tallahassee, Florida, American Public Square presents various programs to create a better understanding within our communities between people who are on opposite sides of the partisan divide. One way we do this is our "Dinner at the Square" series where people of opposing backgrounds and opinions come together over a meal to learn to relate to each other without having to agree on the issue being discussed. Dinner is followed by a moderated panel discussion with questions from the audience. The panels represent a broad range of political and ideological perspectives on the topics being discussed. We utilize on-site fact checkers during the panel, discourage applause during the conversation, and employ a "civility bell" which is rung if the conversation becomes less than civil. We also have other programs such as Faith Fellowship, which explores faith issues in the context of the broader community, and our partnership with the Kansas City Public Library, which addresses local issues in the same manner as our dinner series. Allan Katz, United States Ambassador to Portugal (2010-2013) and University of Missouri Kansas City Distinguished Professor, founded American Public Square in Kansas City. He was also a co-founder of the Village Square in Tallahassee.