“People are really hard to hate close up, no matter what your disagreements are on politics,” says Liz Joyner, Founder, and CEO of the Village Square. That mantra is part the founding principals of the Village Square, an organization that touts a mission of “building bridges across the partisan divide and to have wonderful, engaging, real conversations because that’s what democracy should be.”
In this episode of the podcast, Joyner shares insight on how combative debates around a proposed coal-fired power plant sparked her passion to form the Village Square. During the discussion, Joyner spoke on how the organization has since become bigger than politics and more a forum for curated discussions on nationals issues at the local level including many of our country's biggest disputes.
In a world that becomes more polarized by the day, the Village Square model has attracted attention from all over the nation. Joyner has had the opportunity to share insight on the topic of civility to a number of elections officials from various states, national media outlets and has even spoken to group at Harvard Law School. She notes that communities everywhere are all discussing how to appropriately address the societal issues caused by a polarized political climate, issues that the Village Square actively works to solve every day in Tallahassee.
“The civic fabric of a community, the social capital, the relationships, the trust and reciprocity that exists inside of the community, that is the science behind what you do to depolarize people,” she said.
Joyner encourages anyone and everyone to join in on one of the many upcoming events in the works, all of which you can find more information about online at https://tlh.villagesquare.us. A new season of events is just about to begin, the theme for them being “The Year of Living Locally.”
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Ep. 137 - Unveiling Littles to Leaders with Brooke Brunner, Director of Early Childhood Programs, Leon County Schools
Ep. 136 - Busting Myths about Financial Planning and Finding Your ”Why” Behind Your ”What”, William Green & Robbie Kinney, MillCreek Financial Consultants
Ep. 135 - Ensuring a Solid Talent Pipeline for our Community and Experiencing Leadership Tallahassee with Dan McGrew, Workforce Program Development Senior Vice President, CareerSource Florida
Ep. 134 - How Would YOU Advance TLH?
Ep. 133 - Bringing Down the Wall Between Small Businesses and Access to Capital, Mark Kruse, Florida First Capital
Ep. 132 - Business Advocacy: Collaboration is Key to Community Improvement, Rob Clarke, Shareholder, Ausley McMullen and Chamber Chair-Elect/Business Advocacy Committee Chair
Ep. 131 Family-Friendly Work Policies a Win for Businesses, Families, and the Future, Madeleine Thakur, Children’s Movement of Florida and Michelle Ubben, Sachs Media
Ep. 130 - Florida A&M University ’Boldly Striking’ Through Academic Excellence and Innovation, Dr. Shawnta Friday-Stroud, Dean, School of Business and Industry
Ep. 129 - Being Mindful of Mental Health, Dr. Jay Reeve, Apalachee Center
Ep. 128 - Live Local Act: What it Means for Businesses, Marco Paredes, Stearns Weaver Miller
Ep. 127 - Equipping and Enriching our Local Young Professionals, Jason Hollister, Indoor Environmental Management, Access Tallahassee Chair
Ep. 126: Teacher Turned Entrepreneur Provides an Alternative Approach to Wellness, Ashley Guy, Tallulah CBD Mushrooms THC
Ep. 125 - Fighting Food Insecurity One Meal at a Time, Monique Ellsworth, CEO, Second Harvest of the Big Bend
Ep. 124 Ready for Takeoff: Updates and Announcements out of TLH, David Pollard, Director of Aviation
Ep. 123 - ”Make Them Drink” - How One Local Business Owner is Encouraging Others to Actively Engage Through Community Black Business Expo, Vaughn Wilson, Mega Ace Media
Ep. 122 - Visit Tallahassee’s Big Plans for Community’s Bicentennial Anniversary, Kerri Post, Director of Tourism
Ep. 121 - Florida Ready to Work: Answering Florida Employers’ Demands, Tiffany Vause, Director of Strategic Initiatives
Ep. 120 - Without Business, There is No Community, Sammie Dixon, 2022 Chamber Board Chair
Ep. 119 - Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Big Bend Creating Big Futures for High School Students Through Career Mentorship, Molly Lord, Executive Director
Ep. 118 Tallahassee Startup Week - Celebrating the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in the Capital City
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