'Civil Discourse' Forum Happening In Bellevue

From the City of Bellevue: On March 29 at 6:30 p.m., the City of Bellevue will host a forum on civil discourse at City Hall, 450 110th Ave. NE. The program will feature David E. Smith, Ph.D. of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Washington. Smith will explore controversial issues and provide a set of tools for building skills in civil discourse.

"Discussing issues and sensitive topics that we as individuals have strong feelings about can be hard," said Mike McCormick Huentelman, manager of the city's Neighborhood Outreach program. "We're really looking forward to this learning opportunity on civil discourse, and hope residents take advantage of the forum."
Following the presentation, participants will have a chance to reflect on their own values and experiences while putting these tools into practice at facilitated discussion tables. Individuals interested in participating are encouraged to RSVP via neighborhoodoutreach@bellevuewa.gov or 425-452-6836.

Civil Disagreement is part of a three-part "Better Together" series sponsored by the city and the King County Library System. The next event in the series, exploring cross-cultural communications, will be on April 26. The series will conclude with "Under Our Skin: What Do We Mean When We Talk About Race" on May 31.

Photo courtesy of the City of Bellevue