This unique program offers more than hope. It’s a method. A movement. And a mirror to what is possible when people come together with humility, curiosity, and a belief that we can still shape the future.
Democracy is both a form of governance and an ideal. Yet Americans across the political spectrum are losing faith in its promise.
The division in America is real. We feel it in our relationships, our communities, our states, and across the nation. We consume a constant stream of rhetoric and media that amplifies anger and outrage to fuel division.
There are forces that seek to divide us — to sort us into camps of who is good and who is bad for political advantage. But our imagination cannot be limited by those who seek power and wealth at our collective expense.
The country feels divided. Conversations feel impossible. The future feels uncertain. But what if there were a way forward?
None of these efforts succeed without our participation. So how do we interrupt them?
Real power resides in people across America — urban, suburban, and rural alike. Together, we face an uncertain future. Our best days will not come from division. They will come from unity. Change will not come from a single figure or political party. It will come from our ability to come together across differences — to recognize our shared struggles, values, and interests; to see ourselves in an interdependent relationship with one another; and to remember that in this moment, which is testing us all, we carry responsibility for each other.
Most of us know our systems are not working as they should. But we have been entrusted with this moment — to move beyond what is, imagine what can be, and build the collective power to shape it.
The test before us is whether we can challenge our own biases, reset our course, and bend the arc toward justice — for our shared interests and for generations to come.
The promise of America remains unfinished. How we show up now will determine what comes next. It will require each and every one of us. At a time when democracy itself feels fragile, this work is not optional. It is essential.
Welcome to the United Vision Project!
Through training and practice, this is an opportunity to take meaningful action to unite the country by bridging our divides through authentic dialog that fosters understanding, trust, and rapport — that humanizes people by breaking out of the binaries of good vs bad — that reduces division and political polarizations — to recognize our struggles, values, and self-interest as shared — and to build a democratic movement.
This is not about winning arguments. It is about fostering understanding.
It is not about erasing differences. It is about humanizing people.
It is not about abandoning conviction. It is about building trust and rapport across divides.
If you believe we can still shape the future — if you are ready to move beyond frustration and into meaningful action — join us!
Together, we can recognize our shared struggles, our shared values, and our shared self-interest — and build the movement our democracy needs.
In 2020, UVI launched the United Vision Project (UVP) committed to building a truly inclusive democracy rooted in justice, equity, and deep connection. Through mass peer to peer texting and daily outreach, we connect people across extreme political differences in authentic dialog, creating a powerful exchange that offers a rare opportunity for people to connect, humanize one another, discover the underlying causes of authoritarian drift, identify shared struggles, uplift shared values and deescalate political division. Our training program equips volunteers for relationship-centered digital organizing, fostering both skill development and practice that fosters powerful transformation that can transition into community engagement and a deep sense of purpose. We are building a movement to engage across divides, resist authoritarianism, and envision a better future—together. This is not a traditional outreach program—it’s strategic organizing for insight, intervention, and impact.
UVP is a national initiative rooted in the belief that authentic, sustained human connection is the most powerful tool we have to disrupt polarization, disinformation, and civic disengagement. In a political era defined by distrust, cultural fragmentation, and ideological entrenchment, UVP offers something profoundly rare: a proven, scalable methodology for building relational trust across divides—one conversation at a time.
At the heart of UVP are Authentic Relational Conversations (ARC) and Authentic Relational Organizing (ARO)—practices developed over decades this is unlike traditional canvassing or persuasion-based models, ARC and ARO are grounded in deep listening, narrative exploration, emotional safety, and long-term engagement.
Across 12 states so far... we've reached 1.4 million people
Had 107,000 Conversations
Transformed lives and communities
“This is the only thing like this that has ever been done. Perhaps the closest thing might be Theodor Adorno studying the rise of authoritarianism after the Spanish Civil War.” — Steven Gardiner, Research Advisor for Political Research Associates
REGISTER TODAY TO START THE TRAINING
What is UVI's special sauce? With decades of experience in combating growing authoritarianism, UVI stands as a trusted leader and expert in addressing democratic decline and rising political polarization. Our programming is distinctive from all other US programs – nothing like it has existed before, and outside of our program, nothing like it exists now. This makes UVI not just an organization but a crucial movement leader, filling a critical gap and amplifying the need for investment in genuine, impactful organizing to safeguard democracy.
How is this work having an impact? UVI is at the forefront of the pro-democracy movement. Our work and learning offers critical insights into what is dividing America. By expertly addressing the root causes of authoritarian drift by connecting people across extreme social and political division through our approach to organizing with UVI’s model of Authentic Relational Organizing (ARO) combined with innovative, technology-enhanced outreach that offers depth and scale. The cumulative and multi-layered program’s impact is profound for building trust and rapport and creating the conditions for cultural and social change that serve as the driver of political outcomes and necessary to power a pro-democracy movement - through the commitment and action of regular people who want to create a better world for all of us.
Constituency / audience / who are you connecting? We engage individuals across the entire political spectrum, by connecting individuals susceptible to extremist views and influence with progressive and left leaning individuals in peer to peer authentic unscripted text based dialog to cultivate understanding, recognizing our shared struggles and identifying our interests and values to foster unity. UVI collaborates closely with allied organizations to empowers participants to transition their mastery of skills through sustained practice to their own lives and communities.
Beyond Idaho, what is UVI's geographical focus? Nationwide focus, with special attention to rural and traditionally politically neglected areas, increasingly being ceded to far-right political extremism that has filled the void. To create a truly democratic movement we need to be in relationship with one another.
How does UVI's work differ from other work? UVI's strategy transcends traditional outreach boundaries by actively engaging those with extremely opposing views, creating a unique space for transformative dialogue and understanding. This approach not only bridges divides but also offers crucial off-ramps from entrenched ideologies, fostering a more inclusive and empathetic pro-democracy movement. It's a strategic and necessary shift from mere conversation to meaningful action to create the cultural and social conditions for lasting political change.
“We say it all the time, but we can’t change what we don’t understand – so we need to understand it in order to make meaningful inroads,” We call it texting with training wheels. We can’t emphasize enough: this is a way to learn the skills of deep listening, navigating any issue, de-escalating, and turning the temperature down—through practice and daily outreach so real conversations can take place,” shared Bri Xandrick, Associate Director of UVI.
“It was actually really nice being able to speak my mind this has been very therapeutic for me for the last couple of days And I think if more people have the opportunity to speak without being shouted down we might get along and I have better and more educated conversation this pertains to people on both side thank you for your time and listen.”
“Let me thank you for being so open and listening without judgment! I appreciate that more than I can say!”
“If nothing else, I appreciate what you're doing because things like this can eventually lead to a necessary dialogue. thank you for reaching out to me.”
“The biggest thing for me is that being right is not as important as being connected. I know I’m not going to get somewhere if I just want to be right. I need to listen, I need to try to understand, and I need to try to connect. This has been helpful from so many different perspectives beyond politics, too. It helps with everyday family dynamics, my work in mental health, etc. I realized I wasn’t doing my best before when I was being pushed. Now, this worldview having been cracked wide open has allowed me to be not only better at recognizing this in politics, but also in all of my roles in life - especially when I disagree.”
“It’s helped me to be more accepting of others' opinions and to try to understand where it is their thoughts are rooted. It also helps me to understand where my own thoughts are rooted. I’m not as angry as I once was, where the anger was directed at the person rather than the actual concept. Now, I can separate the two.”
“I was working the polls in my community, and an election denier came in and confronted me and the other poll workers and made a big scene in front of the crowd who was there to vote. After his outburst, I thought about how I might approach this situation if I were texting. I approached the man and said, ‘Sir, it sounds like you have a lot of concerns about this process, has anyone ever walked you through it before?’ I then introduced him to each poll worker and shared something personal about them and what they had given up to ensure the process ran smoothly. Afterwards he addressed the crowd to say, ‘This young lady just walked me through the process and I don’t know if voting everywhere will be fair, but I can assure you our votes will count.’
Laura Flanders presents:
Idaho's United Vision Project: Confronting Extremism in Rural America
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