Compassionate Citizens Foundation

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We believe that empowering Deliberative Democracy in the U.S. is an important step toward co-creating an America (and ultimately, a world) that works for ALL.

We believe that the incubation of thousands of Meetup.com-enabled Thriving Communities, supported by 50 state incubators, is a viable path to empowering deliberative democracy, at all levels of government.

We are currently inviting all national organizations who embrace deliberative democracy to come together, to create a formal collective impact initiative (Thriving America) that will support the state incubators.

A political party that embraces deliberative democracy was launched in 2022:

https://www.forwardparty.com/

Multiple informal collective impact initiatives already exist. Foremost among them are the 700+ leaders in the Generate Democracy LinkedIn group, which is anchored by two initiatives:

1. The Inter-movement Impact Project

2. The Thriving Together U.S. Initiative

We encourage every compassionate citizen to join the effort to unite myriad movements into an unstoppable Thriving America movement.

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[What follows is our circa-2022 Story, written after the US Conference of Catholic Bishops formally embraced Pope Francis' call for a better kind of politics. It remains most relevant, and we hope that all of the mission aligned organizations below will join the Thriving America movement.]

Our informal leadership network is committed to empowering #BelovedCommunity, and to uniting and supporting myriad intersecting movements, including:

1. The #CaringCulture movement (e.g., Karen Armstong's vision for Compassionate Communities; Bobby Austin's #PublicKinship vision; The Catholic Church's call for Loving Our Neighbor through Dialogue);

2. The Ecological Civilization movement (e.g. Institute for Ecological Civilization, National Religious Partners for the Environment; Catholic Climate Covenant).

3. The movement for an "Economy of Well Being" (WIN Network; Healthcare Anchor Network), and the aligned Asset Based Community Development movement (e.g., Christian Community Development Association, Parish Collective, ABCD Institute)

4. The Focolare Movement's vision for a Spirituality, Politics and Economy of Communion

Pope Francis' Oct 3, 2020 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, is a powerful exhortation for Public Kinship and a #CaringCulture: http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html

Civilize It is a Catholic led movement centered on "Loving Our Neighbor Through Dialogue", and on "Building a Better Kind of Politics". It embraces Fratelli Tutti.

The (&) Campaign is a Protestant led movement to catalyze faithful civic engagement.

Integrating those two Faithful Citizenship movements into an inclusive Compassionate Citizenship movement is the #CaringCulture plank of our mission.

There are already thousands of organizations working on cultural, political and economic transformation, including over 500 organizations who are affiliated with the following three hubs:

1. #CaringCulture: #ListenFirst Coalition

2. #WiserDemocracy: Bridge Alliance Network

3. #CaringEconomy: New Economy Coalition

Because so much of our deeply divided nation is related to the divide within the Christian Church (with which 62% of Americans identify), there is an ecumenical dimension of our mission, which centers on inviting all the participating communions at Christian Churches Together (representing around 110 million "Unity Christians") to "empower #BelovedCommunity" in their neighborhoods.

Inviting Christians to come together, across political and theological divisions, to pursue the Common Good reflects our commitment to Missional Ecumenism, a movement to unite Christians who believe that "the love of Jesus might exceed all divisions".

Our vision is #BelovedCommunity, globally.

Our mission is #BelovedCommunity in America.

Our invitation is to ALL Americans, to co-create an America that works for ALL.