An editorial titled Civil discussions on big issues are occurring in Jacksonville as part of a national program was published March 1, 2020 in the Florida Times-Union on Jacksonville.com. The editorial by the Florida Times-Union editorial board describes some of the National Issues Forums (NIF) work that veteran forum convener, Gregg Kaufman is doing in the Jacksonville area as part of the Hidden Common Ground initiative.

From the editorial:

In a world dominated by insults, powered by social media on smart phones, there are civil discussions taking place.

These discussions invite differences but they don’t end in arguments.

They take on big topics that seem impossible to solve. At the end of 60 to 90 minutes some consensus often emerges, but agreement is not demanded.

The discussions are taking place in Jacksonville and across the nation.

A major sponsor is the Kettering Foundation, a nonprofit that has developed this format of civil conversations.

The Rev. Gregg Kaufman, a retired Lutheran minister, has been leading these discussions locally.

In the last year, the Kettering Foundation has joined forces with Public Agenda’s opinion research, the National Issues Forum Institute and USA Today. They are holding National Issues Forums for a project titled “Hidden Common Ground.”

Click here to read the full editorial.