After 75 citizens attended the first 3 Practices event Jan. 30 at Edmonds Community College — aimed at helping participants rise above their differences — event organizers promised a second event Feb. 13. But due to ongoing weather challenges, that event has been rescheduled to Saturday, Feb. 23.

The 3 Practices is a methodology that individuals, schools, businesses and religious leaders are using to help people cross the difference divide. The event begins at 2 p.m. Feb. 23 at Edmonds United Methodist Church, 828 Caspers Street. It is offered free to the community by sponsors Lynnwood Today, the Campbell Auto Group, Edmonds United Methodist Church, Jim Henderson Presents and the Tiny Company Called Me.

While attendees will learn general principles to facilitate a respectful conversation on any topic, the Feb. 23 event will focus on a particular subject of recent interest not only locally but nationally: “Racism: As American As Apple Pie, Or Not.”

The facilitators are Jim Henderson and Jim Hancock, co-creators of The 3 Practice Group Method.

They will explain what makes the 3 Practices work, and then quickly dive into modeling a group so that those attending can witness the process firsthand. Following this opening round, attendees will have the opportunity to respond, ask questions, and then try their hand at the first of the 3 Practices: “I’ll be unusually interested in others.” The event will wrap up with audience observations about the issues discussed.

Since 2016, over 40 of these 3 Practice events have been presented on hot topics of the day, including immigration, politics, race, diversity, gun control and economic inequity.

“I look forward to personally participating in this training with readers as well as the broader community, and to coming away with some new skills for having civil discussions,” said MLTnews publisher Teresa Wippel.

The mission of 3 Practices co-founder Jim Henderson is to address the civility crisis facing our community and our nation:

-Friends and families are finding it hard to stay in the room with each other.
-Business owners are at a loss as to how to handle political disagreement between employees
-Schools are struggling to find models to offer their students on how to share common ground.

“That gap between ideological opponents is what we call the difference divide,” Henderson said. “Our mission is to help people acquire the tools to cross that divide without abandoning their views.”