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Empowerment Congress Praxis Excerpt: Across Southern California, people are facing big questions—about homelessness, safety, trust, and how we care for one another in uncertain times. And more than anything, people are looking for space: a place to talk, to listen, and to reconnect. That’s what Days of Dialogue has always been about. For decades, we’ve brought together community members, youth, elders, elected leaders, faith groups, business owners—anyone who wants to be part of a real conversation. We create neutral, welcoming spaces where people can share their stories, hear different perspectives, and begin imagining solutions together. Now, we’re expanding that work in a big way. We’re rolling out new dialogues focused specifically on homelessness—helping communities sort through what they’re experiencing, what they’re worried about, and what support they need. These conversations offer: Safe, supported spaces for open and honest discussion Shared resources and information people can actually use Community connections that strengthen support networks Tools for understanding, resilience, and collaboration A guided process that helps people engage across differences And homelessness is only one of the issues emerging in our rooms. We’re preparing new dialogues on youth voices, racial equity, immigration, AI ethics, and other challenges shaping daily life across Southern California. Every session reminds us of something simple but powerful: people want—and need to be heard. Dialogue In Action is our way of sharing what we’re seeing in the room, what communities are asking for, and how we’re showing up to support conversations that bring people together. We’re grateful to have you with us as this work grows.

Empowerment Congress Praxis Excerpt: Across communities nationwide, homelessness has become one of the most visible and misunderstood manifestations of systemic failure. Rising housing costs, strained social services, mental health gaps, and economic instability have converged to create a crisis that is no longer peripheral—it is central to how we understand equity, dignity, and public responsibility. At the same time, conversations about homelessness have grown increasingly polarized. Too often, public discourse is shaped by fear, frustration, and misinformation rather than by lived experience, shared humanity, or collaborative problem-solving. This is precisely why structured, facilitated dialogues on homelessness are more important now than ever. Dialogue Creates Understanding Where Debate Creates Division Homelessness is not a single-issue problem, and it cannot be addressed through slogans, soundbites, or one-size-fits-all solutions. Dialogue offers something fundamentally different from debate: space for listening, reflection, and complexity. Well-designed homelessness dialogues bring together people with lived experience, service providers, policymakers, community members, and advocates to: Humanize an issue often reduced to statistics Surface perspectives that are rarely heard or valued Build empathy across lines of difference Identify shared concerns and overlapping goals When people are invited into conversation—not confrontation—they are more likely to shift from judgment to curiosity, from resistance to responsibility. Centering Lived Experience Is Essential One of the most critical elements of homelessness dialogues is the intentional inclusion of people who have experienced housing insecurity themselves. Too often, decisions about homelessness are made about people rather than with them. Dialogue creates space for lived experience to inform understanding, challenge assumptions, and guide more effective, humane responses. It reminds participants that homelessness is not an identity—it is a condition shaped by systems, policies, and circumstances that can affect anyone. Dialogue Strengthens Community Capacity Homelessness can leave communities feeling overwhelmed and fragmented—residents frustrated, providers burned out, and leaders under pressure. Dialogue helps restore a sense of collective agency. Through facilitated conversations, communities can: Identify barriers to coordination and trust Clarify roles between systems and grassroots efforts Explore collaborative approaches instead of siloed responses Rebuild civic connection and shared responsibility Dialogue does not replace policy or services—but it strengthens the social fabric required for solutions to take hold. Demonstrated Impact The effectiveness of dialogue-driven approaches is reflected in the work of Days of Dialogue, whose community-based homelessness conversations have helped foster trust, deepen understanding, and support collaboration between residents, service providers, and civic leaders. The INVLA Impact Report (2025) highlights measurable outcomes from these dialogues, including increased participant understanding, strengthened cross-sector relationships, and clearer pathways for continued engagement and action. 📎 Impact Report:https://daysofdialogue.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/INVLA-Impact-report-2025digital.pdf These results underscore that dialogue is not symbolic—it is a practical, scalable tool for strengthening communities and informing more effective responses to homelessness. Why Now We are living in a moment marked by heightened inequality, social isolation, and declining trust in institutions. Homelessness sits at the intersection of these challenges. Ignoring it—or addressing it without community engagement—deepens division and erodes public will. Now is the time to invest in spaces that slow us down, bring us together, and remind us of our shared humanity. Homelessness dialogues are not a “soft” intervention; they are a foundational strategy for building understanding, resilience, and more effective action. For Praxis, supporting homelessness dialogues is not only about responding to an urgent social issue—it is about strengthening democracy, elevating lived experience, and creating conditions where collective solutions can emerge. At their core, these dialogues ask a simple but transformative question:What becomes possible when we truly listen to one another?

Empowerment Congress Praxis Excerpt: As we begin 2026, Days of Dialogue/INVLA is deepening its focus on dialogues centered on homelessness and unhoused experiences—bringing together service providers, frontline staff, community members, and residents to engage in meaningful conversation. Recent dialogues reinforced what many already sense: homelessness is not a single issue with a single solution. It sits at the intersection of housing access, mental health, substance use, policy, funding, safety, and human dignity. These realities affect not only individuals experiencing homelessness, but also the systems and people working to support them, as well as the broader communities in which we all live. What stood out most was the value of dialogue itself. Dialogue created space for honest reflection, shared understanding, and connection across roles and perspectives that rarely sit together. For service providers and staff, it offered validation, reduced isolation, and an opportunity to step back from daily urgency to reflect on purpose, limits, and sustainability. For community members and residents, it opened pathways to deeper understanding, empathy, and more constructive engagement with complex and often polarizing issues. These conversations do not aim to debate or assign blame. Instead, they create conditions for listening, learning, and collaboration—helping participants move beyond assumptions and toward shared responsibility. In the months ahead, we aim to expand homelessness and unhoused-focused dialogues across multiple settings: Dialogues for service providers and frontline staff Dialogues for community members and residents Mixed dialogues that bring systems and community voices together We believe sustained dialogue is essential to building trust, strengthening systems, and fostering more humane, informed responses to homelessness. More insights, themes, and next-step initiatives will be shared in upcoming reports and reflections. For now, we invite partners, organizations, and communities to join us in continuing these conversations—because addressing homelessness requires not only services and solutions, but space for people to be heard.

Empowerment Congress Praxis Excerpt: Days of Dialogue: Homelessness Series Homelessness is not a single-issue crisis. It is the visible intersection of housing instability, economic pressure, behavioral health gaps, systemic inequities, and fragmented public systems. Across Los Angeles and communities nationwide, we are seeing not only an increase in need—but a growing strain on the systems and people working to respond. At the same time, the public conversation around homelessness is becoming more polarized. Frustration is rising. Narratives are hardening. And too often, the complexity of human experience is reduced to statistics, assumptions, or simplified solutions that fail to reflect the realities on the ground. This is why dialogue is not peripheral to the work—it is central to it. Dialogue creates the conditions for something increasingly rare: the ability to slow down, listen across roles and experiences, and engage complexity without immediately moving to judgment or position-taking. It is where policy meets lived experience, where service providers connect with one another beyond silos, and where leadership can hear directly from those navigating the systems they design. Through recent Days of Dialogue sessions focused on homelessness, several themes continue to emerge: – The human toll on those doing the work is significant.– There is a persistent gap between system design and lived experience.– Collaboration is widely valued—but difficult to operationalize.– People want to be heard, not just engaged. Dialogue does not replace policy, funding, or direct services. It strengthens them. When we create space for structured, facilitated dialogue, we begin to surface insights that data alone cannot capture. We build shared understanding across sectors. We identify points of friction and opportunity. And importantly, we support the people doing this work—offering space to reflect, connect, and recalibrate in the face of ongoing pressure. In this moment, solutions to homelessness require more than technical fixes. They require alignment—across systems, organizations, and communities. They require leadership that can hold complexity, navigate tension, and remain grounded in both strategy and humanity. Dialogue is part of that infrastructure. It is how we move from fragmentation to coordination.From assumption to understanding.From parallel efforts to shared progress. The path forward will not be simple. But if we are willing to listen—to truly listen—we create the possibility for solutions that are not only effective, but enduring. Invitation to Engage We invite you to continue this work with us on April 8th at our upcoming Days of Dialogue session, held as part of the Season of Nonviolence. This gathering will bring together leaders, practitioners, and community members for a facilitated conversation designed to deepen understanding, strengthen connections, and explore meaningful pathways forward—together.   Join us: https://forms.gle/EzRJtSaAU75YdRyf6

Empowerment Congress Praxis Excerpt: Days of Dialogue: Homelessness Series The Power of Dialogue: Voices from the RoomBy Anne Sawyer Our recent Day of Dialogue, held as part of the Season of Nonviolence, brought together over 100 participants across sectors, backgrounds, and generations. What stood out most wasn’t just what was discussed—but what was felt, heard, and experienced. Voices from the Room: “I heard perspectives I had never considered before.” “This reminded me how important it is to listen, not just respond.” “I didn’t expect to feel this connected to people so different from me.” “This gave me hope—real conversations are still possible.” “I felt safe enough to share honestly, and that doesn’t happen often.” “We didn’t agree on everything, but we understood each other more.” “I’m leaving thinking differently than when I walked in.” “This is the kind of space we need more of in our communities.” Across the room, people experienced new awareness, deeper understanding, and genuine human connection. These weren’t surface-level conversations—these were real exchanges that challenged assumptions and opened the door to something more. A Key Insight: Intergenerational Dialogue MattersOne of the most powerful elements was the opportunity for youth and adults to engage together. Not in separate conversations, but side by side. This kind of intergenerational exchange deepens learning, strengthens relationships, and ensures this work continues forward. Why It MattersDialogue is more than conversation—it is a catalyst for connection and change. When people feel heard, something shifts. And when that shift happens across a room, it creates the conditions for broader impact.

Empowerment Congress Praxis Excerpt: Days of Dialogue: Homelessness Series Supporting Communities Through Conversations on Homelessness Communities across Southern California are facing growing questions about homelessness, safety, and how we care for one another. The Praxis Series creates space for honest conversation, shared understanding, and connection across differences. We are expanding this work with three focused dialogue tracks: Staff Dialogues: Facilitated sessions for city, county, nonprofit, and frontline teams. These conversations help staff reflect, strengthen communication, and build tools for resilience as they support individuals experiencing homelessness. Service-Provider & Systems Dialogues: Neutral spaces for organizations working in housing, outreach, mental health, workforce development, and community safety. Partners come together to align, surface challenges, and explore collaborative solutions. Community Dialogues (Housed & Unhoused Participants): Inclusive conversations that bring residents together — including individuals currently experiencing homelessness — to share lived experience, reduce stigma, and build understanding. Why This Matters These dialogues create space for two essential outcomes: Discovery: Participants gain a clearer understanding of what’s happening in their community, how systems work, and what challenges staff, providers, and residents are navigating. Resource Sharing: Sessions connect people to practical information, supportive services, and one another — helping communities move from confusion to clarity and from isolation to access. Together, discovery and resource-sharing give communities what they need to respond with insight, empathy, and meaningful action. Learn more at daysofdialogue.org.

Empowerment Congress Praxis Excerpt: Across Los Angeles, conversations about homelessness are often loud, polarized, and reactive. But inside Days of Dialogue sessions, something different is happening. People are slowing down long enough to listen. Over the past several months, Days of Dialogue has facilitated homelessness-focused conversations with community members, service providers, staff teams, advocates, and individuals with lived experience. Alongside these dialogues, participants completed pre- and post-dialogue surveys designed to better understand perceptions, concerns, emotional responses, and shifts in understanding. The results tell an important story. Before entering dialogue, many participants described feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, uncertain, or emotionally exhausted by the complexity of homelessness in Los Angeles. Participants consistently expressed a desire to better understand systemic causes, hear directly from others with different experiences, and identify practical ways to support solutions rather than deepen division. What emerged during the dialogues was equally significant. Post-dialogue surveys reflected measurable shifts in how participants experienced one another and the issue itself. Many participants reported: Increased understanding of the human impact of homelessness Greater empathy across different lived experiences Feeling heard and respected during difficult conversations Reduced isolation and defensiveness Increased willingness to collaborate across sectors and perspectives Participants repeatedly emphasized that the structure of facilitated dialogue mattered. Small-group conversations created space for honesty without escalation. People spoke not only about policy and systems, but about fear, grief, burnout, hope, safety, dignity, and belonging. Frontline staff discussed emotional fatigue and the challenges of navigating fragmented systems. Community members voiced frustration and compassion simultaneously. Individuals with lived experience spoke about invisibility, resilience, and the importance of being seen as human beings rather than statistics. One theme surfaced again and again: People want spaces where complexity can be held without immediately turning into conflict. The surveys also reinforced something Days of Dialogue continues to witness across communities: dialogue itself is not the solution to homelessness — but it is essential infrastructure for creating solutions together. Without trust, listening, and shared understanding, even well-intentioned systems struggle to move forward. These dialogues are helping communities move beyond assumptions and toward connection, collaboration, and informed action. They are creating opportunities for discovery, resource sharing, relationship building, and civic engagement at a time when many people feel disconnected from both institutions and one another. The work ahead remains urgent. But the surveys remind us that when people are invited into thoughtfully facilitated conversations, meaningful shifts are possible. And sometimes, the first step toward solving complex challenges is making space to truly hear each other.

by Anja Williams At a moment when images of violence dominate the news cycle — abroad and at home — a group of nearly 90 community members, faith leaders, and civic organizers chose a different kind of gathering. On April 8th, just four days after the 58th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., they came together at Center of Hope Community Church in Inglewood, California — not to protest, not to demonstrate, but to talk. The occasion was part of Institute of Non-Violence Los Angeles (INVLA)’s Season of Nonviolence — an ongoing leadership dialogue series calling community leaders to examine and approach their work through the lens of nonviolence. Setting the tone, INVLA dialogue facilitator and host Sharon Sheldon grounded the room in the gravity of the occasion, underscoring what King demonstrated: that nonviolence is not a sentiment. It is a method. The full idea is nonviolent direct action. It means seeing what needs to change, naming it, and demanding it — with the courage to stand in the discomfort of stepping out and the backlash that may follow. Nonviolence governs the response to that backlash with the refusal to retaliate and the resolve to absorb what comes without becoming what you are fighting against. King’s letter from a Birmingham jail cell to clergy who agreed with him in principle about injustice but urged him to wait for it to manifest— modeled in the very act of letter writing exactly what he was calling others to do. Unapologetically create change through nonviolence. That method worked against the British salt monopoly that burdened the poor in Gandhi’s India. It worked against Jim Crow in King’s America. It works now —because it is grounded in love. And love doesn’t have an expiration date.  In his book We Are the Leaders We Are Looking For, Dr. Eddie Glaude — Princeton professor of African American studies and religion — makes the case plainly: we cannot wait for another King. The leaders this moment demands are already here. We are them. And we need each other. Nonviolent direct action only works in community — because no single person has the full picture, and no single voice can name every form of harm or carry every call for change. That is why dialogue matters. When diverse voices — generationally, racially, culturally, religiously —come together in the same room, something happens that cannot happen alone. People build on one another’s ideas. They name ills that might otherwise go unseen. They collaborate on solutions and identify what they are calling forward. They ensure that no part of the community is left out of the picture. The more complete the picture, the more honest and powerful the response. INVLA creates that space. It is not the organization that marches or legislates — it creates the conditions that make those things possible. Whether corrective action needs to be directed inward toward community and the culture or outward toward institutions and systems, it must be rooted in collective awareness first. We cannot strategize around a problem the community hasn’t fully named. We cannot organize around an injustice the community hasn’t collectively seen. The tools exist. The method has been proven. The leaders are already here. That is what April 8th was building toward. Not the finish line. The starting point. Featured in LA Focus News

Anne Sawyer learned early that conflict was not something distant or abstract. Growing up in California in a family of lawyers, she was surrounded by disagreement, negotiation, and strong perspectives. As a child, she did not yet have the tools to make sense of those dynamics, but she felt their presence deeply. “Curiosity and fear of conflict was inhabiting anything I could see,” she recalls. Over time, that initial fear began to shift into something else. What started as discomfort evolved into a deeper curiosity, not just about individual disagreements, but about the systems that shape them. Her professional path did not begin in peacebuilding. Instead, it started in the legal world, where she worked first as a legal secretary, then as a paralegal, and eventually as a law firm administrator. For 15 to 20 years, she built a career grounded in structure, procedure, and the mechanics of legal conflict. But something about the process felt incomplete. The systems were designed to resolve disputes, yet they did not always create understanding. A turning point came when she became connected with Pepperdine University through a private sector project. There, she was introduced to mediation. “I dove right into this new field of conflict resolution,” she says. What she found was not just a new career path, but a language for something she had been navigating her entire life. “In a way, I’ve been mediating my whole life.” Anne went on to become deeply involved in the field, eventually serving as Executive Director of the Southern California Mediation Association (SCMA) and past president of Kids Managing Conflict, which is the foundation of SCMA. During that time, her work continued to evolve beyond formal roles. “From there I connected with Days of Dialogue and Avis Ridley Thomas to facilitate civic dialogues as part of my volunteer practice,” she says. Her experience expanded across mediation, facilitation, and leadership, always circling back to one core idea: conflict is not something to avoid, but something to engage with thoughtfully. Her approach was further shaped by personal reflection. “I wasn’t given the skillsets as a child on how to deal with conflict,” she explains. That realization became a driving force in her work. Rather than focusing solely on resolving disputes, she began to emphasize the importance of creating environments where people feel safe enough to have honest conversations. For Anne, peacebuilding is about the conditions that make understanding possible. “Peace is the presence of trust, dignity and the ability to communicate.” Today, her work sits at the intersection of leadership, dialogue, and mediation. After years of traditional mediation practice, her career shifted again during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many in her field, she found the isolation and intensity of that period challenging. At the same time, the murder of George Floyd sparked a wave of public dialogue and community engagement. Anne’s connection to this work, however, began much earlier. “I was involved with Days and INVLA at the beginning of my mediation career,” she explains. When the pandemic hit, that involvement deepened. “It accelerated and I began consulting Days in 2020 when we needed to transition the dialogue process online.” What followed was an intense period of adaptation and growth. “I moderated over 200 virtual dialogues in 2020–2021 and that has become just another pathway to the process,” she says. That period reinforced her belief that structured dialogue spaces are essential, especially in moments of crisis. It also pushed her to think more broadly about systems and scale. She began exploring how technology, including AI, could intersect with conflict resolution, and how large-scale issues like homelessness could be approached through dialogue and systems thinking. Her current work reflects that evolution. She now runs a consultancy practice focused on leadership and facilitation, and recently launched a new initiative called the Affinity Alliance. The passion project of hers aims to build a community for facilitators, mediators, and leaders, offering resources and shared spaces for those doing this work. At its core is a belief that peacebuilding cannot happen in isolation. It requires networks, collaboration, and sustained support. The day-to-day reality of her work is anything but predictable. “No two days look the same for me,” she says. The challenges shift constantly, requiring flexibility and responsiveness. “I’ve learned to pivot.” Whether she is facilitating a dialogue, designing a process, or advising leaders, the ability to adapt is essential. As her work continues to evolve, she is also thinking more expansively about its reach. “I’m increasingly focused on how large-scale systems, like homelessness or emerging technologies, require new forms of dialogue and coordination,” she explains. At the same time, she is candid about the emotional demands of the work. “We are all challenged right now,” she says, referring to peacebuilders and facilitators working in increasingly complex environments. Supporting people through vulnerability requires care, structure, and intention. “Taking care of humans is hard work.” For Anne, this makes collaboration not just beneficial, but necessary. Her approach to facilitation is deliberately open. Rather than imposing rigid structures, she emphasizes the importance of showing up and listening. “You just have to plan to show up and listen and give them the space to be heard,” she explains. This means approaching conversations without predetermined outcomes and creating space for diverse voices. “Anyone can come and have this conversation.” That inclusivity is central to how she understands effective peacebuilding. “They’re imperative and valuable, we need diversity of experiences,” she says, referring to youth, women, and marginalized groups. Without that diversity, dialogue remains incomplete. “You can’t have good dialogue or peacebuilding conversation unless you have all voices.” Her definition of success is not tied to resolution in the traditional sense. Instead, it is rooted in moments of transformation, however small. “I love when I see the light switch on for people,” she says. These moments, when someone reaches a new understanding simply by listening, are what sustain her work. Measuring impact, however, requires a broader lens. Anne looks beyond individual conversations to the larger context. “Watching the news and listening to what is happening, local dynamics, histories, politics,” she explains. Each community is different, and understanding those differences is essential. “No two communities are the same.” For her, it is not just about the people in the room, but the frameworks

By Sharon L. Shelton and Anja Williams Avis Ridley-Thomas with INVLA  Dialogue Practitioners who facilitated table conversations LOS ANGELES — More than 100 leaders from across Los Angeles County gathered on April 8, 2026, at the Center of Hope for the Season of Nonviolence Leadership Dialogue, a powerful convening focused on advancing nonviolence as a year-round practice for community safety and leadership. Hosted by the Institute for Nonviolence Los Angeles (INVLA) and its Days of Dialogue, the event marked the conclusion of the National Season of Nonviolence (January–April), a period inspired by the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. But organizers were clear: this gathering was not about reflection alone—it was about action. “Nonviolence is not a moment. It is a method. It is a leadership practice” emphasized Sharon Shelton, emcee and dialogue practitioner. That message grounded the morning as leaders from public agencies, nonprofit organizations, faith communities, and grassroots groups came together in a shared space to engage, listen, and collaborate. The dialogue featured opening reflections from community and civic leaders, including Avis Ridley-Thomas, founder and Executive Director of INVLA and Days of Dialogue; Pastor Geremy Dixon, Center of Hope, Board Chair of United Faith Coalition and dialogue host, Dr. Breeda McGrath, President of Pacific Oaks College and Children’s School; Rhea MAC of the Empowerment Congress; and Dr. Mark Ridley-Thomas, founder of the Empowerment Congress and former Los Angeles City Councilmember and County Supervisor. Dialogue host and Center of Hope Pastor, Geremy Dixon Together, they emphasized the need for leadership rooted in trust, accountability, and community voice—especially in a time when many communities are facing ongoing challenges related to safety, equity, and opportunity. The dialogue honored the enduring legacies of Dr. King and Gandhi leaders who demonstrated that nonviolence is not passive, but an active and disciplined approach to addressing injustice and building stronger communities. Unlike traditional events, this convening was intentionally designed as a participatory dialogue. Attendees engaged in facilitated small-group discussions, reflecting on what nonviolence means in their daily lives, where challenges exist, and how communities can move forward together. At the heart of the gathering was a powerful idea: dialogue itself is a form of nonviolence. That is why dialogue matters. When diverse voices — generationally, racially, culturally, religiously — come together in the same room, something happens that cannot happen alone. People build on one another’s ideas. They name ills that might otherwise go unseen. They collaborate on solutions and identify what they are calling forward. They ensure that no part of the community is left out of the picture. The more complete the picture, the more honest and powerful the response. Through structured conversation, participants practiced listening across differences, building understanding, and identifying shared solutions. This approach, developed through INVLA’s Days of Dialogue model, positions dialogue as a tool for prevention, relationship-building, and collaborative leadership. Dialogue in action The event also highlighted the continued growth of the Leadership Dialogue Systems Initiative, an effort to embed dialogue into organizations and institutions as a way to strengthen alignment, reduce conflict, and support long-term community impact. As the session concluded, participants shared key insights during a full-group discussion, lifting up themes of trust, connection, and the need for sustained engagement beyond a single gathering. The message was clear: the Season of Nonviolence may end, but the work must continue. INVLA and its partners are now calling on leaders across Los Angeles to take the next step—by joining ongoing dialogue efforts, bringing these practices into their organizations, and committing to nonviolence as a daily leadership discipline. That is what April 8th was building toward. Not the finish line. The starting point. L-R Sharon Shelton Emcee, INVLA Partners – Paul Beck Board Chair  NewGround, Dr. Breeda McGrath President Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School, Avis Ridley-Thomas, INVLA Executive Director, Dr. Mark Ridley-Thomas Empowerment Congress Founder and INVLA Senior Advisor “Nonviolence does not begin with action. It begins with our willingness to come together, to tell the truth about what we see, and to decide–together–what must change and how that change unfolds.“ – Avis Ridley-Thomas, INVLA Founder To learn more or get involved, visit:www.daysofdialogue.org About INVLA Days of Dialogue The Institute for Nonviolence Los Angeles (INVLA) Days of Dialogue convenes cross-sector leaders to advance nonviolence as a strategy for community safety, institutional trust, and collaborative governance through structured dialogue and leadership engagement.