Ideas How to change minds and find common ground
Dec 17, 2025
Anike Mirkater, a human rights lawyer advocating for marginalized communities in Southern Africa, Marcela Sanchez Buitrago, co-founder of Colombia Diversa focusing on LGBTQ+ rights, and Yael Burda from A Land for All, promoting Israeli-Palestinian cooperation, share powerful insights. They discuss the barriers to changing entrenched mindsets, the importance of listening, and the impactful dialogues they've had across their regions. Learn how personal stories, values framing, and perseverance can foster empathy and bridge divides in polarized societies.
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Pluralism Requires Sustained Work
- Pluralism is an antidote to polarization that requires sustained legal, political and social work.
- Turning pluralism from rhetoric into lived reality demands courage and long-term reform.
Victims And Ex-Combatants Sat Together
- Marcela recounted bringing demobilized FARC members and victims together during the Colombian peace process.
- They discovered shared victimhood and began to see each other beyond roles as perpetrator or victim.
Court Wins Changed Policing Practices
- Anike described challenging vagrancy laws across multiple African countries through public cases and judge-led dialogue.
- Successful rulings spread regionally and changed police practices and public perceptions of poverty.