ORLANDO – Heart of Florida United Way recently announced a new partnership with Central Florida Public Media to extend the “One Small Step” initiative through and beyond Black History Month in February. The intent of the initiative is to bring seemingly different people together to find common ground through poignant conversations.
“We believe that these conversations capture the essence of what it means to LIVE UNITED,” said Jeff Hayward, President & CEO, Heart of Florida United Way. “We might not always agree or be precisely aligned, but what is always important is to keep an open mind, respect for difference of opinion, and civil dialog to broaden your own perspective.”
One Small Step, originally sponsored by StoryCorps, is based on contact theory, which states that a meaningful interaction between people with opposing views can help turn “thems” into “us-es.” Its scientific and systematic approach is supported by a group of advisors that include scientists, researchers, and psychologists. Since its launch in 2018 nearly 5,000 people across 40 states have participated in a One Small Step conversation.
“We brought ‘One Small Step’ to Central Florida because it embodies our vision to provide a safe but challenging space to broaden our understanding of each other and the world,” said Judith Smelser, President & General Manager of Central Florida Public Media. “Our partnership with Heart of Florida United Way allows us to extend this powerful initiative, and we hope more community partners will join us in working toward the shared goal of a more united Central Florida.” In addition to airing recordings focused on finding common ground and shared humanity, Heart of Florida United Way and Central Florida Public Media offered a guided panel discussion as part of the event Know Your Place: Film & Community Conversation on Friday, Feb. 7 at the Orange County Multicultural Center at 5:30 p.m. The film produced by Heart of Florida United Way highlights memories from the not-too-distant past according to prominent Central Floridians who experienced discrimination, segregation and bias.
For more information about Heart of Florida United Way, visit www.HFUW.org. To learn more about Central Florida Public Media or One Small Step, visit www.cfpublic.org.
