We are living in a moment where connection feels harder and more necessary than ever.

Across Colorado and the country, people are feeling the weight of division. Not just political division, but fragmentation across geography, identity, profession, and lived experience. Many of us sense it in our workplaces, our communities, and even within our own relationships.

It feels like most of the spaces we inhabit today are not designed to bring us together; but rather they are designed to group us with people who already think like us.

Research from the National Civic League points to an important distinction. Most of the spaces we operate in are bonding spaces, not bridging ones. Bonding spaces bring together people with shared identities, beliefs, or goals. They build trust and belonging but they can also reinforce echo chambers.

In today’s environment, that bonding can become toxic. Identity gets shaped not just by who we are, but by who we are against. This fuels polarization, defensiveness, and a growing inability to solve shared problems. More and more, people are motivated by opposition rather than by a commitment to solutions.

If bonding spaces are not enough, what is going to connect us? Bridging spaces.

These are spaces intentionally designed to bring people together across difference, sector, perspectives, and lived experience. With the mission not to erase disagreement, but to create the conditions to work through it.

Martín Carcasson, a CSU professor and a partner in CiviCO’s work, has been clear about the idea that communities need more bridging institutions. Without them, we lose trust, we lose collaboration, and we lose our ability to make progress on the issues that matter most. I strongly recommend you read his blog here.

OK, D.J. the bridge needs to be built…so what? Because, we all know, bridging does not just happen. It requires design, facilitation, shared expectations, and a willingness to choose curiosity over certainty.

Right now, that kind of infrastructure is missing from the landscape.

We have networking events. We can go to conferences. We have spaces to exchange ideas. But, we have very few spaces designed to do something harder: Build trust across difference while working on real challenges, together.

This gap is not theoretical. It shows up in real people, making real decisions about their lives and their communities.

I’ll give you an example of this gap showing up in someone I’ve met in my work at CiviCO, and who continues to ask big questions.

Jack is 28. He has a great job and getting raises and promotions as planned. From the outside, everything is on track. He and his wife always assumed they would move back home to Cincinnati when they had kids. Colorado has been an amazing place for adventure, but is it where you build a life? Is it where you raise a family?

Jack works in commercial real estate, but he has a growing pull toward something more. He keeps asking questions about housing in Denver: What does it mean to invest here? What does it mean to invest in others? How do you contribute to something like affordable housing in a way that actually matters?

And maybe the most important question: Who do you ask for support when you want to do big, civic things?

Without a community of people who care about this state and are wrestling with the same challenges, it’s hard to imagine where to even start.

The more Jack and his wife continue to talk, they are clear that Colorado is home. They want to stay. They want to help.

We need spaces where that can happen.

Spaces where people like Jack can wrestle with big questions alongside others. Spaces where choosing to invest in Colorado feels possible, not isolating. Spaces where impact is not just a word, but something you can define, shape, and pursue together.

Because the questions Jack is asking are the ones many people are quietly carrying.

• What does it mean to make an impact?
• What does that actually look like?
• What do I need to get started?
• Who do I do it with?

This is why we are launching Impact Forum.

Impact Forum is designed to be a bridging space for leaders across Colorado. A place where people from different sectors, backgrounds, and perspectives can come together not just to connect, but to work. To think. To challenge each other. To grow.

It is for people who care about this state. Who want to do more than succeed individually. Who are asking how their work connects to something larger.

Inside Impact Forum, the goal is not agreement, it’s capacity.

The capacity to listen before reacting.
To stay grounded in purpose.
To navigate tension without shutting down.
To build trust with people who see the world differently.

If we want a stronger Colorado that is more connected, more collaborative, and more capable of tackling our toughest challenges, then we need more people who can do that.

We need more bridging spaces.

This moment does not call for more noise. It calls for better spaces. We need to now create the spaces where people can show up honestly, listen deeply, and do the hard work of building something together.

And as I’ve lead you through this, I’ll admit…we don’t know exactly how to build this space. We do have a vast array of working genius to draw on and have a pretty good idea, however, we’re hoping you’ll co-create it with us. Help us create a spaces where someone like Jack does not have to figure it out alone. Spaces where choosing to invest in Colorado becomes a shared decision, not an individual burden.

That is what Impact Forum is about.

And the big questions lay in front of us: If you want to make an impact, what do you need? And, who do you need to do it with?

We do know it starts with invitation. Please join us for our pilot of impact forum on April 14th from 9:00am-10:30am at the Alliance Center in Denver. You can REGISTER HERE