The Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS) is a global interdisciplinary research center and publisher of the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Stanford PACS develops and shares knowledge to improve philanthropy, strengthen civil society, and address societal challenges. 

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The Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS) is a global interdisciplinary research center and publisher of the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR). Stanford PACS develops and shares knowledge to improve philanthropy, strengthen civil society, and address societal challenges. 

Addressing Toxic Polarization Requires Heart-level Spiritual Solutions 

Member for

12 years 11 months
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Amy Ferguson
Cover Photo
Book stack
First Name
Amy
Last Name
Ferguson
Biography

I am part of a web of writers, editors, videographers, communicators, and ambassadors who help shine a light on how we can all contribute to a loving world. For me this comes through in three simple words: reveal, serve, and inspire. It means researching, listening, sleuthing, writing, connecting, and conspiring for good. 

Our teachers in this work are numerous. I have learned so much from others' fine "translations" of the need for love in our world--epidemiologists, neuroscientists, and public health specialists, artists, clergy, and various lifelong practitioners of compassion--who carry this work into realms of our social life like schools, prisons, and law enforcement circles.

My background is deep in the humanities, and my family tree is of full Catholics (faithful and lapsed), skeptics, and librarians. I have a master's degree in literature and am drawn to volunteer with arts-related organizations and projects. 


 

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“We are all born with 200 bad poems in us.”  —Billy Collins

Job Title
Internal Communications Officer
Cover Caption
Selections from the We the People Book Club.
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Staff Department
Email
aferguson@fetzer.org

The results are in! Fetzer is excited to share news of 25 interventions that can help strengthen American democracy. This work, the Strengthening Democracy Challenge, took place over the past few years in a project we co-funded with our allies to support Stanford University’s Polarization and Social Change Lab. The challenge was designed to identify ways to