The Five Principles

 

When an organization joins the Bridge Alliance, they agree to adhere to The Five Principles. These Principles set the tone for the Alliance -- emphasizing basic principles of civic engagement and healthy democratic practice.

Perhaps most importantly, the Five Principles state that Bridge Alliance members are committed to collaboration and supporting each others' missions. The Bridge Alliance was founded on the idea that we can accomplish more together than we can on our own, and we ask each of our member organizations to operate according to that philosophy.

That does not mean that each member organization agrees with all of the solutions or decisions of the other member organizations. In fact, the Bridge Alliance explicitly declines to endorse any individual solution. It does, however, require a basic respect for each other, a willingness to engage, and an interest in collaborating when it makes sense.

The Five Principles are as follows

(1) Embracing Our Differences: We recognize that the richness of the American identity is due to our ability to accept our differences and embrace our cultural, ethnic, racial, and political diversity with dignity.

(2) Collaboration: Our country is stronger when we work together constructively to meet the challenges we face.

(3) Citizen Voice: Our country is well represented when informed citizens are active in the political and social processes.

(4) Solutions: Genuine, good faith problem-solving will lead to the best solutions to address our great challenges.

(5) Open-mindedness: We explore and learn from each other, seeking aligned efforts to raise visibility and effectiveness.

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