VersusDialogue, Montreal, QC (2026)

04/16/2026

Today we’re sharing tips to help you NOT to react, NOT to speak.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing you can do when something gets under your skin - is nothing. Until we learn how to regulate our emotions, we wear our nervous system on the outside: exposed and reactive to current events, to other people, to real - or perceived - slights.

Pausing is a superpower...here's how it's done.

The underrated power of saying nothing. and why it's a leadership skill.

12/23/2025

Wishing you all a happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas, and a joyful Kwanzaa!

11/10/2025

This is why we exist .

Details about our Agree to Disagree workshops are in the post!

😜Disagreement gets a bad rap. It’s not a failure of communication 🫣— it’s a tool to speak up when something doesn’t feel right, at home, at work, or at school.🤓 The problem is that we’re not taught how to disagree in a healthy, constructive way. 🛠️We want to fix that.🛠️ Because if we don’t learn to disagree we either avoid people we disagree with and become tribal, or we silence ourselves around them and feel resentful. 👉🏽👉👉🏻What if instead of seeing disagreement as a failure of communication, we saw it as a tool that allows us to say what’s truly on our minds, and to offer that to others too? That’s where our Agree to Disagree workshops come in. 💡  We’ll teach you actionable skills to * Help you feel more in control of your emotions and reactions * Help you influence the conversation in a positive way using dialogue tools …and we’ll practice them together, so you can disagree without destroying relationships or harming yourself — and yes, it will be fun😜  📆 Join us on: •Thursday, November 13th from 6:30-9:00pm, at @apathyisboring •Wednesday, November 19th from 1:30-4:30pm at @mis.quebec ‼️Spaces are limited — sign up via the link in bio. #AgreeToDisagree #DisagreeBetter #HealthyConflict #DialogueSkills #BetterConversations #ConstructiveDisagreement #dialogue #disinformation #democracy #collaboration #polarization #toolstotalk #versus

07/09/2025

Is it a betrayal of ´your’ side to feel empathy for someone from the ´other ‘ side?

No, it is not a betrayal of our beliefs, of our values, of ´our’ people - to feel for anyone who is suffering, who died, regardless of which ‘side’ they are on.

It is the only way we can rebuild the humanity that has been lost.

The only way to fight back against extremist movements and ideologies of all sides is by refusing to fight each other.

Saturation is what happens when both sides cannot see a way forward, other than peace.

Keep caring beyond your community. Don’t listen to those who tell you that you’re wrong.

Empathy without borders.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKIiw6tRuBI/

Is it a betrayal of ´your’ side to feel empathy for someone from the ´other ‘ side? No, it is not a betrayal of our beliefs, of our values, of ´our’ people - to feel for anyone who is suffering, who died, regardless of which ‘side’ they are on. It is the only way we can rebuild the humanity that has been lost. The only way to fight back against extremist movements and ideologies of all sides is by refusing to fight each other. Saturation is what happens when both sides cannot see a way forward, other than peace. Keep caring beyond your community. Don’t listen to those who tell you that you’re wrong. Empathy without borders. #peacebuilding #dialogue #cooperation #inclusion #peace #hope #community #JewsAndArabsRefuseToBeEnemies #Israel #Palestine #palestineisrael #freepalestine #courageousconversations #antisemitism #islamophobia #emotionalintelligence #versus #empathy #sarahmilgrim

05/05/2025

In 2023, Statistics Canada released a report showing that Indigenous women and girls were 6 times more likely to be murdered than other groups of people in Canada.

Indigenous women and girls make up only 2% and 3% of the Canadian population, yet they represent 5% and 7% of homicide victims.
(between 2009 and 2021)

They are 400% (or four times) more likely than other Canadians to go missing.

And yet the RCMP does not have clear data for the exact number of women and girls and two spirit people who have been either murdered or disappeared, because it is underreported.

After all, would you go for help to the same system that inflicted harm on your community? Joyce Echaquan is the answer to that question.

Canada - as well as many other countries that have indigenous populations - has work to do to repair the ignorance and harms that our governments and religious institutions have done to these human beings whose land we live on.

You don’t need to feel guilty, but we do need to start noticing the gap between what we have been taught to believe about these communities - and what they believe about themselves.

Notice your reaction to these statistics.

Listen to indigenous voices, learn from them and trust them to know what is right for themselves.

🧡Humility and openness in our own hearts is the first step to healing theirs.

The (in addition to Canadian and Manitoba‐led inquiries) have consistently noted that the deaths, and the failure to seek justice for these victims, are a clear violation of international and domestic law and demonstrate the deadly intersections of racism, colonization, misogyny and homophobia.

See .ca for resources and support, or call the national support line at 1–844-413‑6649 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

Source: .ca

LET US KNOW:
Have you ever had a conversation that radically changed your perspective? What was it about? Share with us in the comments 🙏🏼

01/13/2025

FREE SPEECH OR FREE-FOR-ALL?
Met@, which owns this platform, Instagram and Threads, has decided to reduce content moderation and cut third party fact-checking in the U.S. (to begin with) in order to promote 'free speech'.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg admits the decision is at least partly sparked by a desire to improve the company’s relationship with incoming president Donald Trump - and Trump believes the same thing. When asked by a reporter whether he thought Meta's turnaround was due to his past threats, Trump responded, "probably".
Was that before or after Met@ pledged US$1million to his inauguration event? This is the same Meta (then Facebook) that banned Trump from its platforms in 2021 after the Capitol riots, for inciting violence.

It’s no secret that hashtag ’s moderation practices have been flawed: the company admitted that 10-20% of content removal actions were likely mistakes, often due to a rigid, context-blind approach. Meta's efforts at censorship remind me of the old lady in Tom & Jerry, waving her cane around in a vain attempt to stop the cat from eating the mouse. But the impact they've had on limiting legitimate expression is anything but funny.

Something had to change, but is this really about free speech?
Because earlier this year, Meta also decided to shut down Crowdtangle, a tool that tracked misinformation and offered a look at the way fakenews spreads on its platforms. Researchers and journalists have criticized the shutdown, arguing it will reduce transparency during critical periods like elections.
One might argue that this is the opposite of free speech.

So what is Meta proposing for the over 50% of Americans who are on Facebook and Instagram?

➡️ A Shift to the same Community Notes model used by that bastion of truth, X: users will be responsible for flagging false or hateful content.
This even though hate speech increased by 50% after X shifted to Community Notes in October 2022, according to a study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate conducted between January 2022-June 2023.

Here’s the thing:
Facebook is the social media superspreader of disinformation, because its hashtag promotes anything that keeps us glued to our screens, no matter what that is - and hashtag does that very well: it gets our attention by appealing to our emotions, not our rational minds. Asking the same people who will inevitably consume even more fake news once this goes through to also be the ones to flag it is like asking a drunk passenger to pilot a plane.

This is why media literacy and digital EQ are such a fundamental part of Versus’ mission to equip people to choose hashtag over division: because our information diets have the power to polarize us, and they are.

Do you agree with this decision or not? Let me know in the comments👇🏻

07/15/2024

Last winter I was invited by Fu**up Nights Montréal to share one of my failures.
I told the story of what can only be described as my brief 'Karen' phase - although thankfully, that word didn't exist then.

At the time, I was the director of WeDoSomething, the non-profit I founded in 2015. I worked with Indigenous communities, asylum seekers, refugees, and other marginalized groups to counter stereotypes and promote inclusion and belonging: I thought I knew what the world needed.

So here is what I learned from my (have I mentioned brief?) period as a Karen. Curious? Here you go: https://bit.ly/3LpjD1F

06/12/2024

HELLO + BONJOUR !

In exactly one week we are offering our online workshop, TOOLS FOR POLARIZING TIMES.

We designed this to help you navigate the immense amounts of information and frankly, bad news, we are faced with every day, without being in a permanent state of outrage, reactivity, and exhaustion. Expect to strengthen your:
* Emotional intelligence
** Media literacy
* Critical thinking
* Digital citizenship skills.

We even hosted a workshop for CreativeMornings for 175 amazing people from around the world!

Et suite à notre entrevue avec la fabuleuse Vanessa Pilon sur son podcast, Ecole de la Vie, nous avons décidé d'offrir cet atelier virtuel en français aussi!

FR: mardi 18 juin : https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/e517f6f3-088b-4a78-b2e7-5dae00507d7d

EN: Wednesday June 19, info and tickets here: https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/399b5319-db34-45e0-ada9-36dbabffe20b

See you there!

25. Comment communiquer (et garder son calme!) à l'ère de la polarisation. Invitée: Sophie Tarnowska

05/17/2024

La semaine dernière nous avons été invités à passer en entrevue pour le podcast de Vanessa Pilon, qui s'appelle l'Ecole de la vie.

Aucune surprise : c'est à propos de la polarisation !
“On veut toutes et tous être entendu.e, mais on n’a pas appris à écouter”

Cette phrase résume parfaitement notre époque, je trouve.

Avez-vous remarqué à quel point il est de plus en plus difficile de discuter respectueusement avec des gens avec qui nous sommes en désaccord?

Vous sentez-vous parfois fatigué.e, découragé.e ou impuissant.e face à l’afflux constant de mauvaises nouvelles?

Comment faire, malgré tout, pour contribuer au changement, sans nous épuiser?

Et si on remplaçait la polarisation par la communication inclusive?
Et si le changement collectif commençait à un niveau individuel?
C’est ce à quoi s’affaire Sophie Tarnowska, fondatrice de WeDoSomething et Versus, deux initiatives qui visent à changer notre façon de nous impliquer dans le monde actuel, par la communication inclusive et collaborative.
Versus remplace la polarisation par le dialogue, en enseignant des compétences en communication ancrées dans l'intelligence émotionnelle, la littératie médiatique et la citoyenneté numérique.

25. Comment communiquer (et garder son calme!) à l'ère de la polarisation. Invitée: Sophie Tarnowska “On veut toutes et tous être entendu.e, mais on n’a pas appris à écouter”Cette phrase résume parfaitement notre époque, je trouve.Avez-vous remarqué à quel p...

🌎 Beyond The Screen: Empowering Tools for Polarizing Times | CreativeMornings/Virtual

04/05/2024

Well this is exciting! And free:)

This is a 75-min mini-workshop to help you consume the news without feeling so consumed by current events.

Expect practical skills & knowledge to help you recognize and understand how current events may be affecting your brain, beliefs and your online and IRL behaviors - because up to 90% of our behaviors are unconscious, and these power our digital lives too.

Our goal is to leave you feeling less powerless and more capable of contributing to a less polarized, more compassionate world for yourself and for others…online and IRL (in real life).

🌎 Beyond The Screen: Empowering Tools for Polarizing Times | CreativeMornings/Virtual Beyond the Screen: Empowering Tools for Polarizing Times is a 75-min mini-workshop to help you consume the news without feeling so consumed by current events...

03/26/2024

NEW WORKSHOP: ARE YOU TIRED OF FEELING CONSUMED BY THE NEWS YOU CONSUME?

Beyond the Screen: Tools for Polarizing Times is a 2-part online workshop to help you recognize and understand how current events may be affecting your mind, your beliefs and your online and IRL behaviours.

WHEN: Wednesday April 3rd and April 10th, 11:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m.

THIS WORKSHOP OFFERS:
Media literacy, emotional intelligence and digital citizenship skills.

WHY JOIN US?
1.To feel less overwhelmed and powerless.
2. To build skills & self-awareness around the way current events unconsciously may affect your ideas and online behaviours.
3. To recognize these patterns in others too, and perhaps judge them less.
4. To notice your unconscious reactions and practice making conscious choices about how you respond, online and IRL.

We will limit our workshop to 20 people in order to encourage open communication through learning activities, group discussion and breakout rooms.

Si vous désirez participer à un de nos ateliers en français, svp vous inscrire à notre infolettre au wedosomething.org

Beyond The Screen: Tools for Polarizing Times Beyond the Screen: Tools for Polarizing Times is a 2-part online workshop to strengthen practical skills & knowledge to help you navigate current events without feeling so consumed by them. OUR OBJECTIVE: to build your media literacy, emotional intelligence and digital citizenship skills so that...

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