Our Story

UR Action's story is best told through 1) the lens through which we view our work, 2) the timeline of our early days, and 3) our intellectual heritage

1. Our lens

Our background is in conflict management work, and we apply that lens to our work

2. The timeline of UR Action's founding and growth

We were founded in 2018 and began implementing programming in 2019

3. Our intellectual heritage

We apply conflict resolution tools used widely in international peacebuilding and the private sector

1. Our lens
 

​The founding team of Urban Rural Action came to the work of advancing peace, democracy, and justice through shared purpose: preventing organized violence in conflict zones.

Prior to starting UR Action, that meant East Africa, West Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central America.

Today it means the U.S. because underlying dynamics that fuel violent conflict globally (e.g., widespread distrust of governing institutions; toxic polarization; income inequality; misinformation; divisive leaders) are also present in our own country.

But there is nothing inevitable about where we are headed as a country. UR Action was founded in 2018 on the conviction that our geographic, racial, political, and other differences in the U.S. are a source of strength.

We build relationships by solving problems together, and we solve problems together by building new relationships. 

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VISION

​Advancing a more peaceful, democratic, and just society                                ​

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MISSION

​Bringing Americans together across divides to tackle our nation's most urgent challenges

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2. Our timeline

3. Our intellectual heritage

The intellectual heritage of UR Action is tied to two organizations where several members of our founding team built their careers in conflict resolution: Vantage Partners and Mercy Corps. 
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• UR Action's approach for helping community members conduct more constructive conversations across difference was inspired by Vantage Partners, a spin-off of the Harvard Negotiation Project.
• UR Action's approach for bringing together community members across divides to design and implement projects was inspired by Mercy Corps' Peace and Conflict work.​