BridgeMakers

Reflections on Building Resilient Communities

The recent BridgeMakers Leadership Summit brought together over 20 community builders from across virtual spaces to tackle some of the toughest challenges facing social VR communities. From managing conflict to fostering connections across diverse groups, the discussions were both raw and transformative. As I reflect on the event, the wisdom shared continues to resonate deeply, shaping how we think about leadership in digital spaces.

Navigating Conflict: The Foundation of Growth

One of the recurring themes at the summit was the need to reframe conflict not as a failure, but as a critical part of community development. We contemplated how conflicts help us grow and build a better bridge. (and Bridgemakers has definitely had some!). This insight set the tone for many of the conversations, reminding us that avoiding conflict only deepens divisions.

To truly build resilient communities, we must address disagreements with curiosity and care. Our guest speaker and facilitator, Venia Logan suggested: “When individuals clash, ask them what value they are clashing on. That’s where you’ll find the heart of the disagreement.” By focusing on shared values rather than entrenched positions, we can transform moments of tension into opportunities for understanding and growth.

The Groan Zone: Where Transformation Happens

A powerful takeaway from the summit was the concept of the “groan zone”—the space between identifying a problem and rushing to solutions. As Venia aptly put it, “We need to dwell in the groan zone before rushing to solutions. This is where real learning and understanding happen, even though it feels uncomfortable.”

This idea challenges us to embrace discomfort as a necessary part of progress. Whether we’re navigating political debates or addressing harmful behaviors, the groan zone provides the space to listen, reflect, and build meaningful connections.

Bridging Capital: Connecting Across Communities

The summit also emphasized the importance of “bridging capital,” the connections that link diverse groups and create opportunities for collaboration. Venia shared, “If you don’t connect with other communities, you don’t have that bridging capital. It becomes very difficult to grow or work well together at scale.”

This insight is a reminder that thriving communities don’t exist in isolation. By building bridges between groups with different perspectives, we create the social “white blood cells” needed to handle conflict and foster innovation. We recognized that Bridgemakers is about making the invisible about how we connect visible.

Fostering Curiosity and Better Conversations

Curiosity emerged as a key tool for creating healthier dynamics in virtual spaces. As one attendee noted after the workshop on build a bridge with someone who was reluctant to share about walking their dog, “Helping people get curious helps us have better conversations, but we didn’t always know “why.” [The second round] gave us some of that “why” and really reinforcing the importance of it.”

Curiosity allows us to move beyond assumptions and genuinely engage with others’ perspectives. It’s the foundation of meaningful dialogue, especially in moments of disagreement or misunderstanding.

A Call to Action

The summit ended with a sobering yet motivating challenge: “If we let something as hotly debated as politics bring us down to a level where we can’t compromise, where we can’t debate, where we can’t still create some kind of dialogue between people, then we have failed our communities.”

This statement underscores the urgency of our work. In a world increasingly divided by identity and ideology, we must build spaces where dialogue remains possible—even when it’s hard.

Moving Forward

The Leadership Summit wasn’t just a chance to share ideas—it was a call to action for community builders to reimagine what’s possible in virtual spaces. Whether it’s embracing conflict, nurturing curiosity, or bridging divides, the tools and insights from the summit provide a roadmap for creating communities that thrive in the face of challenges.

I’m reminded that communities thrive when they learn how to hold and transform conflict together, not avoid it. This is the heart of what BridgeMakers is about, and I’m curious to see how these lessons continue to shape the future of social VR.

What stood out to you from the summit? I’d love to hear your thoughts as we carry this work forward together.