Conflicting times:
A Community project making space for the Conversations we often avoid
We all carry conversations we wish we could have, conversations with family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, and even ourselves. Some are difficult because emotions are high. Others are challenging because they involve different values, experiences, identities, or beliefs. This project creates space for sharing, learning, and listening, helping us build the capacity and increase choice in how we engage with difficult conversations rather than avoid them. Through this process, we strengthen our relationships, our communities, and our ability to stay connected through difference.
Welcome to Conflicting Times
Conflicting Times creates opportunities for people to slow down, be heard, listen differently, and explore the conversations that matter.
This project is not about winning an argument, changing someone’s mind, or finding the perfect answer.It is about creating the conditions for people to access their own choice, agency, and self-determination. It supports people in making meaningful decisions about how they want to engage conflict, stay connected through disagreement, understand different perspectives, and approach challenging conversations with greater curiosity, courage, and care.
Whether you are preparing for a difficult conversation, carrying a conflict that feels unresolved, wanting to better understand someone who sees the world differently, or simply looking for a meaningful conversation—there is a place for you here.
Because difficult conversations don’t have to divide us. They can be where understanding begins.
Community Conversations
We live in a time when many conversations feel harder than ever. Conversations about our communities, our future, our relationships, and the issues that shape our lives can leave us feeling divided, frustrated, or unheard.
Conflicting Times Community Conversations creates a place to slow down, listen, reflect, and engage with the questions that matter.
What conversation feels hardest to have right now?
Maybe it is about:
• Alberta’s future
• Cost of living
• Housing
• Health care
• Education
• Immigration
• Climate change
• Mental health
• Politics
• Reconciliation
Or maybe it is something else that is on your mind.
- Come sit for a few minutes.
- Share what you are carrying.
- Listen to another perspective.
- Learn or strengthen a conflict skill.
- Explore a conversation you may have been avoiding.
Free. Confidential.
No pressure.
Building stronger communities, one conversation at a time.
When: Saturday July 25th and August 1 at 9-11am North Glenmore Park
Podcast
Conflicting Times is a podcast exploring conflict from the personal to the systemic. Hosted by Julie Hrdlicka, a mediator, former elected official, and community organizer, the podcast examines how we navigate the tensions between change and connection, courage and compassion, justice and relationship.
Through conversations with leaders, practitioners, and people doing the hard work of change, Conflicting Times examines why conflict feels so difficult, what it reveals about ourselves and our society, and how reclaiming our sense of agency and choice can transform the way we engage with ourselves, each other, and the systems that shape our lives.
Because conflict is not simply something to manage or avoid. It can be a place where learning, transformation, and deeper connection become possible.
Together, we explore how we can strengthen ourselves, deepen our relationships, understand the systems we are part of, and contribute to creating a more just, connected, and compassionate world.
When: Fall 2026 (TBD)
Take the next step with Conflicting Times
Conflicting Times isn't just something to read—it's an invitation to participate. Whether you choose to join a conversation, delve into our podcast, or simply reflect on a difficult conversation in your own life, we hope you'll take one step toward engaging conflict differently. Connect with us to explore how we can navigate complex issues together.