Hidden Gems: Meet Ben Caron of The Caravan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Caron.

Hi Ben, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing us to The Caravan?
The idea for The Caravan began during the 2016 election when I watched how we as Americans began to speak about our fellow citizens with increasing anger, contempt and distrust. Families and friends with different political and cultural perspectives were starting to separate from one another or become increasingly combative online and in person.

Having grown up in a small, rural Midwestern town, but living now in LA and traveling a lot internationally, I felt that I existed between many worlds, with a unique understanding of our growing divisions: urban & rural, liberal & conservative, monoculturalism & multiculturalism, nationalism & globalism.

Over the following years, I became passionate about bridge-building and volunteered and trained with organizations like Braver Angels, The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and The Human Library (I now work for the Human Library Organization.)

I also traveled across the country, meeting people, having conversations and producing bridge-building events and projects like the web series “Home Again: Conversations from The Heartland” and “The Re:United States of America Project,” a 6-week Zoom conversation series held during the 2020 election.

After 5 years in the work, at the end of 2021, I began to dream of what it might mean to create a process where we could get out of our bubbles, be of service, and try to have courageous conversations with one another. Based on existing relationships and local partnerships, a national service and bridge-building tour was created called “The Caravan.”

I invited trusted friends and colleagues to join me in co-creating this tour, and it was an incredible experience. We met and collaborated with so many amazing people across the country, and all of our events went really well because we were resilient, adaptable, and kind with one another. I feel like we all have a greater understanding of one another for our time together, and we helped to write a different story for what is possible in how we relate to our fellow citizens.

We are hoping that over the next five years, we could develop a philanthropic travel experience that would be so rewarding that it would be something that people would want to return to again and again. Our hope is that, over the years inviting their friends and family to join and grow the impact and the scope of the project until it becomes not only a highly effective means for personal and societal healing but also a symbol of hope and possibility in a time of hopelessness and helplessness.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I always view challenges as an invitation to learn and grow, and so I’m grateful for the challenges we faced together on our 8-week journey across the country. One of the challenges came from the fact that the project was always changing as time went on– changing geography, changing community partners, changing the types of events we were doing, and the members of our teams also changed from week to week or sometimes day to day. So every day became a radical opportunity to meet the day’s unique intention and task with a brand new team in a brand new place. But those challenges were also an incredible gift. We were always invited to be present with what was, accepting and surrendering to the moment and creating the best possible outcomes in each situation.

We’ve been impressed with The Caravan, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a group of volunteers adventuring each Summer across the U.S. on a journey to cultivate community, coalitions and compassion through service projects and courageous conversations.

Our values are courage, compassion and curiosity. We believe that if we can have the courage to step outside our comfort zone, to meet each other where we’re at while welcoming each other just as we are, the curiosity to listen first to understand and to be open to perspectives beyond our own, and the compassion to care for each other’s wellbeing and dignity and help alleviate each other’s suffering whenever we can, we can weave together a network of connection, care and belonging that can heal the divisiveness of our current moment.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
For those who are searching for ways to connect with and understand their community members, family, friends or even strangers who are different than them, I believe the first place to start is to be present and sincerely curious. If I can truly be present with the person in front of me, not distracted, or in my head, or in judgement, but really in the present moment with them, and then follow my own curiosity about who they are and what they value, care about or are afraid of, that goes a long way. It’s a natural human need to want to be seen, heard, understood and valued. Presence and curiosity alone can meet these needs. Then from there, there’s a platform of goodwill where ideas can actually be exchanged and with one another, which is what is sorely missing today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bit.ly/whatisthecaravan
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/whatisthecaravan