WATCH A VIDEO about bridging the divide POLITICS in schools at UPFRONTMAGAZINE.COM BUILDING BRIDGES America is more politically polarized than ever, but one teen organization is getting conservatives and liberals to talk to each other

BY CHRISANNE GRISÉ

t was the summer of 2016, and Joseph Touma and Clara Nevins “ I have been exposed were in the midst of a heated to perspectives that debate about politics. Touma, a I hadn’t heard.” 17-year-old Republican from West IVirginia, held many differing views from — Maya Siegel, 19 Nevins, a 17-year-old Democrat from Bridge the Divide Ambassador, —but the two had still bonded during a summer program at Yale RAISH.

University. So after a few minutes of arguing, they agreed to stop defending JASON

BY their own beliefs so they could each political conversation among young a global pen pal program, and, of listen to what the other person was people from all walks of life? Within a course, participate in many political saying. Before long, they began to month, Touma, Nevins, and a handful of conversations, both in person and online. ILLUSTRATION understand each other’s point of view, other teens had launched a website and Small groups of ambassadors sometimes even if they didn’t agree with it. It was a were reaching out to students across the get together on Google Hangouts for OPPOSITE: moment that would change their lives. country. Bridge the Divide was born. hour-long discussions about various “We looked around and realized political topics, such as the Syrian that we had peers there from , Policymakers of the Future refugee crisis, criminal justice, or health PHOTOGRAPHY.

Syria, the U.S., —all these The organization began recruiting care. And the group recently helped

different countries whose leaders were young ambassadors who were dedicated launch Mismatch, an online platform that JOHNSON

at each other’s throats,” Touma, now to starting constructive discussions encourages these dialogues in schools. 21, says. “And yet we were all able to around the world. Soon there were more All of these conversations aren’t SIEGEL/AMY study together and live harmoniously.” than 100 ambassadors; those teens have necessarily meant to change anyone’s MAYA

OF

That realization sparked an idea: since gone on to start Bridge the Divide mind. Rather, the group believes that What if they were to create an chapters in schools, write op-eds, teens who venture out beyond the

organization that encouraged productive attend leadership summits, join in echo chambers of their social media COURTESY

6 UPFRONT • UPFRONTMAGAZINE.COM feeds to engage with those with other perspectives MATCHED UP will be better able to reach How Bridge the Divide is helping classrooms around the country connect compromises and discourage divisive rhetoric later. Students in suburban live very different lives than those in rural . That’s why Bridge the Divide helped “We really want to listen to create Mismatch, a video chat platform that pairs classrooms in politically divergent parts of the country. Teens use it to talk to each other about school, their interests, politics, and more, often learning from each other in the process. the other side,” says Crystal Foretia, an 18-year-old ambassador from Maryland. NEW JERSEY UTAH “We want to prevent polarization and retreating into our own ideologies.” Although Bridge the Divide now has ambassadors in 30 countries, its members are particularly focused on changing the way American youth interact with each other. Since the 2016 presidential election, the The government has a hard time getting work done when the political parties won’t cooperate. anger between liberals and conservatives seems to