Bridging the Divide in High Schools - Braver Angels
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Bridging the Divide in High Schools

Ciaran O’Connor joins Ryan Adell, Executive Director of Next Generation Politics, to interview Avalon Fenster and Ryan Arranz, a liberal and a conservative high school student, about polarization, politics, and the next generation of political dialogue.

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Growing up in the eighties, his family moved all around the Midwest as his parents chased down steady, blue-collar work: factory jobs, construction, truck driving, whatever could pay the bills. “We were always poor,” Wilk said. And whether they were in Iowa, South Dakota, Colorado, or Minnesota, he often found himself on the outs. “It didn’t matter which side of the tracks we were on,” he said. “It was always the wrong side of the tracks.”

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‘Braver Angels really helped me to see the humanity in people from the other side’: One high schooler’s journey to better political conversations

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A native of Boulder, Colorado, Mia didn’t know many Trump supporters—and she was nervous to engage with them. “I was like, ‘Don’t they hate women? Don’t they hate black people?’” she said. “That was my initial belief because that’s what I had heard about people who voted for Trump.” But she quickly realized she was wrong. During the first Braver Lens session, Mia was able to connect with conservatives in the group and recognize their points of commonality. “When we met, they showed their pictures, and explained their life stories, and I was able to see where our values overlap,” she said. 

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