How can Americans strengthen the fabric of our democracy? The Henry Luce Foundation actively grapples with this important question, most recently by launching a year-long “listening tour” that included a stop in Pittsburgh for an event called “Something in Common: Reimagine Civic Life, Together.”
The foundation is committed to the renewal of the “civic square,” where citizens actively participate in their own governance and communicate directly and civilly with one another.
It’s a challenging task, but as Luce Foundation President and CEO Dr. Jonathan Holloway found during the Something in Common event at SLB Radio’s Youth Media Center on May 14, there is much to be hopeful about.
The group of young people who co-created this event in partnership with Remake Learning’s Civic Learning Ecosystem and the History Co:Lab are committed to sharing their voices, authentically hearing the ideas and perspectives of others, and working together to lift up their communities.
“Young people have phenomenal ideas on what the future of the ‘civic square’ could be,” said Fernande Raine, founder of the History Co:Lab, as she welcomed attendees to the event.
Far from being apathetic or discouraged about the future, the teenagers who helped plan this gathering are frequent contributors to civic life in Pittsburgh through their work with SLB Radio’s Youth Media Corps, the World Affairs Council and Youth Enrichment Services (YES).
As they do this work, these students welcome perspectives that differ from their own.
“We have a room of adults and youth that have different opinions,” said high school senior Sammi Heikinen, one of the event organizers. “I’m actually excited to hear disagreements. I think that’s one of my favorite things to talk about, because when you have disagreements, I think that has the room for intellectual growth.”
That’s exactly the spirit that Holloway brought to the event. After decades teaching at universities, he said, he has learned more from his students than he has taught them, “because of all these nuances I hadn’t thought about.”
LISTENING TO LEARN
As the event got underway, Holloway looked around the room at the mix of students and adults gathering for what Raine called “a festapalooza of listening.” Some were stepping into soundproof recording pods for one-on-one conversations. Others were finding seats at a large table for a group discussion, while the rest of the attendees congregated in SLB’s recording studio.
Holloway smiled. Tonight, “I’m going to walk away a better person, because I’ve learned something that I hadn’t thought about before or hadn’t heard in a certain kind of way,” he said. “And to take a new thing with me from a stranger — that’s pretty special.”
Earlier, participants had paired up with someone they didn’t know, from a different generation, for a two-minute exercise. They took turns asking each other, “What qualities do you look for in a friend?”
It can feel odd to dive into a discussion like this with a total stranger, especially when you’re a teenager. But rather than awkward pauses, the room quickly filled with animated conversation and even some laughter. There was something powerful about being with others who had committed to listening and to participating authentically in this community experience.
The power of this evening came from human beings gathering together, speaking and listening face-to-face, in a room that had been arranged to encourage in-person conversation. For a few hours, no one was staring at a phone screen or doomscrolling.
“We share more in common than we don’t,” Holloway said. But, gesturing toward a smartphone, he continued: “These devices are tearing us apart. That’s a huge distraction.”
Authentic cross-generation conversation, especially in person, can bring us back from that distraction. It also can make space for everyone to engage and even be vulnerable.
During a panel discussion held after the listening sessions, Holloway asked: “How is democracy serving you?” When the teens began with responses that mainly listed how one could be active in the democratic space, he gently returned again to the question.
The students were willing to discover their own answers in real time in front of the crowd.
“Democracy serves me when it gives me the opportunity to serve it,” said Arjun Puri, a junior at North Allegheny Senior High School and a Programming Youth Fellow at the World Affairs Council.
Finding words as he spoke, Arjun continued: “If you’re not registering to vote… are you doing what you are being given the opportunity to do in representing yourself?”
The poise and commitment of these students didn’t surprise Dr. Dennis F. Jones, executive director of YES, some of whose students participated in the event.
“I think people are underestimating this generation of students,” Jones said. “We see them coming in now — no bull, they handle their business. They’re focused.”
As the night ended, attendees of all ages shared a meal together. They had heard each other and helped each other see new perspectives.
“For me, going around the country listening to young people who are already civically active themselves about how they envision a future that they want to be part of — how they can envision a space where they are heard and where ideas have value — that’s a good investment,” Holloway said.
“We know there’s a need to fix things now. But we also know if we don’t have people ready to pick up the reins, in 10 years we’ll be back exactly where we are. So this is about a long-term bet.”
Meet the Storytellers
Melissa Rayworth
Melissa Rayworth is a writer for regional and global news outlets, and a communications consultant who works with people, foundations and companies to tease out and tell their stories across media.