BridgeUSA at UVA

Club Description

BridgeUSA is a youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates spaces on high school and college campuses for open discussion between students about political issues. Political division is one of our biggest challenges in the United States. Today’s youth are being taught that tribalism is better than unity and that having conversations across our differences is impossible. Spoiler Alert: This isn’t true!We began in 2016 at the universities of Notre Dame, CU-Boulder, and UC Berkeley in response to growing polarization on campus. Our work emphasizes the importance of empathy and understanding, ideological diversity and solution-oriented politics. By engaging America’s youth in constructive discussions, we are equipping the next generation of leaders with the skills necessary for navigating conflict, finding solutions across differences and building bridges in their communities.BridgeUSA’s 50 college chapters bring together students from across the ideological spectrum for constructive dialogue on topics happening across the nation. These discussions are not meant to change one’s mind on a subject, but to encourage participants to seek an understanding of alternate viewpoints in effort for better political dialogue.