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The Building Bridges Club
MEETING IN THE MIDDLE Greg Shafir (pictured, fourth from right), a senior at The Awty International School, started a club that aims to promote and teach the skill of respectful discussion. The goal is not to convince the other party of one’s view, but to find common ground and listen to opposing viewpoints with consideration.
As I went through my studies at The Awty International School, coupled with my reading of history and current world events, I began to consider that, at times, our society becomes polarized such that instead of engaging with each other's ideas, we categorize, label, or blame each other. In such instances, we don’t explore ideas that seem too different from our own or question our beliefs. As individuals, this stagnates our personal and intellectual growth; as a society, this prevents us from addressing complicated issues or taking on difficult problems – a capacity that we need now more than ever.
The good news is, we do not have to be a divided society: We can have differences of opinion, but still work together if we start by focusing on our similarities. By identifying and acknowledging the values and priorities we share, we can build common ground and have a firm foundation on which to work together, and then we will be able to achieve the unity needed to tackle today's important challenges.
In this vein, I started the “Building Bridges Club” at Awty. The goal is to help students acquire and practice the skills needed to make this happen by providing a supportive environment where students participate in respectful discussion on divisive societal issues and conflicts – with an emphasis on listening and engaging honestly with opposing viewpoints. In many ways, this is the opposite of a debate club: The goal is not to win an argument or prove the other side wrong, but rather to understand why we disagree, what underlies our beliefs, and how we can overcome biases and preconceptions that limit our ability to accept, connect, and unify with others.
Initially, we established community guidelines to foster open, respectful discussions. We then discussed the following topics, and will continue to discuss them: Israel/Palestine, Ukraine/Russia, Iran/Saudi Arabia, US/China, India/Pakistan, and China/Hong Kong/Taiwan. Through such dialogue and discussion, we connect and unify in order to come one step closer to resolving society's most pressing and challenging conflicts – and we will take these skills with us beyond high school.
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