It was the summer of 2016, and Joseph Touma and Clara Nevins were in the midst of a heated debate about politics. Touma, a 17-year-old Republican from West Virginia, held many differing views from Nevins, a 17-year-old Democrat from California—but the two had still bonded during a summer program at Yale University. So after a few minutes of arguing, they agreed to stop defending their own beliefs so they could each listen to what the other person was saying. Before long, they began to understand each other’s point of view, even if they didn’t agree with it. It was a moment that would change their lives.
“We looked around and realized that we had peers there from Russia, Syria, the U.S., Mexico—all these different countries whose leaders were at each other’s throats,” Touma, now 21, says. “And yet we were all able to study together and live harmoniously.”
That realization sparked an idea: What if they were to create an organization that encouraged productive political conversation among young people from all walks of life? Within a month, Touma, Nevins, and a handful of other teens had launched a website and were reaching out to students across the country. Bridge the Divide was born.
It was the summer of 2016, and Joseph Touma and Clara Nevins were in the midst of a heated debate about politics. Touma, a 17-year-old Republican from West Virginia, held many differing views from Nevins, a 17-year-old Democrat from California. Still, the two had bonded during a summer program at Yale University. So after a few minutes of arguing, they agreed to stop defending their own beliefs. That allowed both of them the chance to listen to what the other person was saying. Before long, they began to understand each other’s point of view, even if they didn’t agree with it. It was a moment that would change their lives.
“We looked around and realized that we had peers there from Russia, Syria, the U.S., Mexico—all these different countries whose leaders were at each other’s throats,” Touma, now 21, says. “And yet we were all able to study together and live harmoniously.”
That realization sparked an idea: What if they were to create an organization that encouraged productive political conversation among young people from all walks of life? Within a month, Touma, Nevins, and a handful of other teens had launched a website and were reaching out to students across the country. Bridge the Divide was born.