Libby Stegger founded Civic Bridgers in response to the deep polarization that accelerated and deepened following the 2016 election. She witnessed friends, family, and co-workers cut off communication with members of “the other side,” motivated by resentment, judgment,  and deep distrust. On extreme ends of the spectrum, partisans censored nuance to achieve ideological lockstep, abandoned divergent views in fear of rejection, and splintered into ever-smaller circles of identity-based coalitions.

As curious and civil dialogue with “the other side” became a cultural third rail, Americans descended into a reductionist view of morality – simply put, it’s who you vote for. This primed the emerging generation to view leadership as a good/bad binary, and for leaders themselves to align with candidates or parties over democracy itself.

Civic Bridgers prepares emerging leaders to defend democracy through bridging, a set of skills and practices that heal polarization and revive pluralism. Unlike many leadership programs, we do not prepare bridgers to wield power over others; instead, we prepare them to leverage collective power to bridge some of America’s most calcified divides.