Fostering Civil Discourse

With a great deal of divisiveness in today’s political climate (Gramlich, 2017), it is not difficult to imagine the impact that partisanship can have on youth. The Internet is filled with examples of social media rants, name-calling, and even violent incidents as adults engage in unproductive and uncivil behavior with those who are different from them. How can we as educators help young people learn the competencies for engaging in empathetic, appreciative, and supportive dialogue with people across differences in identities and perspectives? This article highlights a promising practice in character education to help middle school-aged youth reflect on their identities and learn to engage in civil discourse with those who are different from them. Evaluative findings from facilitator observations, participant reflections and evaluations, as well as parent evaluations point to increased learning and development with key social and emotional competencies.