{"id":236611,"date":"2026-07-06T12:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T12:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/236611\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T12:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T12:00:13","slug":"something-in-common-reimagining-civic-life-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/236611\/","title":{"rendered":"Something in Common: Reimagining Civic Life, Together"},"content":{"rendered":"

How can Americans strengthen the fabric of our democracy?\u00a0The Henry Luce Foundation<\/a>\u00a0actively grapples with this important question, most recently by launching a year-long \u201clistening tour\u201d that included a stop in Pittsburgh for an event called \u201cSomething in Common: Reimagine Civic Life, Together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The foundation is committed to the renewal of the \u201ccivic square,\u201d where citizens actively participate in their own governance and communicate directly and civilly with one another.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a challenging task, but as Luce Foundation President and CEO Dr. Jonathan Holloway found during the Something in Common event at SLB Radio\u2019s Youth Media Center on May 14, there is much to be hopeful about.<\/p>\n

The group of young people who co-created this event in partnership with\u00a0Remake Learning\u2019s Civic Learning Ecosystem<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0History Co:Lab<\/a>\u00a0are committed to sharing their voices, authentically hearing the ideas and perspectives of others, and working together to lift up their communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung people have phenomenal ideas on what the future of the \u2018civic square\u2019 could be,\u201d said Fernande Raine, founder of the History Co:Lab, as she welcomed attendees to the event.<\/p>\n

Far from being apathetic or discouraged about the future, the teenagers who helped plan this gathering are frequent contributors to civic life in Pittsburgh through their work with\u00a0SLB Radio\u2019s Youth Media Corps<\/a>, the\u00a0World Affairs Council<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Youth Enrichment Services<\/a>\u00a0(YES).<\/p>\n

As they do this work, these students welcome perspectives that differ from their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a room of adults and youth that have different opinions,\u201d said high school senior Sammi Heikinen, one of the event organizers. \u201cI\u2019m actually excited to hear disagreements. I think that\u2019s one of my favorite things to talk about, because when you have disagreements, I think that has the room for intellectual growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly the spirit that Holloway brought to the event. After decades teaching at universities, he said, he has learned more from his students than he has taught them, \u201cbecause of all these nuances I hadn\u2019t thought about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

LISTENING TO LEARN<\/p>\n

As the event got underway, Holloway looked around the room at the mix of students and adults gathering for what Raine called \u201ca festapalooza of listening.\u201d Some were stepping into soundproof recording pods for one-on-one conversations. Others were finding seats at a large table for a group discussion, while the rest of the attendees congregated in SLB\u2019s recording studio.<\/p>\n

Holloway smiled. Tonight, \u201cI\u2019m going to walk away a better person, because I\u2019ve learned something that I hadn\u2019t thought about before or hadn\u2019t heard in a certain kind of way,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd to take a new thing with me from a stranger \u2014 that\u2019s pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier, participants had paired up with someone they didn\u2019t know, from a different generation, for a two-minute exercise. They took turns asking each other, \u201cWhat qualities do you look for in a friend?\u201d<\/p>\n

It can feel odd to dive into a discussion like this with a total stranger, especially when you\u2019re a teenager. But rather than awkward pauses, the room quickly filled with animated conversation and even some laughter. There was something powerful about being with others who had committed to listening and to participating authentically in this community experience.<\/p>\n

The power of this evening came from human beings gathering together, speaking and listening face-to-face, in a room that had been arranged to encourage in-person conversation. For a few hours, no one was staring at a phone screen or doomscrolling.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe share more in common than we don\u2019t,\u201d Holloway said. But, gesturing toward a smartphone, he continued: \u201cThese devices are tearing us apart. That\u2019s a huge distraction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Authentic cross-generation conversation, especially in person, can bring us back from that distraction. It also can make space for everyone to engage and even be vulnerable.<\/p>\n

During a panel discussion held after the listening sessions, Holloway asked: \u201cHow is democracy serving you?\u201d When the teens began with responses that mainly listed how one could be active in the democratic space, he gently returned again to the question.<\/p>\n

The students were willing to discover their own answers in real time in front of the crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemocracy serves me when it gives me the opportunity to serve it,\u201d said Arjun Puri, a junior at North Allegheny Senior High School and a Programming Youth Fellow at the World Affairs Council.<\/p>\n

Finding words as he spoke, Arjun continued: \u201cIf you\u2019re not registering to vote\u2026 are you doing what you are being given the opportunity to do in representing yourself?\u201d<\/p>\n

The poise and commitment of these students didn\u2019t surprise Dr. Dennis F. Jones, executive director of YES, some of whose students participated in the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think people are underestimating this generation of students,\u201d Jones said. \u201cWe see them coming in now \u2014 no bull, they handle their business. They\u2019re focused.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the night ended, attendees of all ages shared a meal together. They had heard each other and helped each other see new perspectives.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, going around the country listening to young people who are already civically active themselves about how they envision a future that they want to be part of \u2014 how they can envision a space where they are heard and where ideas have value \u2014 that\u2019s a good investment,\u201d Holloway said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know there\u2019s a need to fix things now. But we also know if we don\u2019t have people ready to pick up the reins, in 10 years we\u2019ll be back exactly where we are. So this is about a long-term bet.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was originally published at RemakeLearning.org<\/a>, where you can find more information about teaching and learning in SWPA.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"How can Americans strengthen the fabric of our democracy?\u00a0The Henry Luce Foundation\u00a0actively grapples with this important question, most…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":236612,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[101878,73,75,74,28560,33225,101879,101880,101881],"class_list":["post-236611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-history-colab","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-remake-learning","tag-slb-radio","tag-the-henry-luce-foundation","tag-world-affairs-council","tag-youth-enrichment-services"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236611\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}