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Convergence Center For Policy Resolution

Convergence Corner – The Path Forward: How Gen Z Is Taking Control of the Divisive Political Narrative

By: Preeti Kulkarni, Convergence Center for Policy Resolution Intern | Student at The George Washington University


A Note from Mariah Levison, CEO and President at Convergence Center for Policy Resolution:

At Convergence, our mission has always been to bring people together to tackle the tough issues that matter most. As we continue on this journey, it feels more important than ever to connect with you in a deep and meaningful way by sharing the voices and stories behind our work.

We understand the importance of contributing to the broader conversation — especially when we have a community filled with bright minds capable of building breakthrough solutions and sparking hope at this critical time for our country and the world. That’s why we’re refreshing our blog here on LinkedIn and renaming it Convergence Corner: Where Ideas & Perspectives Meet.

We couldn’t think of a better way to kick things off than by sharing wisdom and insights from a young voice dedicated to bridging divides. Enjoy our first post by Preeti Kulkarni, Convergence Programs Intern, and George Washington University student, on how Gen Z is reshaping political narratives by coming together across differences. Preeti’s contributions and perspective truly give us hope for the future.


Interacting with other perspectives has always been a part of my intellectual framework. Growing up with a hyphenated identity, where I balanced both Indian and American cultures, engaging with both perspectives was the only way I could properly navigate the cultural nuances of these identities. Building ideological bridges was a way of life for me. However, as I notice more of my peers becoming more politically active, I also see them becoming more insulated from perspectives that are different from theirs.

I have seen this divide manifest in the classroom and beyond. There is an apathy for engaging with different perspectives due to the rise of social media platforms. As I was starting my own political journey, I quickly fell into the habit of reposting 10-slide Instagram graphics condensing a political issue or global phenomenon into a few bullet points. I was never questioned for what I said I represented, so it became a rote habit. Sometimes, I didn’t even read the full post. I just saw my friends and content on my feed reinforcing one narrative, so I assumed it hadto be correct.

These platforms, by virtue of their composition, feed users content that they want to see, reinforcing their preexisting beliefs. This cycle creates an echo chamber in which they are fed information (and misinformation) that they are perceived to appreciate, thus missing content or important context from other creators that the social media platform doesn’t perceive as relevant to the specific user.

Since information consumption affirms pre-existing beliefs that uphold a sense of self, there is a significant lack of spaces where students feel comfortable to intellectually explore beyond the labels that are pushed onto them and perpetually reinforced. Colleges used to be sites of intellectual growth. There has always been disagreement in the classroom. However, the lasting impressions of these digital echo chambers on the wider collegiate culture limit students’ ability to have respectful, intellectually curious conversations.

The space where I believe that these difficult conversations have a home is the youth faction of the bridging space. The bridging space is a relatively new political subculture dedicated to mitigating political polarization through access to reliable, bias-conscious news, promoting civil discourse and critical thinking in classrooms, and pushing legislators to engage in the political process civilly. The movement has a few key markers in its development, namely its growth in popularity as a result of extreme division after the 2020 election. The youth faction of the bridging space galvanized around a need to rehabilitate democracy in its aftermath, leading to a boom in organizations dedicated to combating these divides and making space for political disagreement.

I attribute a large portion of my intellectual growth to engaging in these organizations. The most poignant example of this growth that I can point to is co-founding the Global Compromise Collective (GCC). Before co-founding GCC, I was in an almost inescapable echo chamber. I grew up in a predominantly left-leaning area. All of my friends leaned left on the political spectrum. It was almost a necessity to ascribe to progressive values to be respected in the classroom. I had never truly had an intense political conversation with someone I disagreed with before GCC.

The Global Compromise Collective is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan youth-led nonprofit organization that aims to mitigate political polarization through building curriculum for middle school students, leading programs for high school students, and facilitating community for young people interested in engaging across national and political boundaries. I was exposed to a myriad of political perspectives, cultural contexts, and ideas that I would have never interacted with without that setting.

While my political beliefs have stayed relatively consistent, I have seen a shift in the way I think. I no longer seek to reinforce what I already believe to be true or right. I can truly listen, giving due validity to points I may vehemently disagree with. Through this experience, I have become a more open thinker. My new thought process has become an integral part of my professional goals. Through interning at the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution, I was able to use the bridging mindset that I developed through being in a youth-led organization to help build tangible policy packages that model the collaboration I hope to see in our political system. It has continued to inspire me to make collaboration and civil discourse a part of my political endeavors.

The unique importance of youth organizations in the bridging space comes from their propensity for action, which directly counters the apathy present in our political culture. Youth-led organizations like the Global Compromise Collective, the Youth Power Project, BridgeUSA, and more turn the collective disenchantment Generation Z expresses into concrete action and community.

As the upcoming presidential election gets closer, I can already feel tension stirring in classrooms. The election has been an anchor for most socio-political discussions. I know in my classes, all of which are centered around international affairs, the upcoming election has almost become its own mode of analysis that we use.

Because the election is woven into most classroom discussions, especially those in the social sciences, it is all the more important to have spaces where young people can form their own opinions without fear of ostracization. More than 8 million young voters are aging into the electorate.We must give them hope that their ideas matter and that there is worth in uncomfortable intellectual growth. While colleges and universities have the responsibility to facilitate these discussions, it has been peer-to-peer relationships developed in these youth organizations that have filled that need. To engage young people in this election, we need to give them the space to talk to each other.

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