Civic Bridgers

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.

We build wells of connection through civic service, mentorship, and education. This breaks down fences of division, such as toxic partisanship, purity tests, and stereotyping.

Core Values:

1. Humanity – The recognition that all people have equal inherent worth even while imperfection is the human condition. Common humanity allows us to live into our strengths, express our innermost values, celebrate wide-ranging expressions of self and culture, and build appreciation of diversity. Related virtues include: dignity, compassion, respect, autonomy, and fairness.
2. Humility – The practice of seeking understanding, recognizing biases, embracing uncertainty, and modeling a growth mindset. Intellectual humility allows us to uphold ancient wisdom, storytelling, and spiritual systems as sources of knowledge alongside scientific research and academic or institutional knowledge. Related virtues include: curiosity, love of learning, creativity, forgiveness, and perspective.
3. Accountability – The recognition that we exist in community and that individual actions redound to the common good, or common harm, and we take responsibility accordingly. Shared accountability allows us to shift from “calling out” to “calling in” and from “canceling” to “restoring” without undermining individual agency. Related virtues include: teamwork, bravery, self-regulation, and judgment.