Rigid polarization and political division are among the biggest challenges facing America.

Young people often feel tribalism is better than unity and that conversations across political

and cultural divides are impossible. We look at how to push back.

This is Let's Find Common Ground. I'm Ashley Melntite.

And I'm Richard Davies. The work of the National Group Bridge USA is a springboard for this

episode and our conversation with two college students, Claire Ashcraft and Jackson Richter.

Claire is an English and philosophy student at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio,

while Jackson is studying for a master's degree in public policy at Stanford University.

Both are leading members of their Bridge USA chapters on campus. They're part of a national

movement of students who are working to emphasize the importance of empathy, understanding

and ideological diversity. So first we ask Claire about her personal political beliefs.

I identify as pretty close to the center and I essentially came to that because I come from

a politically divided family. The most my family is really conservative and supports Donald Trump.

I ended up being really liberal in high school because of the environment I was in in high school.

I ended up budding heads actually a lot with my dad in particular over those conservative values

and eventually it came to a point where it was like I can't do this anymore and I think it's

because in his generation political debates were something that's a fun intellectual exercise

but in our generation it is more attached to morality. How you feel about abortion says something

about you as a person and how you feel about climate change and immigration are all not just

political issues but moral issues. Not just political issues but moral issues. How does that

way of thinking about politics affect the way you feel? Some people are in a camp where they would

say oh if that person is bigoted in any way just cut them off but I also knew that my parents are

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