A bridge is much more than a physical structure over water.
It can be a metaphor for any kind of span.
The other day, a group of Westporters met to bridge both ideas and ages.
Everyone made it across.
And when they got there, they enjoyed what is always on the other side: a new and different view.
BridgeBuilders is the local chapter of a national organization, BridgeUSA.
The goal of BridgeUSA is “not to change minds or create centrists, but encourage students to engage differing beliefs, experiences and perspectives. What unites us is not agreement on policies, but a shared mindset.
“The BridgeUSA Mindset champions understanding, empathy, open-mindedness, and a willingness to engage those who are different from us.
“It’s not about what you believe, but how you express what you believe.”
BridgeUSA works on 82 college campuses.
But a pair of Staples High School students recently brought it to a younger level.
And an older one.
In the aftermath of last spring’s unrest over Israel and Gaza, and during the 2024 presidential campaign, Jake Shufro realized that plenty of people were shouting about their own point of view, and shutting their ears to others’.
Plenty of other people, meanwhile, were not talking about issues at all. They did not know how to have an actual discussion. Or they were too turned off by polarization to try.
Jake is a very involved junior. He’s secretary of Westport’s Youth Commission; an active participant in Model UN Club and We the People, and a squash player.
His longtime friend, sophomore Sienna Schwartz, is similarly engaged. She’s a Student Council officer; a writer for Staples’ STEM Journal; a member of Women in STEM and participant in the Sikorsky STEM Challenge, and a soccer player and track athlete.
They contacted the national BridgeBuilders group, which is eager to add high schools to their roster of colleges.
Much of today’s discourse consists of shouting — and not listening.
Jake and Sienna were trained on how to moderate effective meetings. They learned, for example, to make sure participants focused on ideas, not on the people presenting them, along with how to keep discussions on track.
They found out it’s best to start with a non-controvesial topic.
But Jake and Sierra also realized that limiting their BridgeBuilders to high school students would exclude other, important points of view.
“We wanted intergenerational dialogue and wisdom,” Jake says. And, he notes, older participants might learn something from younger ones.
Their original idea was to partner with the Senior Center. But it closes at 3 p.m. — just 15 minutes after the school day ends.
Enter the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston.
The group of retired and semi-retired residents is as energetic and stimulating as high school students. They certainly are “wise” — and they’re always looking for new projects.
Y’s Men Jim Marpe and Tucker Mays took the lead. Working alongside Jake and Sienna, they came up with their first topic: whether mandatory national service (military or otherwise) is good for young Americans.
It’s an idea, they thought, that could be viewed from a variety of perspectives, rather than through traditional political lenses.
From left: Jim Marpe, Jake Shufro, Sienna Schwartz, Tucker Mays.
Jake and Sienna invited a range of students they knew, primarily from their social studies classes. None were yet 18: draft age.
Jim and Tucker reached out to a similar range of Y’s Men. Some were military veterans. Others served in the Peace Corps.
The 90-minute discussion, in a Westport Library meeting room, was wide-ranging. It was civil.
And, for the teenagers and senior citizens alike, it was eye-opening.
Listening respectfully, at the Westport Library.
The students learned first hand about the draft, the Vietnam War, and the peace movement.
The Y’s Men learned that many of the teens understood the importance of some kind of service. They learned too about discussions that go on in history and English classes, and what the students feel comfortable writing and talking about.
And the topics they feel uncomfortable discussing.
The 4 organizers had worried that the older participants might monopolize the discussion. That did not happen.
“Everyone spoke. There were lots of rich opinions,” Sienna says.
“There was disagreement, but it was civil. There was no finger-pointing.”
Staples students and Y’s Men, after the first meeting.
Jake, Sienna, Jim and Tucker plan to meet monthly. They’ll invite different students and Y’s Men to join them.
The next topic — later this month — is “the future of work.”
The teens and seniors are excited to keep going.
“In our country, we need to talk with each other better,” Jake says.
“That’s what democracy is. It’s bad for democracy if everyone has the same viewpoint.
“But it’s equally bad if we let those viewpoints pull us apart.”
(To learn more about BridgeBuilders, click here.)
(“06880” reports regularly on Westport’s teenagers, senior citizens — and everyone else in between. If you like our work, and/or have been featured in it, please click here to support us. Thank you!)
It has a student and employer review process. It’s well organized, requiring specific information to make postings.
