Students Find Hope for the Future in an Unexpected Way: A Conversation with a Stranger

Chicago, IL (Feb. 15, 2022) — Unify America, a cross-partisan nonprofit on a mission to build problem-solving and civics skills, partnered with professors and staff members across twenty universities for its second Unify Challenge College Bowl.  

Over five nights, 634 student participants from across the country joined the virtual Unify Challenge to share perspectives across differences and strengthen their civic muscles. 

Here’s how it worked: Two college students—total strangers from different schools with different political leanings or backgrounds—were matched into a one-on-one guided video conversation to talk about big goals for the country. 

One participating student put it this way: “Initially the challenge felt intimidating, but after meeting my partner it was an eye-opening experience. I learned that it is possible to disagree yet have a respectful conversation. It was reassuring to see another person who identified as a moderate as I feel it is stigmatized. It made me feel more confident in the future of our country.”

The student pairs report finding more agreement than they expected as the partners walk through 24 different goals for America with topics ranging from free speech and criminal justice to immigration and education.

In fact, according to a post-Challenge feedback survey, 74 percent of student participants feel more hopeful about the future of the country, and 91 percent would recommend the experience to a friend or family member.