BridgeEauClaire is a
chapter of BridgeUSA
which brings college students
of different persuasions
together to discuss
polarizing topics.
So BridgeEauClaire
is basically
what I would
describe as
the anti debate club.
The goal of the club
is basically to be
a conversation club.
It's less about winning
an argument
and it's more
about trying to discuss
and understand one
another in terms
of our perspectives
on politics, culture
religious backgrounds, et cetera
To that, how eager
have you found students
to engage in actual
civil discussion
with this generation
possibly craving
real connections?
The Gen Z students
are absolutely
looking for ways
to connect
but there's this
feeling among them
that they don't
really know
how to connect.
There's this kind of catch-22.
They want a social situation
They want to
find a community
but they're so used
to being targeted
or trolled online
they're scared
to be able
to express
their opinions.
And so clubs like Bridge
are a great way
for them to learn
you know
those social skills
in a real way
and to do so
in a closed environment
where they don't feel
like they're going
to get piled on
or misunderstood
or have something screenshotted
and taken out
of context.