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Civic Health Project Presents

How Do We Inspire and Equip America’s Youth to Embrace Connection, Not Division?
Moderated by Paul Solman and featuring Seth Henderson, David McCullough, Caroline Mehl, and Manu Meel

As America grapples with deepening political and ideological divides, how are we raising and educating younger people to understand, navigate, and ultimately help repair them?


Intellectual humility, open mindedness, media literacy, cultural bridging, and civil discourse aren’t tested on the SAT or included in most state-level curriculum guidelines. But America’s next generation will need all of these skills to reshape and retool the hyper-divided country they are inheriting. Watch this engaging discussion with four innovators on the front lines of the effort to educate, equip, and empower America’s middle school, high school, and college students to master these vital 21st century skills.

 

Panel Participant Bios

Paul Solman, Panel Moderator
PBS NewHour’s Economics Correspondent

Paul has been the PBS NewsHour’s Economics Correspondent for over thirty years. He began his career in business journalism as a Nieman Fellow, studying at the Harvard Business School. A graduate of Brandeis University (1966), he was the founding editor of the alternative Boston weekly The Real Paper in 1972. He was the East Coast Editor of Mother Jones magazine in the late 1970s. He has won eight Emmys, three Peabodys, a Loeb award and a James Beard award. Solman taught at the Harvard Business School from 1985-1987. He has also taught at Yale, Brandeis, Oxford, and Gateway Community College. He joined the PBS NewsHour, then known as The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, in 1985.

 

Seth Henderson
Program Manager, Better Arguments Project

Seth joined the Aspen Institute’s Citizenship & American Identity Program in 2018 and supports the team’s Better Arguments Project, a new national civic initiative created to help bridge ideological divides.  Seth has led the design and implementation of the Better Argument Project’s innovative middle school curriculum and co-created additional resources in collaboration with partners. Prior to joining the Aspen Institute, Seth was the first employee of President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBKA). Seth is a McNair Scholar and graduate of Eastern Kentucky University where he majored in political science and criminal justice. Most recently, he has completed certifications in Nonprofit Executive Management from Georgetown University and Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University. He is currently completing a Project Management certificate from Harvard University and completing coursework in the McKinsey & Company Black Leadership Academy Management Accelerator.

 

David McCullough
Executive Director, American Exchange Project

David founded American Exchange Project in 2019 to foster cultural exchange opportunities for American high schoolers. The Project offers online as well as travel-based exchange programs. David has taught and tutored students of all ages, from preschool to high school, and coached high school baseball. In 2016, he borrowed his mom’s car and road tripped from Boston, to South Texas, South Dakota, Cleveland, and back again.  The people he met and lessons he learned inspired him to create AEP. He has a BA in American Studies from Yale, and an MPhil in Economic and Social History from the University of Cambridge.

 

Caroline Mehl
Co-Founder and Executive Director, OpenMind

Caroline Mehl is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of OpenMind, a non-profit EdTech organization that leverages behavioral science to equip people with the mindset and skillset for constructive dialogue. OpenMind’s evidence-based tools have been used by more than 45,000 people across more than 15 countries. As part of her role, Caroline advises workplaces, universities, philanthropists, and communities on how to create more open and inclusive cultures. Caroline received her bachelor’s degree from Yale and her master’s degree from Oxford as a Blavatnik Foundation Scholar.

 

Manu Meel
Executive Director, BridgeUSA

Manu is an aspiring social entrepreneur who has leadership experience in both the public and private sector. Currently, Manu serves as the CEO of BridgeUSA, a national organization that aims to improve political culture across divides on college campuses. Manu is passionate about empowering young people, and his work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other media platforms. His goal is to ultimately elevate the impact of other young entrepreneurs and political activists, combining his experience as an associate in venture capital and as CEO of a national nonprofit. Manu recently graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Political Science.