Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Ithaca Visiting Fellow Jack Kennedy Schlossberg joined Valerie Biden Owens, chair of the Biden Institute at the University of Delaware, on Oct. 18 for the special event “Gen Z Impact: Your Vote Matters” held in Mitchell Hall.

Civil discourse during an election year

Article by Meghan Keating Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson and Maria Errico November 06, 2024

Inspiring action through dialogue at SNF Ithaca event

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Ithaca Initiative in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration welcomed more than 120 students, faculty and staff from across the U.S. to the University of Delaware’s Newark campus in mid-October to kick off the fourth annual SNF Ithaca National Student Dialogue, a two-day event. Representing 35 academic institutions across the United States, the group joined nearly 200 others from the UD community and beyond for “Gen Z Impact: Your Vote Matters,” a special event featuring SNF Ithaca Visiting Fellow Jack Kennedy Schlossberg.

Dialogue in the digital age

Moses Martinez, an SNF Ithaca Student Leaders program alumnus, introduced Schlossberg and the event’s moderator, Biden Institute Chair Valerie Biden Owens. In an intermission of sorts between days one and two of the National Student Dialogue, Schlossberg joined Biden Owens to discuss his rise to fame on social media, the importance of duty to family and why Gen Z’s active participation in democracy was especially important for this election cycle. For the grandson of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, what began as an outlet to speak up on relevant issues quickly became Schlossberg’s strategy for mobilizing Gen Z.

Much like Schlossberg and his work mobilizing young adults, the SNF Ithaca Student Leaders (pictured above) are stewards of civil discourse and democracy.

Instead of punching down and minimizing, he seized the opportunity to meet this crop of digital-age-born first-time voters where they are most comfortable.

“Right now, I think we’re living in a really exciting moment of change where there’s a huge transition happening,” he told Biden Owens. “There are a lot of new ways of doing things and new ways of getting messages out there, and I think that, for the first time, the experts are all sitting in this room: people who grew up online, native digital users.”

On his Instagram and TikTok pages, Schlossberg uses humor and informality to broach topics like voter registration and other relevant social and policy issues in a digestible short-form format that creates an impact.

“We’re all the experts now on how to communicate,” Schlossberg said. “I’ve seen it out on the road. Governors, senators — now they’re making content, they’re taking selfies with everybody, they’re making content with digital creators. It just goes to show that you can really make a difference just by using your voice and getting excited.”

Workshopping campus solutions

Earlier that day, the SNF Ithaca National Student Dialogue commenced at Clayton Hall. For the fourth time, the two-day program included a case study presentation led by SNF Ithaca Student Leaders, panel discussions and breakout sessions devoted to understanding and addressing real issues. Following the theme “Civil Discourse and Our Shared Democracy,” attendees explored the rich complexity of “civility challenges” facing the diverse colleges and universities and used the public policy process to shape their dialogue informing practical responses. Using respectful dialogue and understanding across differences is widely considered a foundational element of democratic societies and institutions and is a precursor to effective citizenship and community engagement.

Since the first SNF Ithaca National Student Dialogue in 2022, both individual and institutional attendance saw impressive growth, from 55 faculty, students and staff representing 17 colleges and universities to 120 representing 35.

“Your participation here today shows your commitment to learning how to do that,” UD President Dennis Assanis said as we welcomed the crowd. “Why is that so important? Because the future of the nation depends on each of you. Your willingness and enthusiasm about being here is a milestone in creating relationships and having the respectful, honest discussions that are the very foundation of a working democracy.”

Biden School Interim Dean Joe Trainor furthered those sentiments as he addressed the crowd, drawing on the school’s deeply embedded values of democratic citizenship, including civil discourse, civic engagement and service to others.

“The SNF Ithaca National Student Dialogue is a testament to the belief that we have a choice in how we engage one another,” he said. “Each of you brings your own perspectives, experiences and beliefs. We are here to learn from that rich and diverse set of differences, find strength in what unites us, and imagine the possibilities of what could be.”

“How we treat one another, how we show up for our communities, how we work to find ways to live with and respect each other — those are the actions that will determine the future of our democracy,” he continued. “We must believe that democracy thrives on our empathy, on our capacity to see the humanity in one another. It falters when we allow fear and division to drive us apart.”

Expanding campus conversations

Since the Dialogue’s first program in 2022, individual and institutional attendance have both grown, increasing from 55 faculty, students and staff representing 17 colleges and universities to 120 representing 35. The guest list also boasted six of the seven schools named after Democratic and Republican U.S. presidents, a further symbol of the collective group’s commitment to forging bipartisan connections in the name of democracy.

“We’ve been thrilled to watch how the National Student Dialogue has grown since it began,” said SNF programs co-director Casey Russo. “It’s a testament to the fact that productive, person-to-person dialogue is not only essential to the health of our democracy but is also something young people see as important in their lives and actively seek out. This gives us hope for the future, and we are very proud to support SNF Ithaca in facilitating opportunities like this for cross-community exchange.”

Also in attendance was the first-ever staff member who had previously participated as a student. Willow Paul, now assistant director for the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative at Davidson College, first attended two years ago as a graduate student with the Center for Public Deliberation at Colorado State University.

“It really was a moment for me where I felt my commitment to this work solidify because I saw how many organizations, how many schools are committed to this work,” she said. “I find myself wanting to help my students find that same kind of inspiration at the event and helping them network and try to understand where other universities and colleges are coming from and the problems that they face on their campuses and how they’re navigating those issues.”

Willow Paul (center), assistant director for the Deliberative Citizenship Initiative at Davidson College, is the first staff member to attend the Dialogue with previous experience on the student side.

Champions for civil discourse

Within the context of UD, the SNF Ithaca Student Leaders program provides five students with the opportunity to immerse themselves for a full year in the theory and practice of civil discourse and civic engagement, establishing a knowledge base and skillset to become active and effective citizens in a democracy. Now on its fourth cohort, the program provides students with various opportunities for growth and leadership development, including leading a case study session at the Dialogue and participation in convenings like the International Journalism Forum hosted by the incubator for Media Education and Development (iMEdD) in Athens, Greece. While the Dialogue previously occurred in the spring, this academic year it was moved to October to enable ideas to be realized through programming on UD’s campus.

SNF Ithaca Student Leader April Anthony (center) and her fellow cohort members each led group debrief discussions following their case study presentation.

The 2024-2025 SNF Ithaca Student Leaders include:

April Anthony, a senior wildlife ecology and conservation major with a minor in public policy
Morgan Goettel, a junior public policy and psychology double major
Naomi Maria, a junior honors public policy major
Isaac O’Neal, a junior honors economics and public policy double major
Faiza Saeedi, a junior public policy major with minors in women and gender studies and anthropology

“Our generation has been tasked with shouldering so many complex societal problems, but we are deprived of the healthy dialogues required to solve them,” said Anthony, who sees her title as an SNF Ithaca Student Leader as a formal charge to inspire the masses. “My hope for my time with SNF Ithaca is that we are able to engage more of our campus community in our programs and create spaces where students are able to achieve these healthy dialogues.”

Much like Schlossberg and his work mobilizing young adults, the SNF Ithaca Student Leaders are stewards of civil discourse and democracy. Collectively, they carry the torch; they are the champions of the SNF Ithaca Initiative.

As the SNF Ithaca National Student Dialogue attendees return to their home campuses and the Initiative itself pushes onward into the academic year, one may wonder about what’s next. With so much uncertainty in the country and the world, inaugural Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Chair of Civil Discourse and SNF Ithaca Director Timothy Shaffer is hopeful that the practical skills fostered through the Initiative and its associated events have true staying power moving from talk to action.

Naija Agawal from the SNF Paideia Program at the University of Pennsylvania, where previous Dialogue attendees used their action plan to develop an orientation program for new students.

“Civil discourse can shape collective efforts that have real impact,” he said. “Dialogue is one of the best ways for pluralism and viewpoint diversity to be realized at colleges and universities.”

Students from SNF Paideia at the University of Pennsylvania took their action plan at the previous Dialogue and developed a new orientation program for new students.

In short, the need for programs like SNF Ithaca and the young adults who are inspired by their active participation is apparent.

“There’s a lot of opportunity right now for people who are politically engaged and young; there’s a lot of opportunity to make yourself useful,” Schlossberg said.

About the UD Biden School

Established in 1961 and named in 2018 for the University of Delaware’s most distinguished alumnus, the 46th President of the United States, the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration prepares students with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in research and public service activities to improve the quality of life in communities around the world. The Biden School’s faculty, staff, students, and alumni create and use interdisciplinary, nonpartisan research and empirically-based analysis to inform effective decision-making and policy and to improve leadership and administration. The Biden School partners with organizations from all sectors to discover innovative and equitable solutions to the critical challenges of our time.

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