For young people to engage in the democratic conversation, they need to believe they can make a difference. This can be difficult if the majority of the stories you encounter focus on crises and a sometimes hopeless world.
It’s often strong opinions that get attention. And if we identify ourselves with our opinions in the attention economy, it creates more distance between people, because nuances are lost and contradictions are amplified. That’s why we need to get better at listening – even to those we disagree with.
Democratic trust and self-confidence are cultivated in physical communities – we need more of them and we can all contribute. When a diversity of voices are heard and valued, we make democracy inclusive and more resilient.