Event
September 2, 2025
Unscripted Activities: Student-Led Organizations
A great indicator that students care about productive discourse is taking the work on themselves. These inspiring students founded campus initiatives to promote dialogue.
Jack Siegel, University of Virginia
After the 2022 shooting at University of Virginia, student Jack Siegel felt an urgent need for more meaningful conversations on campus. That’s why he founded the Civil Discourse Initiative (CDI), a student-led group that fosters open, respectful discussions on divisive issues. But creating space for this isn’t always easy. From navigating tough conversations on abortion, immigration, and the election, to challenging misconceptions about Gen Z’s willingness to engage, Jack is proving that young people aren’t shying away from difficult conversations—they’re leading them.
“It was fantastic, because I was watching these two people who I thought would just be at each other’s throats, but I did all this work of intention setting with them, and got them to get to know each other a little better, and all of a sudden they’re here on stage, really trying their hardest to be so nice. They’re agreeing with each other on things, and they’re listening with intention. They’re making jokes, they’re understanding each other, and people in the audience are looking at their party leader on stage, and the opposite party, and they’re like, ‘hmm, I’m getting to know these people better. I’m learning more about what my leaders believe about these issues that are going on.’”
Joseph Pool, Rollins College
Joseph Pool ‘26 founded Breaking Bread at Rollins College to help students find common ground and foster meaningful conversations through connections over the dinner table. Inspired by culinary diplomacy—a practice throughout history of using food to unite people—Pool started the student club as a faculty/student research project after taking several food-related courses with religion professor Yudit Greenberg. The club launched with 80 students at its first dinner event and has doubled in size, gaining support and grant funding. Breaking Bread is not only creating space for productive conversations but also empowering students to step up, inspire their peers, and make a difference.
“During one of our Dinner Discourses in partnership with students from the Bonner Leaders Program [a service-based cohort that pairs students with local nonprofits], we were able to engage in an exciting debate about freedom of speech and its limitations. People had differing views, but the act of sharing food helped make it a safe space for open dialogue. Food was a tool for progress and a referee of the debate.”