In an increasingly complex and divided society, we can’t solve our challenges and maintain a free democracy without open conversation, collaboration, and problem-solving. We aim to enable our nation to address pressing challenges by empowering young adults to communicate and collaborate effectively across divides.

According to a 2022 NBC poll, 70% of Americans say that the country has become so politically polarized that it can no longer solve its major issues. As college students, we saw this kind of division playing out in our communities and nationwide, with political gridlock leading to inaction on pressing issues. In the wake of January 6, 2021, we started Civic Synergy, a Generation Z-driven organization hosting experiential learning programs fostering collaborative skill building and civic participation.

In our 6-week program, young adults ages 18-30 learn consensus-building skills and are placed into diverse teams with balanced left-right representation to practice these skills and co-create policy proposals, with the help of professional facilitators. Our process helps teams move beyond compromise and towards the inclusion of many needs at the table so that they can innovate outside of traditional “middle of the road” ideas. At the end of the program, participants present to members of Congress or other local/state elected officials. In our first two years, over 110 young adults representing over 30 states have gone through our program, and we’re grateful to have had numerous alumni continue to return and stay involved in various capacities.

We run national, federally-focused programs as well as in-person, locally-focused programs, allowing young leaders to engage with and impact issues affecting their local communities. With multiple national programs under our belt, we are working to build out our local and regional footprint all over the country, starting with our inaugural in-person program at the University of Miami’s Hanley Democracy Center.

We believe that giving today’s young leaders the tools and opportunities to strengthen our diverse democracy by navigating division is an essential journey to be on, as it will take all of us together to tackle tomorrow’s challenges.

Project Director Bio:

Laura Chen is the Executive Director and a Co-Founder of Civic Synergy. She is a recent graduate from the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she studied chemical engineering. With experience ranging from the scale of molecules to the scale of communities through engineering and social science research, teaching, and public service, she is deeply interested in how our existing systems and structures work together to influence our daily lives, and what we can do better. Laura has been inspired by the hope and passion she has seen amongst her peers through Civic Synergy and is a strong believer in the power of collaborative problem-solving towards better, more equitable outcomes for all. Outside of work, she had the pleasure of playing on her school’s varsity field hockey team and continues to love being active and outdoors, discovering new music, and spending time with loved ones.