At this week’s Round Table, Julianna, Olivia, and Riya spoke with Divya Ganesan and Eliza Goler, co-founders of Real Talk. Divya and Eliza, now rising high school seniors, first began thinking about “Real Talk” as middle school debate partners because they recognized the value of the critical thinking skills and diverse perspectives represented in debate, but often absent from other settings (you know, like classrooms and our everyday lives.) They recognized the need for training and support in creating and holding space if this kind of “real talk” is going to thrive--so they created it. We discussed the difference between debate, discussion, and deliberation; the power of peer-to-peer models; the importance of resisting binaries and othering; and the value of cross partisanship and engagement across identities. We also share tips for civil dialogue and dig into some of the methodologies and tools they’ve created so that you too can engage in real talk. Thanks for joining us!
