NEWS

August 29, 2024:  A 20-year effort to tackle America’s high school dropout crisis led to historic improvements in graduation rates across the country.  This success offers valuable lessons for tackling other social challenges through sustained collaboration and tailored solutions to diverse community needs. For more detailed insights, you can visit the full feature article written by Bob Balfanz & John Bridgeland here.

August 1, 2024:  YouthBuild partners with opportunity youth in over 280 programs globally, helping them reclaim education, gain job skills, and become community leaders, while more than 200,000 young people have contributed over 50 million hours of service to urban, rural, and tribal communities. In a video interview, YouthBuild graduates share their experiences in the program with founder Dorothy Stoneman and John Bridgeland. Watch the video interview in it's entirety here.

June 24, 2024:  More Perfect has partnered with over 30 presidential libraries and institutions to strengthen U.S. democracy through evidence-based programming that explores shared history.

June 3, 2024:  At the first Connecticut Service Symposium, Gov. Lamont and national leaders discussed plans to double national service opportunities for young adults by 2026, with institutions and private donors committing over $200,000 to enhance youth service programs across the U.S. and strengthen public service efforts. Read the full article here.

May 28, 2024:  Older sacred places in the U.S., crucial for providing social services and civic engagement, are disappearing due to shrinking memberships and financial struggles, and a National Endowment for Sacred and Civic Places is needed to preserve these iconic religious properties and their community contributions through public-private partnerships, while adhering to church-state separation rules. Read the OpEd by John Bridgeland and John Dilulio here.

April 2024:  Declining trust in institutions like government and media, alongside increased political polarization, underscores the importance for higher education to prioritize teaching democratic values and inspire active civic participation. Colleges and universities can support democracy through various initiatives including civic learning, national service, bridging divides, ensuring trustworthy governance, and access to reliable information. This article, written by John M. Bridgeland, Cecilia Muñoz, and Danielle Allen "reminds us that higher education has a vital role to play in our democratic renewal through engaging students’ civic learning and supporting their development as civic actors" and can be accessed at this link.

April 9-11, 2024: More Perfect and the LBJ Foundation co-hosted a conference on the state of trusted news and its impact on democracy, featuring speakers across the political spectrum at the LBJ Library in Austin, TX. Keynote speakers included: Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Kara Swisher, Larry Willmore, Judy Woodruff, Karl Rove and Jen Palmieri. The conference consisted of panels from leaders across technology, national news, local media, and philanthropy who offered concrete solutions to the challenges presented by social media, gaps in local news, and national media. Read more about the event on the More Perfect website here or on TrustNewsDemocracy.org.

March 26, 2024: Melody Barnes and John Bridgeland, former White House officials representing different political perspectives, discuss strategies for enhancing democracy and fostering collaboration across ideological divides. Listen to this “Common Law” podcast, S6 E4: A Prescription for Saving Democracy, sponsored by the University of Virginia School of Law here.

January 9, 2024:  "Imagine a generation raised on serving others" - Utah is launching a comprehensive initiative to expand service and volunteering, including mandatory high school service hours, service opportunities for businesses with government contracts, and a groundbreaking Service Year Fellowship program, with plans to share innovative practices nationwide. Read the Opinion piece by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and John Bridgeland here.

October 23, 2023:  As the 2024 presidential election approaches, candidates should consider a new call to service, drawing on historical examples to inspire Americans to work together on public challenges and address the current crisis of low trust in institutions and civic disengagement. Deval Patrick & John Bridgeland's Opinion piece is available to read here.

September 22, 2023:  According to recent studies, Americans are tuning out of politics and crave something new from our nation's leaders. Making 'citizen' a verb could very well be one answer, according to John Bridgeland. The opinion piece in The Hill can be read here.

September 14, 2023:  The 2023 CPB Public Media Thought Leader Forum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, brought innovators and public media leaders together to discuss the role of public media in strengthening democracy and civil society as America approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, with CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison emphasizing public media's commitment to this ongoing effort. John Bridgeland, CEO of More Perfect, a democracy-focused initiative, outlined its five democracy goals, with a particular emphasis on universal civic learning, emphasizing the power of citizens to address challenges in a democracy. Read the full article here.

July 2023: How can national service prioritize its resources to support communities in bridging divisions, particularly those resulting from differing ideological, cultural, or political viewpoints? "Embracing bridgebuilding as a more intentional goal of national service is not only vital for the health of our communities and the nation – it’s also vital for national service to flourish..." With input from John Bridgeland, please access the full working paper here.

July 1, 2023: As Americans prepare to celebrate almost 250 years of independence, we are reminded that this nation and it's citizens are still called to welcome and provide safe shelter to refugees who have fled their countries to find safety on our soil. Read the story of a family who fled Afghanistan and found compassion, a new home, and community support through the Welcome.US initiative. The full article can be read here.

June 22, 2023: As millions of families celebrate high school graduations this month, were it not for a remarkably successful national collective effort, there would be more than half a million fewer diplomas awarded this year. Read the opinion piece by John Bridgeland and Robert Balfanz that discusses our nation’s 20-year effort to confront its high school dropout challenge in The Dallas Morning News here.

June 20, 2023: Approximately 5.2 million children in the United States experience the death of a parent before their 18th birthday yet they remain largely anonymous, with no mechanism in schools, pediatricians’ offices or youth-serving organizations to identify them or their families  Read the full opinion piece here to discover how a new partnership that has emerged in Utah will begin to address the challenge of this hidden epidemic. Authors: Governor Spencer Cox and John Bridgeland:

May 20, 2023: Our nation's children are facing alarming rates of depression and anxiety coming out of the pandemic. Young people are having difficulty adapting to school routines, managing relationships and avoiding the perils of alcohol, drugs and violence.  The U.S. Surgeon General talks about “an epidemic of loneliness.” In virtually every community, parents, teachers, and caregivers are sounding a painful alarm: we need help. To learn more about how schools and communities that develop and reinforce the skills, attitudes and beliefs that help us all develop positively and prevent the most serious mental health problems, read the article penned by Timothy Shriver and John Bridgeland here.

February 28, 2023: Calling all changemakers in Chicago, Detroit, and Jackson — you need to know about the Change Collective. Change Collective is building a cohort of local leaders who want to bring people together, bridge divides, and solve problems at the community level. You'll have access to training opportunities, leadership development, and a network of local and national mentors. I am proud to be on Change Collective's Advisory Council, and I encourage you to learn more and apply at change-collective.org.