How Young Leaders Are Helping Bridge Divides

“In this very moment where it feels very tempting to disengage and to just tune out and say, politics and — we’re just too divided, it’s too hopeless, we’re actually seeing young people run towards the problem, running for office, not running away from it.”
    — Layla Zaidane on the 12 Geniuses podcast

In this episode of 12 Geniuses, Layla Zaidane, CEO of Future Caucus, discusses the importance of young leaders in addressing political polarization and building a brighter, less divided future.

Layla explains that, despite our current political toxicity, many young people choose to actively run for office and bridge divides rather than disengage from politics. Through her role at Future Caucus, she supports these leaders by fostering bipartisan collaboration across the country.

“What Future Caucus does is we try to build community for lawmakers. Just like I was looking for belonging when I was growing up, that’s what we do for young lawmakers, whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican, an independent, or something else, you all share a generational identity.”

Layla also discusses the importance of democracy, which she defines as not just election-related, but as the way in which communities come together to make decisions while respecting diverse perspectives. 

“It really is about all of us and the ways in which we have processes to make decisions, to share resources, to do something, to build something. That, to me, is why American democracy has endured.”

She sees hope in the next generation’s commitment to addressing their divides through collaboration, despite America’s challenges and historical conflicts.

Layla outlines three main drivers of polarization: 

1. Structural issues
2. Social factors like echo chambers, and
3. “Conflict entrepreneurs” who exploit divisions for personal gain

Her group Future Caucus aims to counter these trends by empowering young leaders to set new norms of cooperation and transparency.

Watch this 12 Geniuses episode now. 

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