What would happen if people learned to flex their “dialogue muscles” at a very young age? What if, before developing a lot of disconnecting conversational habits, we developed the ones that allow us to engage constructively and effectively with others, even those with whom we disagree?

In Episode 2 of Thanks for Listening we’ll be talking about—and to!—teenagers who are discovering how to engage with the skills that bridge divides at a moment when they are still developing their identities and shaping the way they interact with the world. We hear from Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Gretchen Brion-Meisels about adolescent brain development, how adolescents are influenced, and how they are uniquely suited and flexible to the work of dialogue. And we are excited to host Coutia, Huy, and Jacob in studio—three amazing teens who participated in a radical experiment called The “Can We?” Project—along with “Can We?” project co-creator and facilitator Deb Bicknell. These three young adults show us exactly what is possible when we ask, “can we?”