Building Bridges

We are in the business of transformation, driving a movement for inclusive leaders across our state. Through communication and empathy, we equip resilient, inclusive leaders - of all ages - with the skills to transform divides in their communities.

Testimonials

From Emily Tanabe:
I participated in Building Bridges in the 2017-2018 Transform program. It was life changing. For the first time, adults I looked up to and trusted weren't only pointing out the injustices I saw in life, but they were giving me the tools I needed to address them on my own. Building Bridges allowed me to grow into a more aware person, unafraid to call out injustices as I see them in the world around me, and willing to work with anyone to create solutions to problems created by these injustices.

I have used my BB skills in many ways since graduating the program. I use them daily, when speaking to friends, family, and peers. I used them to start a GSA (gay-straight alliance at my school) and resolve conflict where I see it.

I remember after a particularly difficult workshop, we would go outside in this beautiful little valley we were staying in, and just scream at the top of our lungs. It didn't matter why, it didn't matter who we were with, it just mattered that we get this tension and energy out in a healthy way. Building Bridges doesn't just teach people, it takes care of them. Their number one priority isn't the education of their participants, but rather their growth, and to ensure this they do everything in their power to make sure we always have the support we need, even after leaving the program.

Building Bridges' Transform programs are the perfect thing for youth. Fun, engaging, different. But educational and informational as well. It's important for kids to experience something like this because it gives them a unique skill set they wouldn't have learned anywhere else: confidence, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, leadership, and, most importantly, a deep well of empathy. Very few programs can do the same, and if they can, they aren't nearly as accessible, welcoming, or open minded as those at Building Bridges.

From Lauren Plomer:
I participated in the 2013-2015 Building Bridges Middle East/United States (MEUS) program during my sophomore and junior years of high school. The program offered me my first opportunity to engage in deep reflection on my values and perspectives. While hearing the stories of others, my understanding of the world, and my context within it, expanded. Empathy. Authenticity. Trust. Vulnerability: All gateways to more meaningful connections with other people, especially those I might never have otherwise met. Building Bridges offered me an unforgettable opportunity to understand people different than me, and for them to understand me.

Through two years of programming, I added new words to my vocabulary. Privilege. Power. Intersectionality. Identity. I had never thought about these concepts before, because I never had to. But I am grateful to Building Bridges for providing me the introduction. Having built the skills I did through MEUS, entering college I was able to expand on that foundation. I encountered new people and new perspectives with an already open mind, from a base of curiosity and empathy. I knew how to ask the right questions and engage in the difficult conversations that needed to be had.

I now attend the University of Denver. I have found, on its campus, a community of people cut from the same cloth as Building Bridges. Organizations like the Excelling Leaders Institute, DU Dialogues, Center for Multicultural Excellence, and various student affinity groups (Black Student Alliance, Muslim Student Association, Latinx Student Alliance, Queer Student Alliance etc.) work tirelessly to be centers of advocacy and activism and engage in dialogue, much like I first saw in Building Bridges. Yet, it still seems they are in the minority. As a private university and a primarily white institution, the University of Denver is home to many students unaware of their own privileges, and whose prejudices and biases (internal and otherwise) cloud their relationships with others. DU promotes values of "Inclusive Excellence", but many of my friends see it as an empty promise that their direct experiences have contradicted. There have been instances of blatant racism, as well as subtle (and not so subtle) forms of inequality that still persist on DU's campus. The University is a microcosm of the larger world, and there are many problems that still require solving.

Building Bridges allowed me to enter this setting with a mind already open to my role in the problems that persist, and a willingness to do my part to find solutions. I still grapple with questions of identity, and a larger sense of inadequacy in the face of systemic issues. But Building Bridges showed me hope, and taught me how to recognize communities capable of incredible transformation...