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In final episode of season two, Ellen talks with Civic Bridgers founder Libby Stegger and students Angelina Rueda and Sumaya Yassin about bridging across rural, urban, and suburban spaces in Minnesota. Angelina and Sumaya discuss their experience in the Rural-Urban Campus Bridging Initiative and Libby shares how the Civic Bridgers organization builds connections across the state.

Episode Highlights:

03:14 Civic Bridgers and the Campus Bridging Initiative

08:40 Experiences and Insights from Participants

15:23 Challenges and Rewards of Bridging

26:19 Aspirations and Recommendations for Bridging Work

More Information:
Civic Bridgers, www.civicbridgers.org
Libby Stegger Bio, https://www.civicbridgers.org/meet-the-team

Angelina Rueda is a recent graduate from Winona State University with a passion for sociology. Last spring, she participated in the Campus Bridging Initiative to promote the Urban-Rural exchange. Currently, Angelina is a Program Engagement Fellow for Engage Winona as part of a fellowship program with Civic Bridgers and Americorps Vista.

Sumaya Yassin is a third-year student at St. Catherine University, majoring in Public Health with a concentration in Health Sciences and a minor in Aging and Longevity. In the spring of 2025, Sumaya joined the two-weekend exchange program with the Campus Bridging Initiative. This program facilitates exchanges between students from the College of Saint Benedict and St. Catherine's University to engage in discussions about Urban and Rural immersion.

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“Bridging is a practice where members of different social groups are not only brought into contact, but build social connections and rapport.”-john powell

“It's not perfect. It's not hypothetical. It's not something you can do all the time. But I think in terms of the kind of world that we are trying to bring into existence, bridging, until we fully realize that we are connected, bridging is necessary.” –john powell

“Bridges are made to be walked on.” -bell hooks

In this episode, Ellen talks with Jen Ford Reedy, president of the Bush Foundation, about john powell's book, The Power of Bridging. They explore the concepts shared in the book and how they apply to working across rural, urban, and suburban communities.

The Bush Foundation is offering free copies of john's book to anyone in their grantmaking region—Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography. Request your copy here.

Episode Highlights:
03:03 Bush Foundation's Book Club and Its Impact

14:44 Rural and Urban Dynamics

20:08 Bush Foundation's Approach to Bridging

30:29 Challenges and Skills in Bridging

37:46 Optimism and Cultural Change

43:02 The Necessity of Bridging for Change

More Information:

https://www.bushfoundation.org/people/jen-ford-reedy/
https://belonging.berkeley.edu/
https://obiu.org/course/bridging-bookclub
https://communityactionpartnership.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/john-powell.pdf

https://belonging.berkeley.edu/practice-bridging

https://standtogether.org/

Questions, comments, want to get in touch? Email us at sidebyside@umn.edu. We share your feedback with funders and stakeholders about the value of this podcast and how you engage with the insights and information.

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