Solutions Circles, an initiative by Mississippi Free Press and the Mississippi Youth Media Project, unites a vibrant mix of community members to openly share, listen and tackle common pressing challenges. Facilitating these circles has taught us invaluable lessons on communicating across differences — especially across generational divides.
Take Hart, for example. Once a high school junior attending a Mississippi Scholastic Press Association conference, he found himself in my session, where I was there as editor of MFP and director of YMP to guide the aspiring young journalists through a Solutions Circle. He immediately warmed to the interactive dialogue among his peers and stayed for subsequent circles, naturally stepping up to help facilitate and encourage other students to speak up about the intentionally selected topics, such as reducing brain drain and preventing youth crime — topics that I knew would resonate in this setting as they had previously with my peers in the Youth Media Project.
He didn’t ask for permission to lead; he just stayed and did it. I kept out of his way, welcoming him and listening to him and the students, noting that I’d like him to be a long-term colleague and thought partner.
These days, we both facilitate Solutions Circles and help attendees respect, hear and understand each other’s viewpoints. This is especially important when people of different ages collaborate to solve problems, as we tend to see the same common tropes and pitfalls that keep them from effectively communicating with each other.