In a new op-ed for The Fulcrum, Tilting Futures CEO Erin Lewellen explores why global civic education is one of the most powerful tools we have for building trust, bridging divides, and preparing the next generation of leaders.
This article marks the first in a new thought leadership series from Tilting Futures CEO Erin Lewellen outlining a fresh approach to educating young people. First published by The Fulcrum, this opening essay examines how immersive, experiential learning can help prepare the next generation to thrive in an increasingly complex world.
In her op-ed, “Why Fixing Polarization Requires Students Crossing Borders”, Erin argues that polarization isn’t simply a knowledge problem; it’s a challenge of perspective. Drawing on more than a decade of experience leading global civic education programs, she explores how immersive, community-based learning helps young people develop the cultural humility, systems thinking, and collaborative leadership skills needed to navigate a divided world.
“This [work] is about leveraging existing infrastructure… to build a generation equipped to do what ours has struggled with: work across difference, find common ground, and lead in contexts where division is currently the default.”
Read the full op-ed on The Fulcrum to explore why making transformative experiential learning more accessible is one of the most effective investments we make in the future of civic leadership.
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About Tilting Futures
Tilting Futures prepares young people to lead change in a complex world by developing the capacities that make connection across difference possible. Since 2010, the organization has served more than 3,000 students. Its flagship program, Take Action Lab, is an accredited, semester-length program built on an evidence-backed curriculum that develops the durable skills employers, higher education, and civic institutions increasingly recognize as foundational, including agency, self-awareness, perspective-taking, communication across difference, sense of belonging, and the orientation toward purposeful action. Alongside its direct program work, Tilting Futures’ systems change work is focused on making this kind of intentional capacity development a standard feature of how we prepare young people for adulthood, in their communities, in college, and in career. Tilting Futures is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
