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How Can We? Project is Shaping Maine’s Future Leaders

December 16, 2024

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The Can We? Project continues to grow and thrive across Maine, creating meaningful opportunities for students to engage in civil dialogue, foster compassion, and inspire change within their communities. The program works directly with cohorts of students and teachers from partner schools, offering them the tools to navigate political and social differences through dialogue. Each year, as interest and capacity allow, the program expands to include new schools, with the hope that the skills learned will ripple outward.

At the heart of Can We? Project is a commitment to using storytelling and compassion as powerful tools for connection—principles championed by Narrative 4 . Through a series of retreats and workshops, Can We? facilitators teach students the mindset and skills necessary for engaging in dialogue across differences. This process integrates N4’s core practices of self-reflection, perspective-taking, and empathy. Students are encouraged to ask, “Who am I, what do I believe, and who or what has influenced my beliefs?” N4’s Story Exchange model, where participants share personal stories and listen with empathy, helps deepen students’ understanding of their own beliefs while also encouraging them to consider the experiences and viewpoints of others.

One of the central goals of Can We? is to provide students with the tools to create spaces where difficult conversations can take place—spaces where people feel heard and understood. In this year’s training, students from five Maine schools were trained as N4 facilitators, empowering them to use the skills learned through N4 programming not only in their own school environments but also to lead multi-school exchanges and community dialogues.

As part of the program, students have already started designing and implementing impactful projects that promote connection and understanding in their communities. One notable example is an intergenerational exchange between high school students and nursing home residents. The project, which brings together two different generations for conversation and mutual learning, challenges stereotypes and fosters relationships through the power of personal storytelling.

This year’s training culminates in a schoolwide Story Exchange, where students facilitate dialogue across their school community. By centering students in the design and execution of these projects, Can We? Project not only encourages student leadership but also inspires young people to take ownership of the culture of civil dialogue they’re helping to create.As Can We? Project continues to grow, the combination of student leadership and N4’s storytelling practices is laying the foundation for a new generation of compassionate, engaged citizens who can bridge divides and build stronger, more connected communities. Through storytelling, inquiry, and empathy, these students are shaping a future where dialogue is not just a tool for understanding but a pathway to meaningful social change.