Just Add Water.
- Piper Hendricks
- Sep 9, 2025
- 7 min read
Peering out from under a hard, yellow helmet, I grabbed an oar and gingerly stepped into the raft behind Pop Pop and two other participants. A 40-degree drop overnight left me grateful for the warmth of the parka and life vest on loan from RVA Paddlesports. As we began to drift away from shore, I wondered if our conversation in the boat would track the water outside: peaceful at first, but later bumpy and possibly even dangerous.
After all, we were five strangers: one a river guide, another a conversation guide, and all of us ready to dive into the topic R.A.F.T. for America selected for this adventure: election integrity.
R.A.F.T. for America describes its work as “a movement dedicated to Reuniting America by breaking down barriers and Fostering Trust between people with different life experiences and perspectives.” They bring people together on day-long rafting trips that weave in important conversations. “Each river has a theme to show how, despite our diverse backgrounds, Americans can come together to help each other and solve our problems.”
As someone who cares deeply about democracy, election integrity, and civic participation (and also someone who appreciated a break from her laptop!), I eagerly signed up for the adventure of navigating differing opinions with people also open to getting “outside our bubbles.”
I came away with four takeaways relevant far beyond the river:
1. Civic Engagement Shouldn't Taste Like Dry Vegetables
Let’s be honest: asking people to be more involved in their neighborhoods, communities, and country can feel like making them eat pounds of raw broccoli.
We’ve been conditioned to think that if something is important, it must feel serious, which often means boring. But research tells a different story, one that R.A.F.T. for America brings to life:
Studies in behavioral science and civic engagement consistently show that positive emotional experiences are key drivers of participation. People are more likely to show up - and keep showing up - when they associate civic action with connection, joy, and a sense of belonging.
According to psychologist Barbara Fredrickson’s “broaden-and-build” theory, positive emotions help people expand their thinking and build lasting social connections. Social science shows that for behavior to catch on, it needs to be FUN, EASY, and POPULAR. Fun lowers defenses, invites curiosity, and creates a foundation for deeper, more sustainable engagement. In other words:
Fun isn’t fluff; it’s infrastructure.
I confess I almost listed this takeaway last. As someone who does eat my vegetables, votes because I’m “supposed to” (see #2), and sees urgent need for action to address the future of our country, I often forget the importance of fun.
Thankfully, R.A.F.T. for America doesn’t make that mistake. By pairing the adventure of rafting with group activities that invited genuine connection, they create a sense memory of civic engagement that felt good. And that matters, as people return to what feels good.
For people to be civically engaged for the long haul, we have to stop treating civic engagement like eating dry vegetables. Again for those in the back:
Fun isn’t frivolous; it’s strategic.
As a movement, we need to design experiences that make people want to show up. That doesn’t mean dumbing things down. It means meeting people where they are: as humans, not voting machines.
2. Elections Are Just the Start
Throughout the day, the group of nearly 30 people had conversations, both as a large group and in smaller groups. While chomping on carrots and goldfish crackers during lunch, I had the chance to listen to a single mom who juggles two kids and two jobs. While noting she’d never tell her father as much, she said she doesn’t make time to vote in national elections. From her perspective, many people vote because they are “supposed to,” and she wonders whether all votes really matter.
She’s not alone in asking that question. Last fall, Brookings was one of many outlets digging into where votes actually count, as you can hear on the podcast Democracy in Question. In covering the Electoral College, the AP noted the seven battleground states of 2024 were Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
I had to admit – both to myself and aloud – there were times I’d voted based on my belief it’s my civic duty, even when deep in my heart, I knew my vote wouldn’t make a difference at the national level. (Thinking your vote for President matters when you live in Washington, DC is like thinking you can turn the Washington Monument into a rocket ship and fly to the moon.) So, while I maintain voting is foundational and election integrity is vital to the health of our democracy, I know in my bones that voting alone isn’t enough.
Citizen is a verb and democracy is a daily practice. The more we’re real about that, the healthier our civic culture will be.
3. Conversations are Infrastructure, Too
We tend to think about infrastructure as roads and bridges. But conversation, like fun, is a form of civic infrastructure, and it’s in desperate need of repair. I’m betting you’ve heard of people who have lost friends or no longer talk with certain family members because of political disagreements. I see those relationships like roads that have so many potholes and so much erosion that people avoid them entirely; they take another conversational route, or just don’t go in the direction of this person at all.
One of the most meaningful parts of the R.A.F.T. experience was how much time we spent simply talking and, more importantly, listening. Not correcting. Not trying to be right. But listening to understand different sides, perspectives, and worries.
People opened up about their fears, frustrations, and suspicions. While we didn’t always agree, I think we all recognized the importance of hearing concerns and responding with respect. This is one of the many Braver Angels’ approaches I admire: “our goal is not to change people’s views of the issues, but to change their views of each other.”
Yes, there is space – and need – for facts, as I note in #4, and for action, as we’ll dive into next Tuesday at the National Conference on Citizenship. But we won’t rebuild trust in democracy without first rebuilding trust in each other, and that starts with better conversations.
4. Experience, Expertise, and Humility
We’re living through a complicated moment when it comes to expertise. There's a cultural backlash seen in the “you think you’re better than me?” reaction to people with credentials or policy knowledge across the country.
I sensed the scale of this during my tenure at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP). The contrast between our team's view of education beyond high school – namely, economic mobility for individuals, stability for communities, a boost to the workforce, and benefits for society writ large – and the way some saw higher ed (e.g., snobby bastions of liberalism) couldn’t have been more stark.
Hopefully we can all agree there are still areas where we need expertise? Personally, I don’t want my surgeon or electrician relying on ChatGPT before cutting into my abdomen or kitchen wall. Nor do I want someone without experience overseeing our elections, even as I’m energized by the transparency and public participation that The Future of Our Former Democracy documented in the Republic of Ireland.
Unfortunately, trust in experts has eroded across fields and communities. Some of this is the result of political polarization and disinformation. But it also stems from a real frustration: people feeling unheard, dismissed, or talked down to. Sociologist Arlie Hochschild studied political identity and developed a concept called a “deep story.” That story, as Hidden Brain host Shankar Vedantam explains, “feels emotionally true [and captures] the hopes, fears, pride, shame, resentment, and anxiety of people.”
Like so many stories, Hochschild tells this one in three parts. It’s worth listening to the full podcast, but the quick summary is there are people who: 1) have been waiting in line for the American Dream, tired but patient, not harboring ill will as they await the reward for the work they put in; 2) notice that somebody seems to be cutting the line, which feels unfair; and 3) assume the person who is supposed to keep order of the line is the President of the United States, then lose faith and/or grow angry when it feels like they’re pushed back in line.
In other words, many feel like they’ve followed the rules, worked hard, and still been left behind. From that perspective, expertise can start to look like gatekeeping. Resentment has grown and when people, organizations, and institutions respond by doubling down on facts and data without connection, the gap only widens. (If that notion piques your interest, be sure to join us this Friday for a webinar with Braver Angels’ Dimitra Giannakoulias on translating from Blue to Red.)
My experience with R.A.F.T. for America reminded me that in person, it’s different. When experts share their knowledge not as a lecture, but as part of a story grounded in their own experience, people actually listen. When that story is delivered not with ego but with humility – in the spirit of “Hey, I care enough about this to volunteer at the polls for years and years and let me explain the parts of the process you haven’t seen before,” curiosity and respect can overcome defensiveness. Sure, titles can matter, but not as much as trust and tone.
If we want a healthy democracy, we need to rebuild trust in each other and in expertise. Though, as we say in Braver Angels’ Citizen-Led Solutions, experts need to be “on tap, not on top.” To all experts who are leaving ivory towers and showing up with honesty, humility, and openness: thank you. Your expertise matters, and it can deeply resonate when you share it alongside empathy.
The Power of Showing Up
Benjamin Franklin is credited with saying that we have “A republic, if you can keep it.” For the purposes of this post, I won’t quibble about democracy v. constitutional republic. My focus here is on the latter part of the quote: if you can keep it. Our country isn’t a permanent fixture we can take for granted; it is something we need to keep – and citizenship is something we must do.
The adventure with R.A.F.T. for America reminded me that policies or programs, while powerful, aren’t where advocacy begins. Truly, our most powerful tools are We The People sharing space, stories, concerns, and experiences. We sustain our power by ensuring room for fun, by recognizing our role every day – not just Election Day, and by listening to and valuing others’ experiences.
- Piper Hendricks, CEO
September 2025
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