Urban and rural communities are increasingly siloed and pitted against one another in political discourse. UChicago's IOP asks: How can we equip students to gain a better understanding of urban/rural divides, have productive conversations across differences, and find shared solutions to challenges that our communities are facing? Bridging the Divide is a public service leadership program and a multi-institutional partnership between UChicago IOP, Eureka College, and Arrupe College. Students from each school convene to address urban and rural divisions around policy topics. Through dialogue, immersions, and programming, students advance their awareness about urban/rural issues and build skills to dialogue across differences. Session participants will learn about the model and identify strategies to implement multi-institutional partnerships for similar programs.

|Learning outcomes:

• Identify programming models to advance student learning around urban/rural divides
• Develop a plan to create a multi-institutional public service program
• Brainstorm solutions to challenges/obstacles for program implementation