This Des Moines nonprofit seeks to mend our partisan division

As partisan divides grow stronger leading up to the 2024 election, the Lyceum Movement, a local nonprofit in Des Moines, believes our estrangements can be bridged.

Why it matters: Increased polarization coincides with reports of more loneliness and mental health issues.

• The Lyceum Movement hopes to address and counter both problems through grassroots, community events aimed at finding common ground.

State of play: Call it loneliness, isolationism or tribalism, but today's circumstances make it easier than ever to avoid people unlike us, says Nathan Beacom, the group's founder and executive director.

• Social media, cable news and politicians are incentivized to attract people towards inflammatory rhetoric, he said.
• Meanwhile, excessive cell phone use can reduce emotional connections and face-to-face interactions.

Zoom in: In August, Lyceum Movement will hold a " Festival of Ideas " at The Shop downtown focused on bigger topics everyone can relate to, such as "What is the meaning of family?" and "Why it's getting harder to make friends."

The big picture: There's a growing movement of nonprofits dedicated to brainstorming and trying to dampen the partisan divide across the country.

• And while there may be no reconciliation between "Trump-branded conservatism" and the political left — the focus should be on the "exhausted" majority of Americans that can still find common ground, the New York Times writes .

Reality check: Talking about our differences is getting tougher in multiple areas.

• Iowa lawmakers have banned diversity programs in public colleges and LGBTQ instruction in elementary schools is in legal limbo, for example.

Zoom out: Nationwide, there's a particularly evident partisan divide over schools — Republicans reported 30% satisfaction with K-12 schools last year, down from 53% in 2003, according to Gallup.

• Meanwhile, Democrats' satisfaction has increased during the same time period, from 44 to 51%.

What's next: The Lyceum Movement wants to reach more rural areas after having expanded into Jefferson.