GETTING TO THE 1000TH BRIDGE

In May 2004 we launched a simple project -- not knowing ourselves what the outcome would be.  We put a dozen children on one end of a phone line in America and a dozen on the other end in Russia and then helped them get to know one another.  The hour long call was electrifying . . .and life-changing.  The voices on the other end of the line gripped the children and broke open their interest in their world.  To everyone's amazement, the call produced not only thoughtfulness and laughter, but a moment so touching that it brought tears to the eyes of both children and adults.  As soon as the call was finished, the first question the children asked was when the next call would be.  Since then, they haven't stopped.  They have been done not only with students, but with mothers, grandmothers, World War II veterans and theater groups.  With rare exception, every call has produced incredibly moving moments, with people coming back over the bridge a bit more thoughtful, a bit more caring and aware of their world than when they first crossed it.     
     Getting to the 1000th bridge will take more than we can do alone. It will, in part, be the work of the young people who started them. (One high schooler has since gone off to college and introduced the idea there.)  It will also come about with the help of more and more groups experiencing the specialness of the bridges themselves. The more bridges that are built, the more hearts that will be changed and the more understanding that will result.  In whatever way it comes, our world is better for each moment of understanding for it leads to both higher and deeper views of life. The pages shared here will give you practical information on how to begin, as well as touching stories to encourage you along the way.