Democracy is more effective when people talk and listen to one another. That is what inspired the One Small Step initiative, which brings together strangers with different viewpoints to talk for about an hour. The national nonprofit StoryCorps, well known since 2002 for bringing together family members to talk, started One Small Step in 2016 as a way to bridge divides among people who have never met.

Last year, the Kettering Foundation became the exclusive sponsor of the One Small Step initiative in southwest Ohio, organized by WYSO 91.3 FM, the region’s National Public Radio station. WYSO arranged for conversations among 50 people. Excerpts of those discussions began airing on January 27, and they will continue to air every Wednesday at 7:45 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. All segments will also be published online, with an accompanying article.

The first segment featured Amy Hart of Fairborn, Ohio, and Emily Anderson of Troy, Ohio, who talked about what makes up patriotism and the value of American ideals. In the second segment, Jennifer Davis and Beth Taylor talked about the differences between small towns and big cities.

“The One Small Step initiative at WYSO offered us a terrific opportunity to be part of a project that is integral to our mission,” said Kettering Foundation Director of Communications Melinda Gilmore. “At a time when our democracy is regularly being challenged, and when we are deeply yearning for the opportunity to connect with others, One Small Step has provided one of those chances. My hope is that this project will inspire all of us to feel more comfortable engaging with others, even those who are different from us.”

Will Davis, director of the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO, brought the project to Dayton after his experience leading a One Small Step initiative in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2022. When WYSO asked for volunteer participants from the public last year, the station received 150 applications from interested people. It was tough to winnow the list to 50, Davis said.

After pairing people up the radio station recorded 25 conversations. The conversations lasted 50 minutes; the segments airing on the radio are excerpts of just a few minutes in length. With the participants’ consent, their full conversations will be stored at the Library of Congress.

Davis was present for many of the conversations. “Sometimes they talked about politics, but most often, they chose not to,” he said. “What they did talk about that was really helpful is how they are living in this moment in this country. You can’t hear their experiences and not learn and not feel better. The participants walked away feeling heard and less alone. It was healing for them and healing for those of us bearing witness to those conversations.”

The fact that the excerpts are broadcast in the middle of the news, on Morning Edition early in the day and on All Things Considered in the evening, provides listeners with some uplifting stories amid news that is often troubling, Davis said.

“In a democracy, everyone’s story matters equally,” Davis said. “So let’s listen to each other.”