Cultivating moral imagination in emerging leaders.
[mor·al im·ag·i·na·tion] noun
The capacity to confront the world as it is, envision the world as it ought to be — and close the distance between the two.
Who We Are
PUSH The Next Generation exists to restore empathy, memory, and dialogue in an increasingly divided world. We equip young leaders with the emotional intelligence, civic literacy, and storytelling tools to build a more just and connected society.
“When young people practice empathy while engaging with history and storytelling, they develop the moral imagination and leadership that can heal division.”
ASHLEY LAVERNE JACKSON
Founder & President
What We're Up Against
Our digital-first world faces a growing empathy deficit and historical amnesia — leaving young people susceptible to echo chambers, disconnected from one another, and from the justice movements that shaped the world they've inherited.
ech·o cham·ber noun
A space, online or off, where we encounter only the beliefs that mirror our own.
What Divides Us. What Connects Us.
The same forces pulling us apart show us exactly what’s worth reclaiming.
For too many young people, disagreement ends the conversation.
34% of Gen Z adults avoid listening, one-on-one, to people whose views they dislike — more than any other generation.
More in Common, Deep Listening, 2024
What Connects Us
PTNG brings young people into sustained dialogue across difference, building the capacity to listen, question, disagree, and remain responsible to one another.
Social media rewards outrage.
In an analysis of 2.7 million posts, every word attacking an ideological opponent increased a post's odds of being shared by 67% — the single strongest predictor of engagement.
Rathje et al., “Out-group animosity drives engagement on social media, ” PNAS, 2021
What Connects Us
PTNG helps young people examine the information they encounter, understand what is shaping their response, and meet one another with greater care and perspective.
Civic engagement feels distant.
76% of young people want to get involved in causes they care about — yet 32% don't know where to begin.
DoSomething Strategic with the American Red Cross, “What Gen Z Wants: The Future of Volunteerism, ” December 2024
What Connects Us
PTNG makes civic life legible. Young people learn the history, institutions, and pathways that shape public decisions — and find their place between what they've inherited and what they'll leave behind.
REMEMBER → RELATE → REFLECT → REBUILD
REMEMBER → RELATE → REFLECT → REBUILD
The Work Ahead
Through experiences, storytelling, and connection across generations, PTNG gives young people the tools to understand the past, engage the present, and shape what comes next.
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Hands-on experiences and workshops that treat emotional literacy as a skill — something practiced, not assumed — as young people engage with history, civic life, and one another.
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Original media and storytelling — including our podcast — that carries the lessons of past movements to the questions facing this generation, before that memory is lost.
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Direct conversations between young leaders and the elders who came before them — like our talk with Gloria Steinem — so hard-won wisdom is passed down in person, the way it’s meant to travel.
Born of a Movement. Carrying it Forward.
PUSH The Next Generation (PTNG) was founded by Ashley Laverne Jackson, a writer, producer, and social-impact advocate working at the intersection of media, history, and moral imagination. Rooted in the legacy of her father, Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., and his lifelong pursuit of justice, the organization transforms remembrance into responsibility — and empathy into a public good.
Photo by Malik Daniels
