Talking Politics at the Table: Why Teens Need These Conversations
December 11th 2025 - We should be talking about politics in our church youth groups, in the classroom, in therapy, and around the kitchen table. The Muskogee poet Joy Harjo writes in Perhaps the World Ends Here:
“It is here [at the kitchen table] that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women. Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table. Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory.”
Politics belongs here—woven among the plans for the day, the class syllabus, friendships, and what to have for dinner. Religion belongs here too, though that’s a topic for another day. What’s clear is that we need to be talking with our kids about what it means to be a participating member of the human race, about authority, power, and the rights and responsibilities that come with being human in this moment in history.
Our role as elders, educators, and service providers is to guide, scaffold, usher, and companion young people into adulthood. One crucial area of that scaffolding is political life. Some argue that talking politics risks indoctrination, but that depends on the conversation’s purpose, our capacity to be Self-led, and our willingness to stay curious rather than controlling. Even so, political conversations can feel threatening for some adults, who would prefer politics stay far away from youth spaces.
But this is impossible.
What Do We Mean When We Talk About Politics?
The term political dates back to the 1550s, meaning “of or pertaining to a polity, civil affairs, or government,” from the Latin politicus, “of citizens or the state.” Its deeper roots go back to Aristotle’s Politiká, the Ancient Greek politiká—“affairs of the cities.” As inhabitants of cities, states, and lands, we are the polity. Everyone is a citizen, regardless of age—including teenagers.
Politics lives in families, schools, neighborhood meetings, classroom dynamics, and even the weekend shift at the coffee shop. Foundational concepts such as authority, democracy, equality, freedom, justice, and power show up everywhere. Family conflict, a new school administrator’s policies, and the norms of a group project all contain political threads.
If we live in community, we are living a political life.
As many debate team members will confirm, controversial topics aren’t the actual problem—communication errors are. When young people learn how to communicate effectively, political conversations stop being landmines and become opportunities. When we host these conversations skillfully, our work with adolescents becomes easier, not harder.
Why Political Conversations Strengthen Youth Work
While there are important political reasons to talk politics with young people, there are some important psychological and relational reasons to do so. These will contribute to the strength of our relationships and their own sense of belonging.
Politics is a gateway to stronger rapport.
Teens care deeply about fairness, identity, and belonging—political topics activate all three.
How this helps adolescent service providers:
Builds trust because young people feel seen on issues that matter to them.
Opens conversations about values, stress, and identity that may otherwise stay hidden.
Makes difficult youth behaviors more understandable when viewed through political or justice lenses.
Learning about politics reduces conflict and misinformation.
Teen political conversations already happen—online, in hallways, during games, and in group chats.
How it helps providers:
Engaging proactively guides healthier discussions and reduces peer conflict.
Teens learn respectful disagreement, improving group dynamics.
Norms for dialogue reduce blowups and the need for disciplinary interventions.
When we’re there for the hard conversations, teens feel supported.
Politics is a major source of anxiety for today’s youth.
How it helps adolescent service providers:
Open conversations help teens process fear, anger, and uncertainty, reducing emotional dysregulation.
Providers gain insight into stressors that impact attendance, motivation, and behavior.
Conclusion: Returning to the Table
Joy Harjo reminds us that the kitchen table is where humanity is taught, tested, and renewed. It shelters us in storms and gathers us in triumph. It is where we laugh, cry, fall apart, and come back together.
If wars have begun and ended at the table, surely conversations about politics—about how we want to live with one another—belong there too. These conversations prepare young people not just to inherit a world, but to shape it. As Harjo writes:
“At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks.
Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.”
Let us make sure that if the world ends at the table, our young people are seated with us—heard, held, and prepared.
NOTE: In my next blog, I’ll give some guidelines on how to effectively facilitate political conversations with and among teenagers.
Photo By: Canva Stock