It can sometimes be easy to look at the news and feel discouraged about younger generations. However, many young adults are rising up and making a deliberate effort to protect traditional values—both in their personal lives and in the political arena.
This week on Family Policy Matters, host Traci DeVette Griggs welcomes Tucker Young, NC Family’s summer intern, to discuss his experience learning about the legislative process and effective advocacy from a Biblical perspective.
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Family Policy Matters
Sharing Truth With Love This Summer (NC Family Intern Tucker Young)
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: Thanks for joining us this week for Family Policy Matters. As we wrap up the summer, NC Family will be saying goodbye to our summer intern, Tucker Young. We thought you, our listeners, would enjoy hearing from the youngest member of NC Family’s summer staff about what motivated him to join our team, what he did and learned while here, and where he’s going next. Tucker Young is a sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill, where he is heavily involved in the North Carolina Study Center and is a Young Life leader. We’re grateful for his time with NC Family this summer, and happy to have him on the show today. Tucker Young, welcome to Family Policy Matters.
TUCKER YOUNG: Thank you, Traci, thanks for having me.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: All right. So, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from and what are you studying at UNC?
TUCKER YOUNG: I’m from Raleigh, North Carolina, been there my entire life. I am a rising sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill. Right now, I’m a little undecided, but for right now, I’m studying philosophy with a minor in civic life and leadership, which is kind of UNC’s program for political theory and civil discourse, but pretty broadly, I’m pretty interested in politics, theology, culture, and how that kind of all intersects
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: Civil discourse. That’s a term that jumped out at me. So how civil is the discourse that is taught at UNC?
TUCKER YOUNG: This program has been pretty special. Last year was actually the first year that it was able to get started. And it’s, it’s been pretty special because, I even took one class that was really about, kind of discussing the most polarizing political topics and policy topics, you know, across a broad range of differences. So, it was a really unique opportunity, and this school, this program, has been a really unique opportunity to kind of get you know, affiliated with a bunch of different opinions, and learn how to, you know, act and have conversations in a way that is civil and in a way that is trying to understand the other person and their point of view. So that’s been pretty special.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: So how successful was this, do you think? Were you all able to discuss these really sensitive issues and come to some kind of understanding of the other side?
TUCKER YOUNG: It was really unique, because the professor, he had taught a class like this before at Duke, actually, before coming to UNC. And he, the first half of the class, he was really trying to focus on, you know, it was, it was about maybe a little over 20-person class. And so, he was trying to focus on getting us all to become friends and know each other. So, there’s a lot of talk about, how do we actually talk about these kinds of topics before getting into the specific issues. And so it was, I think our class was, it was unique, because we were able to kind of form relationships with each other before getting into these hot button issues. And that allowed us to kind of respect the other person as we were talking about these things, you know, be able to empathize with them, understand where they’re coming from, and then actually be able to talk about the actual policy and political differences. And so, I thought it was really successful. There was a lot of respect. And it was, it was a really good experience, because, you know, that is something I think that all college campuses need is civil discourse.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: It probably has occurred to you then that much of what you learned in your civil discourse class or classes is similar to the goals of North Carolina Family Policy Council. You know, we work really hard to talk to people across the aisle, which is not a real popular thing to do, necessarily, in some circles. So, what have you seen? Have you seen that there are some parallels to what you learned there, and are you being able to apply that in your work at NC Family?
TUCKER YOUNG: Yes, 100%. That’s been one of the most powerful experiences. The first thing that John Rustin told me when I was thinking about an internship was that the key to effective political advocacy and good public policy is relationships. And so that’s really rung true throughout all that I’ve seen at NC Family and through my experience down at the legislature. That’s been a that’s been a very unique thing is that John, Jere, Mitch, they’re all focused on relationships as the way to talk about these things. And so, you know, of primary importance is, how do we cultivate relationships with legislators? And, you know, be able to empathize, understand where they’re coming from. Because a lot of these issues, it’s not just one reason alone. There’s a whole mix of personal experience, personal passion and emotion. And so, John, Jere, and Mitch are all trying to connect with legislators and then, from a place of trust and understanding, knowing that such that the legislatures know that they have their good in mind, you can talk about the things that we’re there to advocate for, and the truths that we believe in. And so that’s been a really unique experience, because I’ve kind of been able to see, what does it actually look like to practice civil discourse, what does it look like to, in a very polarized climate, practice, you know, advocate for God’s truth in a way that is communicating it in the fullness of His love.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: It’s a great opportunity as well for North Carolina Family, and you it sounds like a good fit. So how did you even learn about the North Carolina Family Policy Council?
TUCKER YOUNG: The church I’ve attended for my entire life, Church of the Apostles, is where John Rustin goes. So, I’ve been familiar with his work for a long time, and kind of known that he has been involved in this kind of work. So, I kind of just looked, looked at, you know, some of the materials from NC Family, their website, and then connected with John Rustin, because I thought it’d be, it would be something I’d be really interested in, you know, that intersection between politics and public policy.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: So, tell us what your days looked like, then, as an intern.
TUCKER YOUNG: Typically, when the legislature is in session, I’d have Mondays and Fridays typically at the office. So, I’d be doing policy research, helping out with any of the kind of initiatives we were we would be doing. And then Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday would typically be voting sessions down at the legislature. So, I’d be shadowing Jere, Mitch, and John. And that was, that was a really cool experience, because you’re both getting to, you know, see days at the office, what’s the kind of research, what’s the preparation that we’re doing, and then go down to the legislature and kind of see it in action. See our government relations team interacting with the legislatures and seeing the political process.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: So, what did you think about the NC Family trio that goes down to the legislature?
TUCKER YOUNG: I was, I mean, really, really impressed. I mean, they’re, John, Jere, and Mitch are, first of all, just super fun to be around. So, it was just a treat to be able to kind of hang around them and shadow them and see the work that they do. And like I mentioned earlier, it was special to see how committed they are to relationships. I mean, I especially was around Mitch a lot when he would go around and just kind of check in on legislators and their offices. And it was really, it was really cool to see, he would just start out every kind of interaction with, you know, how are you? What’s going on in your world? How can I help you? And so, there’s really a focus on what can we do to, you know, know the staff and the legislators, know about their lives, and what can we do to help them. And so that was just really special to see how, how much they value relationships.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: Did the internship impact at all your thinking or goals going forward or look toward after college?
TUCKER YOUNG: For sure, 100%. I mean, I was hoping, I mean, this would be an opportunity to kind of see what I might like to do career wise in the future. And it’s really been, it’s been a great experience for me. I’ve just really loved every second of it. And so that’s kind of got me thinking about, you know, what would it be like to, you know, whether in law or politics, kind of be involved in these types of spaces, policy spaces. How does politics interact with culture? It’s been really cool, and I had questions about that kind of path, but it’s definitely made me really, really interested in it, and so that it’s been pretty formative, engaging in that respect.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: Do you have a favorite experience from the summer you’d want to share with us?
TUCKER YOUNG: Ultimately, one of the most valuable things that I kind of took away was really being at the legislature was a really unique experience. Because, as I mentioned, following John, Jere, and Mitch around, I not only got kind of immersed in the political process and the legislative process, but I was really able to learn from them how do you effectively advocate and communicate truth, the things that you believe in, in a civil and in a loving way that communicates God’s love. And it was really cool also to, I mean, I read the news and everything, but it was, it was cool to get kind of firsthand experience of the political process. That was something that I was looking forward to, but I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy, because of what it kind of reveals about everybody’s motivations. You see, you know what people are thinking, what their experience, their passions are. It’s just a unique space to be in to also communicate God’s truth and God’s love. And that was just a really, really formative experience for me.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: What do you wish that people knew about NC Family?
TUCKER YOUNG: I mean, this is something I’ve thought about just over the course of my internship here is, I wish people knew how special of an organization and an approach that NC Family has. Because being down at the legislature and seeing all the ways different lobbyists, different legislators communicate with each other, go through the political process. You know, emotions are high, obviously, and everybody’s trying to be able to get what they want and advocate for the policies that they’re concerned about. But NC Family does it remarkably different. I mean, from the moment I got here, in a bunch of staff conversations, meetings, it was, it was repeated, you know, we speak the truth in love. And I think an organization like NC Family is, from my experience down at the legislature and being, you know, kind of immersed in that political process, even just reading the news, it’s something unique when you have an organization that is willing to stand by the truth and what they believe is true about the world, what they believe that God says, and also be able, at the same time, to understand that they need to communicate that truth in God’s love in a way that prioritizes relationships. I mentioned relationships, I mean, that’s really the key to what NC Family does, and that’s really unique. Because it’s tempting for a lot of people in the political realm to just siphon off certain people, as you know, here’s your ideology, you know, I just need to convince you of some kind of like abstract truth or policy. But NC Family really cares about relationships, and that stems from a place of faith. You know, that’s exactly what Jesus did. He spoke the truth in love. And that’s really unique, and that’s, that’s an approach that is what I’ve seen is going to heal, that’s what we need to heal the kind of polarized divide that we have in American politics is somebody, organizations, that are going to speak the truth in love, care about you as a person, but care about you so much that they will tell you this is God’s truth, this is what’s going to set you free.
TRACI DEVETTE GRIGGS: Well, thank you very much. What a pleasure to get to talk with you, and I know that our listeners are probably as encouraged as I am to hear a young man such as yourself talk in that way. So, thank you very much for your service at NC Family. Thanks for your heart to form those relationships and speak the truth in love. So, we have been speaking with Tucker Young, NC Family’s summer intern. Thank you so much, Tucker, for being here with us this summer. We wish you all the best back at school next fall, and thank you for being with us today on Family Policy Matters.
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