Author: Grace Li
Dialogue Club is a youth-led literary magazine dedicated to encouraging thoughtful and open-minded discussions for youth. In this installment of Megaphone’s Student Spotlight Series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ruisi, the founder of Dialogue Club.
Q1. Please introduce yourself and the mission of Dialogue Club.
Hello, I’m Ruisi Li, the founder of Dialogue Club. I’m currently a rising sophomore in high school studying STEM, and I started this organization because I wanted to create a space where young children and teens can engage in meaningful conversations and develop their communication and leadership skills.
The mission of Dialogue Club is to empower students to express themselves confidently and listen actively, all while fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and open-mindedness. Our goal is to inspire members not just to speak, but to make their voices matter. We wish to work together along with volunteers to make their voices and ideas come true.
Q2. What gap in youth discourse or global conversation were you trying to fill when you first founded Dialogue Club Global?
When I first founded Dialogue Club, I noticed a gap in opportunities for young people to have meaningful, structured conversations about ideas that matter. Many students are eager to share their perspectives, but they often lack a safe, supportive space to do so. Dialogue Club was created to fill that gap: to empower youth to express themselves confidently, listen to diverse perspectives, and engage in conversations that can truly connect communities across borders.
Q3. In the “Across Perspectives” issue, you invited contributors to share views that challenge single-narrative thinking: what inspired this theme, and how did it guide how you selected works for the issue?
The theme ‘Across Perspectives’ was inspired by the recognition that too often, stories and discussions are dominated by a single narrative, which can limit understanding and empathy. I wanted to create a platform where writers and readers could explore multiple sides of an issue. This guided our selection process by encouraging works that highlights experiences different from the ordinary. Ultimately, the goal was to make the issue a space where readers were invited to see the world through a wider lens.
Q4. How did you curate the playlist inspired by Across Perspectives, and if you had to choose, which song from the playlist do you think best represents the theme of “Across Perspectives”?
When curating the playlist for “Across Perspectives”, I wanted each song to evoke reflection and emotional resonance, just like the theme itself. I selected songs that highlight different experiences and encourage listeners to step into someone else’s shoes. If I had to choose one song that best represents the theme, it would be “everything i wanted” by Billie Eilish. The song explores personal struggles and the gap between how we see ourselves versus how others see us. It resonates with the idea of stepping into someone else’s perspective, which is exactly what Across Perspectives is about.
Q5. Could you give us a sneak peek at initiatives or ideas you’re planning on launching in the near future?
Looking ahead, one of our biggest focuses is bringing our volunteers’ ideas to life. We want to empower every member to see their initiatives actually happen, whether that’s publishing creative work or organizing events. On a larger scale, we’re also planning to launch a worldwide ambassador program, connecting passionate youth from different countries to share ideas and expand Dialogue Club’s impact globally. The goal is to make our community more diverse and connected than ever before.
Thank you so much to Dialogue Club for joining us in this interview! Please check out their work at this link: linktr.ee/DialogueClubGlobal
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