May 04, 2026
Provided Courtesy/RAFT for America
RAFT for America offers free rafting and cycling trips across the country, but participants must apply and be selected for the nonprofit’s mission-driven experience.
A whitewater rafting trip on the Lehigh River will double as something else this summer: a setting for conversations between people who don’t always agree.
RAFT for America is hosting a one-day event on Sunday, June 7, at Whitewater Challengers in Weatherly. The experience brings together participants from different backgrounds and pairs a guided rafting trip with structured discussions throughout the day.
The event is free, but participants must apply and be selected. Organizers aim to build groups with a mix of perspectives, pairing people who may not typically interact in their day-to-day lives.
This year’s trips are expected to include a mix of community members and public figures, including Philadelphia’s “Pop Pop” Bruce Johnson and several Pennsylvania lawmakers.
The concept is simple. Put strangers with different viewpoints in the same raft, give them a shared challenge, and see what happens when the usual barriers start to drop.
Participants meet in the morning, then head out on the river in small groups. Along the way, conversation prompts and scheduled stops are built into the trip, creating space for both guided discussion and more organic exchanges.
Conversations will be centered on economics, taxes and jobs, with additional topics, such as immigration and tariffs, expected to come up as part of the broader discussion.
The program is part of a broader nonprofit effort focused on encouraging face-to-face dialogue at a time when much of it happens online. Organizers say the goal is not to change minds, but to create an environment where people can better understand each other.
One of the group’s early events took place on the same stretch of the Lehigh River in 2024.
Sunday, June 7, 2026
Whitewater Challengers
288 Stagecoach Rd.
Weatherly, PA 18255
Accepting applications now
This content was generated by PhillyVoice Media Events, not by the newsroom staff.
