Community-Building Intercultural Exchange Program 2023
Are you 14-18 years old and interested in world cultures, international relations, global citizenship, or civic leadership?
Would you like to form friendships with diverse youth from around the globe?
Join us from July 9 - August 13, 2023 for our completely free, virtual Community-Building Intercultural Exchange Program! During this 5-week program, you will immerse yourself in the languages, histories, and practices of various international cultures through direct peer-to-peer dialogue while also building civic leadership and professional skills. Program components include the following:
service-oriented workshops about key global issues and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
foreign language lessons, tutoring, and conversation groups
1-on-1 conversations with peers from different countries
professional development sessions about global career and educational opportunities
interactive civic leadership workshops
At the end of the program, you will have built a strong foundation of lifelong cross-cultural empathy, friendship, and collaboration. You will also have developed a proposal for and be prepared to lead a globally relevant service project in your local community.
Apply by June 17
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Apply by June 17 🌎
FAST FACTS
Dates: Sunday, July 9 - Sunday, August 13
Age: 14-18 years old
Location: virtual (conducted via Zoom, Google Drive, and Slack)
Cost: Free
Program Structure: 3-8 hours per week, including each of the following weekly calls (call times organized based on participants’ time availability):
Required sessions for all participants:
Global Issue workshop organized for all program participants (recordings will be made available)
Civic Leadership workshop organized for all program participants (recordings will be made available)
Culture partner call organized between you and your culture partner
Optional calls:
Foreign language lesson and conversation group
Professional development sessions
Culture coffee chat organized between you and a randomly matched-up peer
Community calls with a larger group of program peers
PROGRAM BENEFITS
Make new lifelong friends from across the world
Learn a new language or strengthen/practice your existing language abilities
Receive individualized guidance from experienced youth leaders in developing and implementing a service project that positively impacts your community
Learn about career and education opportunities related to international relations, public health, and other global fields
Expand your cultural perspective and humanize diverse ways of thinking, living, and viewing the world
Share your culture, passions, and life stories with like-minded youth worldwide
Gain greater understanding of pressing global issues
Scholarship and/or grant awards, The World in Us merch, and other prizes for the most engaged students
ELIGIBILITY & REQUIREMENTS
Location: You can participate from anywhere in the world!
Age: 14-18 years old
Program Expectations: We ask that you complete at least 5 partner calls and participate in all 5 Global Issue workshops and all 5 Civic Leadership workshops (either attending the meeting synchronously or watching the recording). Assignments relating to the workshop’s global issue will be provided each week, but you are only required to submit at least 1 final assignment composed of a service project proposal and creative project synthesizing what you’ve learned about your partner’s culture. We understand how difficult schedules and time zones can be, so we are very flexible with attendance!
Materials: We will primarily use Zoom, Slack, and Google Drive, so students will need access to these platforms. Common school supplies such as pencils, markers, and paper may be useful for some assignments (e.g., one-pager and/or presentations providing an overview of your culture partner’s country).
Previous Experience: No previous exchange, language-learning, or travel experience required! Students just need a curious mind open to new perspectives, cultures, and possibilities.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
Across the span of five weeks, you will learn about different global cultures through a youth-for-youth lens and delve deeper into your own cultural identity. At the start of the program, you will be paired with another student from a different culture and part of the world as “culture partners.”
There will be up to 7 calls each week, out of which 3 (partner call, Global Issue workshop, and Civic Leadership Workshop) are required, and 4 (culture coffee chat, foreign language lessons, professional development sessions, and community calls) are recommended but not required.
The Global Issue and Civic Leadership workshops are scheduled by program directors based on participant availability; all other calls will be scheduled in smaller groups to accommodate individual members’ schedules. If you can’t attend a workshop synchronously, we ask that you watch the meeting recordings on your own time. Below are more detailed description of each call:
Global Issue Workshop: Program directors organize a program-wide call to present and provide educational background on the theme of the week (which will be a global issue such as quality education or mental health) through an interactive presentation. The directors will also explain the week’s tasks and overall schedule.
Civic Leadership Workshop: Program directors organize a program-wide call to teach about civic leadership principles and how they relate to successfully ideating, starting, leading, and implementing a service-focused initiative (such as a nonprofit) that positively impacts your community. They will also provide feedback and guidance on the development of the service project proposal that all students will submit by the end of the program.
Partner call: This 1-on-1 call will be between you and your culture partner. These calls will allow you to initiate illuminating conversations and form close friendships with a peer from a different cultural background. For each call, you will be provided a discussion guide related to the week’s global issue theme, and you will be encouraged to discuss your local context and cultural perspective on each topic. You will also be encouraged to play games, discuss your personal interests, and get to know each other better as friends! You and your partner can DM each other on Slack or your preferred platform to determine the timing of each call week-to-week.
Language lessons & conversation groups (optional): If you mark interest in learning a language when applying, you will be placed in a language class led by an experienced language tutor/instructor. In addition to weekly classes in that language, each language offered will have conversation groups open to all interested participants, regardless of whether they signed up for those language classes.
Professional Development Session (optional): These interactive workshops will provide participants an opportunity to learn from and ask questions to experienced speakers and professionals. Session topics include American college admissions, financial literacy, and more; speakers include Harvard students, career diplomats, and many others!
Culture coffee chats (optional): In this call, you’ll be randomly matched with a peer from a different background and have an opportunity to learn about their culture, interests, experiences, etc. Once matched, you and your culture coffee chat partner can decide on the date and timing of your call.
Community call (optional): These open-ended calls will be organized for any interested participants to meet informally, get to know one another, and discuss the weekly workshop or any other topics of interest.