The Experiment Digital Helps Students Learn Skills and Connect Across Cultures through Virtual Exchange

Publication Date: April 8, 2020
Publication Location: WASHINGTON
Contact: Kathryn Schoenberger   |   [email protected]

The Experiment Digital is currently accepting applications for its summer 2020 program, which offers U.S. high school students the chance to engage with peers from across the country and around the Middle East and North Africa region, without ever leaving home. This eight-week summer virtual experience is free for participants and prepares them to be more civically engaged and lead change.

“The Experiment Digital provides participants the unique opportunity to develop their intercultural communication and leadership skills and build relationships with students around the world from the comfort of their own homes,” said Christina Thomas, divisional vice president for youth exchange. “We’re proud to provide a critical outlet for cross-cultural exchange at a time when people are not able to travel.”

Through The Experiment Digital, hundreds of young people across the United States connect with high school students from Iraq, Algeria, Yemen, and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa to discuss such topics as digital citizenship, leadership and identity, community initiatives, and public narrative. The program is conducted entirely online and mobile-accessible four hours a week from June 22-August 16, 2020.

Launched in 2016, The Experiment Digital is a pioneer in virtual exchange programming. The program draws upon best practices in experiential learning accumulated over decades of Experiment programming. Originally developed as a way to connect Experimenters with students in countries to which travel and traditional programs were not possible, The Experiment Digital is now providing a way for students to connect in a time of crisis. The Experiment Digital is supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute. It is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

Upon successful completion of the program, participants receive a Certificate of Completion in Leadership & Global Issues Analysis, access to the U.S. Department of State’s International Alumni Network, unique project funding opportunities from the U.S. Department of State, and a $400 scholarship for summer 2021 toward participation in one of The Experiment in International Living’s programs around the world.

Applications for the summer 2020 program are due by April 15, 2020. For more information and to apply visit: https://www.experiment.org/digital/

The Experiment in International Living—World Learning’s flagship people-to-people exchange program—is the nation’s most experienced provider of summer abroad programs for high school students. For 87 years, these immersive programs have allowed participants to authentically explore the world while developing enduring friendships through cultural experiences and homestays, leaving a lasting impact on their lives.

The Stevens Initiative is an international effort to build global competence and career readiness skills for young people in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa by growing and enhancing the field of virtual exchange. It is a lasting tribute to Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, a public servant who dedicated himself to building understanding between people from different countries. The Stevens Initiative is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Aspen Institute. It is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.