Country: United States

Building Bridges from Cleveland to Taiwan

The On-Demand Youth Leadership Program (YLP) is a unique program created to serve the emerging needs of U.S. embassies by bringing high school youth and adult educators from around the world to the United States for intensive, substantive three-week exchanges. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding from the U.S. government and implemented by World Learning in partnership with organizations located across the country.

This piece was originally written and published by the Cleveland Council on World Affairs.

On October 19, Kjell Aspelin, Amanda Bendis, and Sydney Heckeler disembarked from a 12-hour flight. The three Cleveland high school students had just landed in Taiwan for a two-week trip to discover the country, its culture, and its music. For all of the students, it was their first time in Asia; for one of them, it was her first time outside of the United States.

This two-week exchange was part of the On-Demand Youth Leadership Program. It was organized by the Cleveland Council on World Affairs, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and coordinated in partnership with the American Institute in Taiwan and World Learning in Washington, DC.

The trip was the reciprocal component of the AIT@40 Youth Leadership Exchange Program, which had welcomed 16 music students from the four top high schools in Taiwan to Cleveland in May, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the American Institute in Taiwan. AIT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering Taiwan-U.S. relations and to advancing the interests of the U.S. within Taiwan.

Showcasing the Best of Cleveland to Exchange Participants from Taiwan

Kjell, Sydney, and Amanda had participated in the May exchange by helping welcome the Taiwanese cohort, introducing them to U.S. culture, and joining them during various segments of their program. Over three weeks, students from Taiwan toured three world-renowned music conservatories in Northeast Ohio, joined a Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra practice, learned about music therapy, and engaged in volunteering activities and leadership-building sessions, among other activities related to music and youth leadership.

Youth Leaders from Cleveland Explore Taiwan

For the first time in the history of the U.S. Department of State’s On-Demand Youth Leadership Program, an outbound component was included to provide an opportunity for U.S. students to travel abroad. Six months after making friends with the Taiwanese students in Cleveland, Kjell, Sydney, and Amanda reconnected with students in all four Taiwanese cities represented in the program: Hsinchu, Taichung, Koahsiung, and Taoyuan.

During the program, the U.S. students stayed in the Taiwanese students’ homes, visited their schools, and participated in music-related service learning projects. The students from Cleveland also learned how to make dumplings, visited local temples, and tried their hand at indigo dyeing. They participated in music-themed activities and practiced with a Taiwanese school orchestra, learned to play the Chinese zither, and performed in a Taiwanese opera.

At the end of the program, the Taiwanese and U.S. students came together to perform a joint concert, ending with a choral rendition of the song “A Whole New World,” from the Disney movie Aladdin. As all 19 exchange program students congregated on stage for their last song, the audience was touched by the underlying message about the power of global connections to change the world and broaden perspectives. The students picked the song as a representation of their exchange program experience together.

Global Connections, Local Impact

The program had an impact on both sides. Taiwanese students who had previously not held much interest in the U.S. were now preparing for the English language exams needed to attend U.S. universities. In recent years, interest in the U.S. has waned among Taiwanese youth. Renewed interest in the U.S. among the next generation of Taiwanese leaders can be a critical relationship-builder in a region where this is particularly important for U.S. interests.

The students from Cleveland were similarly impacted. Sydney said that the trip inspired her to pursue a career in international relations, and in fact she wishes to apply to the National Security Language Initiative for Youth study abroad program to return to Taiwan. She also plans to stay connected with who she now sees as lifelong friends in Taiwan.

“Taiwan was a life changing experience for me,” Sydney said. “I had such an amazing, unbelievable, wonderful time getting the opportunity to do things I’ve never done or seen before, and being able to make really close friends. I think that Taiwan is a place I would love to return to very soon, either for my future career or to visit my friends!”

Celebrating the Importance of Virtual Exchanges on National STEM Day

By World Learning Program Associate Katya Murillo and Intern Taieb Cherif

Climate change, food security and sanitation, healthcare, and gender equality are just a few of the many grand challenges countries across the globe face today, and in an increasingly global world we recognize that we must work together to solve them creatively. But how?

On this National STEM Day, World Learning recognizes the power of STEM education as a driving force of change. In Syria, Ethiopia, and Algeria among others, our STEM programs have transformed the lives of young people by exposing them to new career opportunities and experiences. Last month, World Learning launched a new program that will continue to use STEM education as a driving force of change: The NextGen Coders Network (NGCN).

This virtual exchange program will bring together university students and young professionals from Iraq, the Palestinian Territories, and the United States through “hackathons.” From the comfort of their own homes, local libraries, or university campuses, participants will use coding skills to design solutions to their countries’ grand challenges. This format fosters greater cultural understanding between U.S. and international participants as they work both individually and in groups and collaborate across borders and professional backgrounds. At the end of each of the program’s four cycles, participants will have an opportunity to showcase their prototypes in a virtual “Ideas Festival.” NGCN is funded by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding from the U.S. government, and administered by the Aspen Institute.

Through NGCN, World Learning aims to highlight the importance of STEM education in finding innovative solutions to our world’s complex problems. The NGCN curriculum spans over 10 weeks and introduces participants to coding languages and concepts like project management and design thinking. It comprises 15 modules that cater to the different needs of participants, while developing and strengthening hard skills that will give participants the confidence to thrive in a technological age. This curriculum allows students to not only gain knowledge in STEM areas, but to think critically and resourcefully about the change they can create in the world.

World Learning knows the world’s grand challenges require diverse perspectives and backgrounds to work together and learn from each other’s successes and failures. It might even be that a solution already exists, and the next challenge is figuring out how to scale the solutions for all to benefit. That is why NGCN emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of the virtual exchange, bringing together an international cohort of students and young professionals who do not exclusively come from a computer science background, as the name of the program might suggest. Thus, participants can benefit from the multiplicity of perspectives and areas of expertise.

Solving global issues necessitates a deep intercultural understanding among people across the world. With more than 86 years of experience running international exchange programs, World Learning, through NGCN, aims to promote virtual exchange as a way to create a generation of globally and culturally aware citizens. Such programs have the capacity to empower young people and give them a new window to the world at low economic and social costs.

Reflecting on what drew him to this program, Aryan Wadhwani, a participant from Indiana University, expressed that he is fascinated by the idea of a virtual exchange and sees in it as an opportunity to “learn about the experiences of people from different cultures” and “come up with ideas to solve real-world problems.”

World Learning looks forward to seeing how Aryan and his peers will go on to drive change in their communities, countries, and beyond.

Alumni Voices: Carla Gurunian

How studying at a U.S. university helped her pursue new opportunities and build friendships across cultures

What is it like to travel across the world to study at a U.S. university? Every year, hundreds of young people from countries ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe find out firsthand as participants in the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD).

Since 2008, World Learning has administered Global UGRAD, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government. This international exchange program provides young people an opportunity to share their cultures while also exploring the culture, values, and educational system in the U.S. Through participating in community service, professional development, and cultural enrichment activities, they become leaders in their professions and communities.

Carla Gurunian is one of those young leaders. As part of the 2018–2019 Global UGRAD cohort, Gurunian traveled from her native Lebanon to study at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. During her stay, she made friends from all over the world, explored U.S. cities from New York to Las Vegas, and gained new confidence and insight for her future career. Gurunian shares her experience in the following essay that’s been adapted from Global UGRAD’s blog, the Global Gazette:

I remember sitting exactly where I am right now, almost two years ago, anxiously typing into a blank page why I was worth taking a chance on. Today, I am here to write about why it was all worth it.

Throughout my life, I was the girl from the neighborhood with massive dreams but no realistic way to achieve them. As my childhood friends wandered off to the best private colleges in the country, I was exhausting myself to get into the hardest one to get into: the one I could afford.

When I first heard of the Global UGRAD Program, I was in my first year at university. I recall starting the application and never completing it because something kept telling me that this kind of thing does not happen to me. A year later, the scholarship kept resurfacing, popping on my screen, in class, and through my professors. I decided to take a shot, thinking I had nothing to lose.

Every Global UGRADer remembers the day they got their placement. I checked my email first thing every morning until that one day when notice finally came that I was going to Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. I was going to live minutes away from the most beautiful city in the world and all of this was being granted to me just because a team of strangers believed in me. It was not until I landed in New York that I began to believe it was happening.

Education and Opportunity

You hear about it, read about it, see it in movies but will never understand the land of opportunities until you experience it yourself.

I have been passionate about criminology for many years. But the major simply does not exist in Lebanon. Being in the U.S., where a retired detective could be my professor and teach me about crime was a true dream.

At least that’s what I thought until I met agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration; visited a prison where I talked with convicts and heard their experiences; and spoke to an astronaut and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. These were opportunities beyond my imagination. Their support and encouragement to pursue my passion for criminology boosted my confidence in a way that has changed my life. For the first time, I know what I want to do for my future, and I am not stopping until I reach my goal.

Friendship and Cultural Diversity

Nothing compares to the beauty of leaving a piece of yourself with every friend you make in every corner of the world.

The first friend I made in the U.S. was a Vietnamese girl from Vancouver. We went to New York City for the first time together, learning how to take the subway in the freezing cold, following the path of sunlight on the sidewalks with no idea where we were. Someone from a country I knew nothing about became family.

Then I went to Washington, DC, for the Global UGRAD summit and the entire world was in a room. The most unique individuals from around the globe were right there for me to meet, laugh, and dance with. To learn so much about so many drastically different cultures only showed me how none of us are different at all.

A few months later, I was in tears to part with the dearest group of people to my heart from the U.S., France, Germany, Costa Rica, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Serbia, Hungary, and so many more countries. I plan on visiting each one of them for they must be beyond marvel to have produced such outstanding people.

Travel Around the U.S.

Every single time you discover a new place, you discover a part of yourself that you did not know existed.

One of the greatest things I got to do in the U.S. was travel. During spring break, I went to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. To see the empires of entertainment and then go to Washington, DC — the empire of history and the American Dream — was necessary to this experience. I would strongly encourage future Global UGRAD participants to do the same. I also made the most out of New Jersey and visited New York City every chance I got.

The Aftermath

Among alumni, we have a saying: “Once a UGRAD, always a UGRAD.”

As exchange students, I believe every one of us knows what it’s like to come back home as a new person rediscovering their own country. Every one of us understands the bittersweet feeling of reuniting with family and friends after just saying goodbye to new friends and family.

Today, I am more ambitious and dedicated than ever, believing truly that we can achieve absolutely anything we set our minds and hearts to. I still speak to my friends and fellow Global UGRADs all the time. Many of the friends I made in the U.S. are going to be visiting me in Lebanon in the upcoming months and one already did, which makes it easier to accept that it’s a small world and family will inevitably cross paths, hug, and make memories again.

I am forever grateful to World Learning, the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon, and the U.S. Department of State. Now, it is time to go out there and change the world.

Written by Carla Gurunian, 2018–2019 Global UGRAD student from Lebanon at Fairleigh Dickinson University. This essay was originally published in the Global Gazette.

Advice for the Future Girls of WiSci

Next week, girls from the United States and Ethiopia will be gathering in Addis Ababa for the 2019 Women in Science Girls’ STEAM Camp, where they’ll explore how to use technology to build a safer, more secure world, all while developing their leadership skills and making new friends from other cultures.

Also known as WiSci, the camp brings together teen girls from the U.S. and around the world to explore STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Design, and Mathematics) subjects under the mentorship of professionals. WiSci is a private-public partnership between the U.S. Department of State’s Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships, the UN Foundation’s Girl Up Initiative, Intel, Google, Microsoft, NASA, and the American Society for Microbiology. The WiSci camp in Ethiopia is implemented by World Learning.

What can this year’s campers expect from their WiSci experience? We turned to the experts for advice: Girls — and an adult mentor — from last year’s camp in Namibia with high school girls from Namibia, Ethiopia, Kenya, eSwatini, and the U.S. (Check out stories from last year’s camp). Read ahead and get inspired!

Samkay (left) poses for a selfie with a fellow WiSci camper Nokwanda (left).

Samkay, 16, eSwatini

This camp is the best thing that has ever happened to me. To any girl who would want to join this camp, let me just say to you that it would be a great opportunity for you to see this camp, experience all that I’ve seen, and learn a lot of new things because these people right here are bringing opportunities to us that we couldn’t get back home. So please come.

Abby, 16, Kenya

I would tell girls that WiSci is not anything you would expect. It’s actually much better. And bring snacks.

Hildana, 16, Ethiopia

My advice would be to not be afraid and to start socializing because there’s a lot you can learn from your peers, just as much as you can learn from your teachers. I got to experience that here.

Jennifer (right) with fellow WiSci camper Iyambo (left).

Jennifer, 17, U.S.

Take risks. Speak to as many people as you can. Take advantage of every opportunity that faces you at WiSci — even leaving home. It’s a great opportunity to span our wings so don’t be afraid to go. And have fun!

Nokwanda, 16, eSwatini

Today I heard this very inspirational quote that says, “Don’t tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon.” So, as the quote says, don’t set the limit for yourself.

I’d rather that [a future WiSci camper] failed trying rather than fail without trying at all. If you don’t think your application is good enough, that’s fine. Try it out because you never know what’s ahead. Everything happens for a reason. It’s going to work out. Persevere because we need more strong women in the world. If a girl from Swaziland, one of the smallest countries in the entire world, could make it to Namibia and showcase who she really is then there’s no reason why you can’t.

Jo-Ann poses with her Wall-E bot.

Jo-Ann, 16, Namibia

Girls should know that when someone introduces the word STEAM to them, it doesn’t necessarily mean male. It means female, too. Whatever a man can do, a woman can do, and they can do it even better.

So, I would advise girls to join the camp because at the camp it’s not just about STEAM. It’s about STEAM and about building yourself as a person. For example, in the Girl Up classes, we were taught how to see yourself with a positive body image. And those things help you grow as a person.

Bethany, 17, Ethiopia

I would tell girls that there’s nothing to be shy of. They can do it. We can lead. Go girls!

Zoe (second from right) sings the Namibian national anthem at culture night.

Zoe, 17, Namibia

I’m a very confident person, but this camp boosted my confidence even more, like over the border. There are a lot of shy girls here, but during the course of the camp, these classes helped them to speak up more, to say what they feel, to express themselves in the way that they are most comfortable.

In some villages, girls are not allowed to speak up on anything. So I feel like this camp teaches us how to advocate, where to advocate, and when, and it teaches us how to be confident. I feel like this was a really uplifting program, so I would advise girls to attend so they can benefit as we benefited.

Bezawit G., 16, Ethiopia

Don’t stress much because nobody really knows what they’re doing before they’re here. People may say, “I’m not good enough” or they’re afraid to face other cultures or something. Be open-minded. Don’t be afraid to try.

Anele (right) poses with a fellow WiSci camper Nokwanda (left) on the NUST campus.

Anele, 16, eSwatini

Be open. I mean open. Come here and make long relationships. Make relationships that matter. Make relationships where you can say, “I was at camp and we created this app” or “I was at camp and we created this particular project which, now that I’m successful, I can actually implement it outside of just my village or my school.” Those are the kinds of relationships I’m glad I’m making right now. Make friends but make significant friendships that can go on forever.

Renata, 16, U.S.

This is the most amazing experience and you need to take every opportunity that you can because they’re worth more than you can imagine. Even the flight! Make as many friends as you can. Don’t be afraid to switch tables to be with different people. Eat the food. Try to be as happy as you can and don’t focus on the little things that are bothering you because it’s just so big picture what we’re doing here. We’re advancing women in STEAM, which is so cool. It’s such an amazing program.

Onome Ofoman, Software Engineer, Google

Women in Science (WiSci) Girls STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Design, and Mathematics) Camp is a private public partnership (PPP) between the U.S. Department of State’s Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships, the UN Foundation’s Girl Up Initiative, Intel, Google, Microsoft, NASA, and the American Society for Microbiology. In 2018, the camp brought approximately 100 high school girls from the African continent and the U.S. together for 13 days in Namibia to explore the STEAM fields and access mentorship opportunities and leadership training.

Five Inspiring Workshops and Performances from the Arts Envoy Program

Art is one of the most powerful ways to communicate across cultures. When you’re expressing yourself through music, dance, visual arts or any other artistic medium, language barriers fall away.

The Arts Envoy Program — which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government — sends artists and cultural experts from the United States abroad to share U.S. culture and society through their work. Arts Envoys work with the U.S. Department of State and individual embassies in each country to plan short programs that often include performances, workshops, seminars, and more.

World Learning has seen a lot of amazing projects since we began implementing the Arts Envoy Program on behalf of the State Department in 2016. Here, we’re highlighting a few of the many inspirational projects from the past year:

Mariachi Champana Nevin

Destination: Turkmenistan
Program title/theme: Southwestern American Music

Mariachi Champana Nevin traveled to Turkmenistan with one overall objective: for the people of Turkmenistan to get to know more about the U.S. through goodwill and openness. Known for its unique style of classical mariachi music, the ensemble performed and held master classes in the country’s capital city while also taking in performances by Turkmen artists. For their final performance, Mariachi Champana Nevin joined with the Turkmen National Orchestra to play pieces of mariachi and traditional Turkmen music that they had arranged for one another.

According to Mariachi Champana Nevin founder Jeff Nevin, the group used every opportunity to emphasize the multiculturalism of the U.S. — telling their audiences that not only were they U.S. citizens playing Mexican music, but that the U.S. embraces and identifies with music from all over the world. In a World Learning survey at the end of the program, he remarked that cross-cultural exchanges like the Arts Envoy Program are critical.

“If more people around the world could meet more people from different parts of the world, then I truly believe that there would be less conflict,” he wrote. “When people meet they begin to understand one another better … and music is a profound medium through which these connections can be made. Musicians understand one another, we don’t even need to speak — we simply play our music, they play theirs, we can perform together. That erases the boundaries that build up when people don’t communicate.”

Heather Maxwell

Destination: Togo
Program title/theme: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Civil Rights: The Music of the Struggle

Heather Maxwell knows what it means to share culture through music. This accomplished singer and songwriter is an ethnomusicologist and host of the “Music Time in Africa” program on Voice of America. In February, she traveled to Togo for a series of performances across the country honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. and Black History Month.

Hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Lomé, each performance was different in style — such as a formal concert at the U.S. Embassy and more informal performances at local schools — but came paired with an art exhibit about the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. Backed by a local choir, Maxwell performed a repertoire of songs that were important during the movement, taking time to explain each song’s personal and cultural resonance. While she spoke primarily in French, Maxwell also sang one song in Ewe, the language of one of Togo’s major ethnic groups.

Since her return to the U.S., Maxwell says she’s started playing a lot more Togolese music on her radio show and continues to build relationships with musicians and DJs from the West African country. These connections made her Arts Envoy experience a particularly rich one, she said in a program survey. “There was a truly wonderful exchange happening musically.”

Alby Gyimah-Boadi

Destination: Nigeria
Program title/theme: Transforming Youth Through Art

Not only does art help people share their lives across cultural barriers, it also has the power to heal. In December, Arts Envoy and art therapist Alby Gyimah-Boadi traveled to Nigeria at the invitation of the U.S. Embassy in Abuja to help people affected by conflict learn how to express themselves through art.

Gyimah-Boadi, a licensed graduate professional counselor, tailored her activities to each community she visited. For example, at a refugee camp for those who have been displaced by Boko Haram, Gyimah-Boadi taught women and children how to create strength dolls “to show that they had the strength within them to have gone through all that they did and survived.” She then met with incarcerated men and youth to explore identity by designing masks depicting how others see them and how they would like to be seen. “It seemed like this was the first time they had been given a chance to express themselves and have their side of the story told via art form,” she says.

Sharing that experience with people was exactly Gyimah-Boadi’s goal for the program. “Coming from a developing country (Ghana), I knew I always wanted to be able to take my profession back home and to other places that did not easily have access to this service,” she says. “Being in Nigeria and interacting with the various communities definitely was an eye opener in what things I need to consider when working with communities outside of the western hemisphere. This trip really broadened my horizons and made it made me more aware of how important it is to meet individuals where they are in terms of their healing.”

REALITY

Destination: Panama
Program title/theme: Theater and Contemporary Dance

In March, REALITY traveled to Panama to perform at the Festival Internacional de Artes Escénicas as Arts Envoys. But for the Los Angeles-based contemporary dance group, which is led by acclaimed choreographer, writer, and director David Roussève, this trip was more than just a performance abroad. “We were re-inspired,” says Leanne Poirier, a member of the group.

The Arts Envoy Program gave REALITY an opportunity to connect and share their passion with the people of Panama. They explored the city and went dancing for fun with their new friends. They led a workshop at a local dance academy, where Roussève also held a discussion with jazz students. They also held workshops at Enlaces, an after-school program for at-risk youth.

Poirier says the latter experience was particularly powerful. REALITY taught the Enlaces students a dance phrase from their piece and worked with them to choreograph their own duet phrases. Poirier was paired with a dancer named Luis, who spoke no English while she spoke little Spanish. But the duo learned to communicate through movement. “That inspired me to want to work more with communities in the U.S.,” she says. “Working with Luis was one of the most special moments of my career that I will never forget!”

The Myrna Clayton Experience

Destination: Namibia
Program title/theme: Promoting U.S. Culture Through Jazz Appreciation

Myrna Clayton believes that jazz has the power to cultivate the cohesion and unity that makes the world a better place. “Jazz is more than music — it is an example of how to get along while maintaining one’s uniqueness,” says the singer/songwriter and bandleader of The Myrna Clayton Experience. “Jazz is organized free expression and creative improvisation while remaining cohesive and unified.”

In March, The Myrna Clayton Experience traveled to Namibia to share their passion for jazz as Arts Envoys. Organized by the U.S. Embassy in Windhoek, the 10-day trip included interviews with Namibian media as well as seven performances across the capital city including public concerts, a concert at the U.S. ambassador’s house, jam sessions with local musicians, and workshops at an orphanage and a special needs school. As Clayton explains, their goal was to highlight jazz as an expression of U.S. history and a model for how others can build unity through individuality.

Each performance met with a tremendous response. “Everyone I met responded with joy — smiling and dancing,” Clayton says. “Wherever we performed crowds gathered.” Children ran on stage to dance and try out the band’s instruments, while diplomats and other officials sang along to the music as well.

Though the exchange is over, its memory will be preserved: During their trip, The Myrna Clayton Experience held an impromptu recording session with local professionals. Together, they created a song (which is still in development) that is both Namibian and American — and perhaps the ultimate expression of cross-cultural exchange.

The Arts Envoy Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by World Learning.

10 Ways International Exchanges Cultivate Global Citizenship on College Campuses

Photo: Hoa Nguyen, Temple University

Educators know better than anyone the value of global citizenship in an increasingly interconnected world. That’s why higher education institutions across the United States — in partnership with World Learning — are making it a priority to develop their students’ global competence.

“You need to be a global citizen to be an informed professional,” says Janelle Rasmussen, director of international training and professional development at Montana State University.

Photo: World Learning

Many careers now require people to work internationally, she explains — and research indicates, too, that businesses need employees with intercultural skills to compete on a global scale. “It’s really important for our students to gain that intercultural competence so that they can succeed when they leave Montana,” she says.

Global citizenship also has returns beyond the working world. At Bennett College, a historically black college for women in North Carolina, “the internationalization of our campus is essential,” says Kelly Mallari, director of the college’s Center for Global Studies. “Students need to know that their voice is important, their vote is important, and that if they don’t understand what’s going on then they’ll never have an accurate picture of what needs to happen in their country.”

But it can be a challenge for higher education institutions to achieve their goals of cultivating global citizens. Typically, institutions do so by expanding curriculum to include international perspectives, ensuring faculty develop their own global competence, hosting international students on campus, and sending U.S. students to study abroad. According to the latest Open Doors survey, though, international student enrollment has declined for the second straight year — particularly among institutions that aren’t well known overseas or based in major U.S. cities. Meanwhile, many schools simply don’t have the funding or capacity to provide study abroad programs for U.S. students.

Photo: Wayne State University

World Learning is committed to helping U.S. colleges and universities address those challenges. As implementer of the Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad, funded by the U.S. Department of State, we help institutions create, expand, or diversify their study abroad programs. Our sister organization, School for International Training, provides study abroad programs on all seven continents for undergraduates from more than 200 colleges and universities.

Academic exchanges are also critical to helping institutions infuse their campuses with an international outlook. “When you bring international perspectives to a campus, you broaden students’ horizons so that they can start to break down stereotypes and understand that their world bubble is malleable — they can push and change it in different ways,” says Amy Fisher Bruey, project director and university relations manager at World Learning.

As implementer of these academic exchange programs, World Learning recruits a diverse set of international students, prepares them to be cultural ambassadors, and places them in schools across the country to share their cultures and learn about U.S. culture. We aim to make it easy for U.S. colleges to participate, taking care of immigration processing, stipends, and more.

We know that these exchanges can transform a campus and its community. But don’t just take it from us. Here, some of our university partners share their thoughts on the importance of academic exchange.

1. Making International Enrollment Possible

Photo: Hoa Nguyen, Temple University

For schools that aren’t internationally known brands like Harvard or Stanford, it can be tough to attract full-time international students. Bennett College, for one, has seen sparse international enrollment in recent years, with none in 2014 and just one student the following year. When Mallari joined as director of its Center for Global Studies two years ago, she made increasing the presence of international students on campus a key goal of her department.

Mallari says partnering with World Learning as a host for students in the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD) — sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by World Learning — helped make it possible to achieve that goal. Participating in the program ensures that Bennett will have international students from all over the world on its campus each year. Now, instead of one international student (or none at all), Bennett College will host four this year.

“There’s been a drastic increase in international student count on our campus,” Mallari says. “The students we get through Global UGRAD are not only here to learn but they’re also prepped amazingly and ready to participate on campus and share their culture and life with us, which is something I could never thank them enough for. So being able to rely on that from Global UGRAD has been tremendous.”

2. Creating Cultural Ambassadors

Photo: World Learning

Global citizenship begins with an exposure to new ideas, people, and cultures. U.S. government-sponsored academic exchange programs — such as Global UGRAD — are intentional about creating cultural ambassadors. After being selected through a competitive process based on academic excellence and leadership potential, Global UGRAD students take a virtual skills development course to prepare them for their stay in the U.S.

Lisa Kyle, international exchange coordinator at Wayne State University in Michigan, says that this kind of preparation makes a difference. She recently took a terrestrial ecology class alongside a Global UGRAD participant from Israel. She noticed he spent a good deal of time talking to classmates about where he was from and answering questions about his culture. “It was an eye-opening experience,” she says.

3. Providing New Perspectives on Global Issues

Photo: World Learning

It’s been nearly a decade since the University of Southern Indiana last hosted Iraqi students on its campus as part of the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program for Undergraduate Students, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy Baghdad. But for Heidi Gregori-Gahan, associate provost for international programs, the memories of that experience remain strong. “I’ve been in this field for over 35 years now and I can count on one hand the experiences that I’ve been involved with that truly have changed people’s perspectives in profound ways,” she says.

Gregori-Gahan says that having young Iraqi students on campus for a month, sharing their cultures and experiences, helped students and staff alike put a human face on a country that they had previously only associated with war. “If the vast majority of our American students can interact with our international students on campus and understand a little bit more of their experiences and their realities, then the next time they hear something about that country in the news, it has so much more meaning for them,” she says. “I think it just makes the world seem so much smaller when you see that.”

4. Enriching the Academic Curriculum

Photo: Bennett College

Beyond the many informal ways academic exchanges transform the learning experience, they can also drive more formal changes. Last year, a Global UGRAD scholar named Serena inspired the development of an entirely new course at Bennett College.

As the first student that Bennett hosted from the Palestinian Territories, Serena was frequently invited to speak at campus events to provide context to events in the news. “Her conversation really struck a chord with a lot of the people who deal in the disciplines of politics, socioeconomics, and religious studies at our college,” Mallari says.

As a result, the university began developing a course that it hopes to add to the curriculum in spring 2020, examining the issues between Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel. “International students provide an amazing perspective on their country, their culture, their faith if they belong to a different faith group than ours,” Mallari says. “What they bring to the campus, you can’t buy those kinds of things.”

5. Inspiring U.S. Students to Pursue Opportunities Abroad

Photo: Montana State University

Living abroad is one of the most effective ways to develop intercultural competencies. It can also be one of the most intimidating. Wayne State University has a sizable international population, but most of its undergraduates hail from within 100 miles of Detroit. Though they might have family ties abroad, they often don’t have much experience with other cultures. But Kyle says hosting international exchange students makes a difference.

“We have students that had never really done anything international in their lives and then they get this Global UGRAD student who is their roommate,” Kyle explains. “And all of a sudden, they become fast friends and then the next thing I know, the next fall, the U.S. student comes into my office and says, ‘I met so-and-so when she was here on her Global UGRAD Program. I want to go to her country. Is there an exchange?’”

Rasmussen has had the same experience at Montana State University. “[International exchanges are] a chance for us to kind of bring the world to Montana for some of the Montana students who would never get a chance or even think about studying abroad,” she says. “Bringing the students here creates an opportunity for them to engage and see a new perspective without even having to leave Montana.”

In fact, Rasmussen has seen many of the undergraduate students her division has hired as program assistants fall in love with the cultures they’re exposed to and go on to work in the region. “It’s changed their entire career path,” she says.

6. Exposing Faculty to Different Ways of Learning and Thinking

Photo: Bennett College

It’s not just students who derive inspiration from international visitors. Kyle says programs like Global UGRAD have created learning experiences for faculty as well, opening up their minds to different ways of learning and teaching across the world. One professor, for example, learned how to better relate to a student from China who rarely participated in his class when Kyle explained to the professor that cultural norms in the region where the student was from discourage that kind of classroom interaction.

Like the students who have had international roommates, Kyle says professors who teach international students end up calling her to ask if there are any faculty exchanges available to help them develop their own careers. “It broadens their horizon,” she says.

World Learning also helps make those faculty exchanges possible as implementer of the Fulbright Specialist Program. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Specialist Program enables U.S. professionals and scholars to work on short-term projects overseas designed by local host institutions.

These exchanges make a difference for university faculty. For example, Dr. Quan Le, Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the International Business Program at Seattle University, says his experience in Vietnam had ripple effects when he returned to campus. “What I learned as a Fulbright Specialist I was able to bring back to my current job in the U.S. and help my students in Seattle get real-world entrepreneurial experience through my contacts at Dalat University.”

7. Making International Experiences More Accessible

Photo: Bennett College

For many, though, opportunities to study or work abroad seem out of reach. “I have students who don’t even know what a passport is,” says Mallari at Bennett College. She explains that many of those U.S. undergraduate students are coming from public high schools that were underfunded and lacked resources that might have otherwise exposed them to the world.

“Being able to provide them with a global experience on campus through the interaction and engagement of international students and faculty is essential for them because this might be the only chance that they get to engage or to speak or to listen to someone of a different race and a different culture,” Mallari says.

At the University of Southern Indiana, Gregori-Gahan says that programs like Global UGRAD also open new possibilities for U.S. students who thought they would never have the resources to travel abroad. Unlike most international students, she notes that many Global UGRAD students come from countries and communities that are not especially wealthy and are studying in the U.S. on merit-based scholarships. “I think it helps [U.S. students] see that it is possible,” she says.

8. Diversifying Intercultural Experiences

Photo: World Learning

International exchange programs also diversify campuses across the U.S in less obvious ways. International enrollment at many U.S. schools is often skewed heavily to wealthier students from countries such as China and Saudi Arabia. But exchange programs like the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program and Global UGRAD bring in a wider diversity of students.

“For us to be able to bring in people from Kazakhstan and Honduras and Guatemala, that really helps, even though it’s just one or two people from those countries,” says Gregori-Gahan at the University of Southern Indiana.

Rasmussen agrees. Montana State University hosts exchanges with students from North Africa and the Middle East — including Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, and more — which she notes are a particularly great learning experience for students. “We have really rich discussions about how their countries view democracy and how they’re navigating what’s going on in their countries,” she says.

9. Reaching the Next Generation of Global Citizens

Photo: Montana State University

Colleges and universities also have the opportunity to foster global citizenship beyond their own campuses through international exchange programs. As a host of the EducationUSA Academy — a pre-college academic enrichment program for international high school students sponsored by the U.S. Department of State — Montana State University promotes intercultural understanding among high schoolers in the local Bozeman community.

As part of the program, the university pairs its visiting students with those from local high schools for activities and also hires local students to serve as global ambassadors. “Starting our Montana kids at an early age to be interested in the possibility of study abroad has been really exciting for us and our local high school educators, too,” Rasmussen says. “It’s a valuable experience to have when you’re young because it’ll stick will you as you move forward in your student life and career.”

10. Strengthening Community Bonds

Photo: World Learning

Local communities benefit from international exchanges in other ways, too. All of the academic exchange programs that World Learning implements encourage participants to develop friendships with local community members whether they stay with host families or volunteer with local organizations.

At the University of Southern Indiana, Gregori-Gahan says the Evansville community loves it when international students volunteer with local nonprofit organizations. As one inner-city after-school community development program staff member told her, these volunteer opportunities also give many community members their first opportunity to meet someone from another country.

And those friendships endure. Gregori-Gahan says that nearly 10 years after hosting the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program, local host families and participants are still in touch. “People just fell in love with our students,” she says. The same is true at current host Wayne State University, where Fareed Shalhout, associate director of international programs, says the U.S. and Iraqi students remain close. “It’s not a program that comes and goes,” he says. “It’s really a lifetime of friendship.”

Learn more about these programs:

This Young Kosovar is Transforming Her Country Through Entrepreneurship

Majlinda Ruhani believes entrepreneurship is key to a thriving Kosovo.

Though Europe’s newest country has made great strides in the 20 years since it won its independence, many Kosovars still struggle to find work. The unemployment rate hovers around 30 percent and more than 50 percent of youth are unemployed — forcing many to leave the country to find jobs.

Ruhani wants to turn that around. As the head of incubation at VentureUP, an innovation and entrepreneurship center at the University of Prishtina, Ruhani equips students with job and soft skills training, including the skills they need to launch startups and, ultimately, transform their country’s economy by creating new job opportunities.

“Entrepreneurship is one of the solutions to use all the potential we have with the youth of Kosovo,” she says.

Ruhani represents a new generation of Kosovar leaders that World Learning supports through the Transformational Leadership Program — Scholarships and Partnerships(TLP), funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. Since 2014, the program has awarded scholarships to promising young Kosovars to pursue their studies in the United States. It has also strengthened the capacity of the University of Prishtina to prepare students for the modern workforce.

TLP has been a catalyst for Ruhani’s work as well. VentureUP was conceived by the program’s advisory committee, and it is run by a cadre of talented TLP alumni. Ruhani is one of them — and she credits her scholarship with sparking a passion that changed the course of her career.

Discovering entrepreneurship at Willamette

In 2015, Ruhani was pursuing a career in finance when she won a TLP scholarship to the Master of Business Administration program at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

Willamette seemed like a perfect fit: Not only is the university known for the strength of its finance courses, it also places a premium on experiential learning. Ruhani was curious about the active, hands-on approach to learning. “It’s something that we’re missing here,” Ruhani says. “Our country is new and we’re still developing in many areas, especially in education.”

She didn’t realize that experiential learning could transform her career goals.

“That was one of the most difficult but at the same time one of the most amazing experiences,” Ruhani says. “It’s exciting to be able to go through the first stages [of a project] no matter if it’s business or an NGO. You have so many challenges, and that’s what makes it really interesting.”

Bringing knowledge back to Kosovo

After completing her MBA, Ruhani continued exploring this new world of startups and entrepreneurship as a consultant when she returned home to Kosovo.

Ruhani fell in love with entrepreneurship through one of Willamette’s signature programs, a two-semester course in which students team up to offer consulting services to nonprofit clients. Her team helped the Salem Parks Foundation develop plans for fundraising, marketing, and more. Ruhani was excited to help the organization launch initiatives like its now-annual Walk in the Park benefit.

“I feel like this area is one of the most interesting areas in the business world,” she says.

Her skills were in demand. Organizations across the country hired Ruhani to research donor communities, analyze their business models, and offer plans to expand their services. She saw how entrepreneurship could spur job creation firsthand through her consulting work with an NGO called E Shpis, which employs marginalized women to bake and sell traditional Albanian delicacies.

Ruhani loved that her consulting offered the opportunity to work with different ideas and perspectives. “My main goal was to get an understanding of the business culture here to identify the trends and all the changes that we’re going through as a country,” Ruhani says.

She’s optimistic about those changes. Ruhani says she now sees more companies in Kosovo creating partnerships with international organizations. Those partnerships force companies to meet the standards expected in more developed countries. “[It’s] really good for Kosovo,” she says.

Fostering entrepreneurship among Kosovo’s youth

As the new head of incubation at VentureUP, Ruhani looks forward to passing her knowledge along to the country’s next generation of entrepreneurs.

Founded in late 2017, VentureUP aims to connect University of Prishtina students to the working world. It offers experiential workshops to develop students’ soft skills as well as the technical skills they need to succeed as entrepreneurs. It introduces students to ways they can use innovation to make a difference in their communities and promotes research and development opportunities at the university.

Through the incubation program — which is just now getting underway with its first cohort of 10 teams — Ruhani and other staff members will guide students in turning their business ideas into reality. June Lavelle, a business incubation consultant in the United States who has created incubators around the world, donated her time and expertise to help develop VentureUP’s program.

VentureUP will offer working space, mentoring opportunities, and trainings on how students can get their startups ready for the market. The incubator will also host events so students can network with potential collaborators and investors. “Youth in Kosovo really need this kind of opportunity,” Ruhani says. “We’re trying to help them as much as we can.”

TLP’s robust alumni network has helped make this all possible. Many of VentureUP’s staff members — including CEO Fis Malesori — are TLP alumni. Like Ruhani, these alumni returned from their scholarship programs not only with technical expertise but with a vision for Kosovo’s future. “It’s amazing being part of the TLP community, because pretty much every member of this community acquired a lot of knowledge through their studies,” she says. “They are so eager to apply that knowledge and make things better here.”

World Learning Receives Grant from the Stevens Initiative to Connect Students in the U.S., Middle East, and North Africa through Virtual Exchange

Grantees will create opportunities for U.S. and international students to build global competencies and career readiness skills through virtual exchange.

Today, the Stevens Initiative announced funding for The Experiment Digital and the NextGen Coders Network implemented by World Learning. They are two of six programs selected through an international competition to fund virtual exchange programs in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

World Learning is part of the third round of Stevens Initiative grantees. These exchanges will enable thousands of young people to gain the skills that they need to succeed in today’s economy and society, and to establish new cross-cultural connections.

Under the Stevens Initiative, The Experiment Digital, implemented by World Learning, is a two-month summer virtual exchange program that helps high school aged youth become more civically engaged by empowering them to plan and execute a community service project. Through interactive modules on leadership, community issues, and digital citizenship, participants will gain 21st century global competency skills. Through small group dialogue with participants from different countries, participants will develop mutual understanding and learn how to communicate across cultures and regions.

Under the Stevens Initiative, the NextGen Coders Network, implemented by World Learning, will create a virtual exchange opportunity for university students and young professionals from Iraq, Palestinian Territories, and the United States of America.  These exchanges will take place through “hackathons” involving collaboration to solve grand challenges facing their communities using coding-oriented solutions. World Learning will implement the program in partnership with organizations in the U.S. and abroad.

“World Learning is thrilled to partner with the Stevens Initiative on these innovative virtual exchange programs that connect and empower young people across the world,” said Carol Jenkins, CEO of World Learning. “Building on our decades of experience in international exchange – and leveraging our robust digital platform and expertise in STEM education – we look forward to creating even more opportunities for young people to make a difference at home and globally.”

“I am very pleased with the grants that we are awarding for the next round of Stevens Initiative funded virtual exchange programs,” said Marie Royce, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. “As bandwidths increase and platforms get more sophisticated, virtual exchanges open opportunities for international exposure and connection to hundreds of thousands – and potentially millions – of people. Virtual exchanges like those funded by the Stevens Initiative also facilitate cross-cultural experiences and build career readiness skills. I look forward to a great expansion of this innovative program over the next year and continuing to honor this living legacy to Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.”

Through the work of these six new programs, the Stevens Initiative will expand its reach to nearly 40,000 students in 15 MENA countries and the Palestinian Territories, and in 44 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC. Programs will begin this April and will continue through the summer of 2021.

Other programs include:

  • Global Nomads Group (GNG): Campfire, GNG’s flagship program, focuses on virtual storytelling – an interdisciplinary and powerful vehicle for youth to build empathy, self-awareness, and global understanding.
  • International Research & Exchanges Board, Inc. (IREX): The Global Solutions Sustainability Challenge (GSSC), implemented by IREX, connects students in the United States, Jordan, and Iraq to virtually collaborate on a sustainable solution to a contemporary business challenge.
  • Soliya: Soliya’s Connect Global will bring together college-aged youth in the United States and in the Middle East and North Africa for online, face-to-face dialogue.
  • William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan (WDI): Implemented by WDI, Business & Culture: A Virtual Practicum is a classroom-to-classroom, action-learning course on international business cultures that brings together students from Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, and the U.S.

“The Aspen Institute values the open exchange of ideas and the work of the Stevens Initiative allows for just that,” said Elliot Gerson, Executive Vice President of Public & Policy Programs at the Aspen Institute. “Through virtual exchange, youth in the US and MENA region are able to engage with one another, learn together, and become global-minded leaders.”

Created in 2015 by the Stevens family as a living legacy to Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, the Stevens Initiative is a public-private partnership that is building global competencies and 21st century skills for young people in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa. Through virtual exchange, the Initiative connects youth through technology to collaborate and learn together, giving them access to a substantive international exchange.

The Initiative is awarding these six grants to schools and organizations to implement virtual exchange programs, lasting from several weeks to several months, for students from middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities.

World Learning works globally to enhance the capacity and commitment of individuals, institutions, and communities to create a more peaceful and just world through education, sustainable development, and exchange. Our programs advance leadership in more than 150 countries.

The Experiment Digital and the NextGen Coders Network are funded 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.

More Information

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) builds relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries through academic, cultural, sports, professional and private exchanges, as well as public-private partnerships and mentoring programs. These exchange programs improve foreign relations and strengthen the national security of the United States, support U.S. international leadership, and provide a broad range of domestic benefits by helping break down barriers that often divide us. Visit eca.state.gov.

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, D.C.; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

The Bezos Family Foundation supports rigorous, inspired learning environments for young people, from birth through high school, to put their education into action. Through investments in research, public awareness, systems building and programs, the foundation works to elevate the field of education and improve life outcomes for all children.

The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Washington, D.C. is committed to promoting and increasing cross-cultural understanding and educational exchanges. In line with the UAE Government’s values, the Embassy supports educational programming at schools and universities across the U.S. The Embassy works with U.S. institutions to provide unique opportunities for peer-to-peer exchanges and help broaden student’s horizons.

The Kingdom of Morocco has held a longstanding commitment to the promotion of peace, mutual understanding and respect across all fora.  In line with this commitment, the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco is a strong supporter of the Stevens Initiative and is proud to be included in its programs, which foster opportunities for cross-cultural exchanges between youth.

U.S. Flag U.S. Department of State seal  

Before and After: The Life-Changing Effects of an International Exchange Program

Three weeks may not seem like a lot of time. But when you’re on an international exchange program, three weeks can be transformative.

This spring, high school students from Argentina and Chile shared just such a life-changing experience as part of the Youth Ambassadors Program. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding from the U.S. government, the program brings together high school students and adult mentors from across the Western Hemisphere for three-week exchanges to the United States to promote mutual understanding, increase leadership skills, and prepare youth to make a difference in their communities.

Youth Ambassadors explore cities and communities across the U.S. during their exchange. This cohort from Argentina and Chile started their exchange in Washington, DC, where they learned about U.S. history and culture. Then the group split up and fanned out to Kansas City, Missouri, and Denver, Colorado, for nearly two weeks to live with U.S. families and become part of local communities. The host community segment of the exchange was implemented in partnership with Global Ties KC and WorldDenver, members of the Global Ties Alliance. Finally, they returned to Washington, DC, where they developed and presented their ideas for projects they would carry out in their home communities upon their return.

World Learning caught up with the group at the beginning and end of the exchange to find out what difference that three weeks made. Among them was Paula Castro, a participant from Mendoza, Argentina who said, “I had no idea how many doors would be opened for me. Now I just see the world differently. I just want to keep on doing this, keep on inspiring, keep on traveling, and keep on learning things. This was easily the best experience of my life.”

Read more about her experience and that of her fellow Youth Ambassadors below:

José I Vieux
Diamante, Argentina

BEFORE THE HOMESTAY:
José I Vieux has always longed to see the world. Having only ever visited countries bordering his native Argentina, he jumped at the opportunity to travel to the U.S. as a Youth Ambassador — a program that also matched his interests in learning more about politics and leadership. He was especially excited for a homestay in Kansas City. He didn’t know what to expect from that adventure into the heart of the U.S., but planned to keep his eyes wide open. “You get to know a whole different culture,” he said. “This is a whole different world.”

AFTER THE HOMESTAY:
For José, the happiest memory of his trip was meeting the family that he lived with during his stay in Kansas City. Throughout his stay, the family — two parents, a younger sister, and an older brother — took him out for dinner and other activities. “I can assure you that the most impressive and best thing that this program gives you is the host family,” he said. “I got to know the American life from the inside.”

Though he didn’t share the same political perspectives as his host family, living with them gave him the opportunity to understand them, and shattered some of his stereotypes about American people.

Alexia Paz
Iquique, Chile

BEFORE THE HOMESTAY:
Alexia Paz believes serving her community — through beach clean-ups, visiting with senior citizens, and volunteering with animal shelters — has made her a better person. She joined the Youth Ambassadors Program at the recommendation of her teacher in the English Access Microscholarship Program, thinking it could help her improve her English and her ability to serve. She was most excited to start working on her community project, which she envisioned would involve providing services for orphans. “I’m not just learning English,” she said. “I’m learning values. I’m learning how to make those values work. I’m learning how to be useful in my community.”

AFTER THE HOMESTAY:
Alexia found new inspiration for her community project during her stay in Kansas City. Through excursions and site visits, the Youth Ambassadors met with local firefighters and organizations like Operation Breakthrough, which provides support to children and their families struggling with poverty. These meetings helped Alexia better understand what she could do to help children in her own city of Iquique. “I have a lot of ideas in my mind now,” she said. Realizing that her city’s bureaucracy might make it impossible to work with orphans, she decided instead to work with children ages 4 to 12, offering them a healthy space to forget about their problems through games and fun activities. “So it’s more close to me and more real.”

Nehuen Salazar
Temuco, Chile

BEFORE THE HOMESTAY:
Nehuen Salazar applied to join the Youth Ambassadors Program to help sharpen his leadership skills and become an even more effective advocate. He was particularly interested in improving his social skills, which he thinks are critical in getting people to talk about critical issues. “I want to help and be a supporting person for my classmates and learn to feel like a better person,” he said.

AFTER THE HOMESTAY:

Though Nehuen may not have been prepared for the weather in Denver — which was particularly cold compared to his home in southern Chile — he was inspired by all he had the opportunity to do there. The Youth Ambassadors volunteered with a local food bank, visited a library dedicated to African-American history, met with refugees and immigrants, and took leadership workshops. These experiences have helped Nehuen achieve all that he set out to do. “I really feel that I have improved my skills and my abilities,” he said. “Now it’s easier for me to make any project starting from zero. I don’t have the fear that I cannot do what I want to do. I’m more confident about myself.”

Paula Castro
Mendoza, Argentina

BEFORE THE HOMESTAY:
Paula Castro loves being involved in her community. She’s a member of Model UN and a student-body legislator at her school, where she’s interested in helping students learn how to train their brains to study more effectively. She was excited to apply for the Youth Ambassadors Program since it offered her a chance to carry out a project that could create change in her community, but she also had another important goal in mind: to improve her own skills — in leadership, empathy, and more — so that she can inspire others. “I think as a young woman I have the job to inspire any woman, any person, to be better, to make a change,” she said.

AFTER THE HOMESTAY:
Paula was amazed by the changes she saw in her fellow Youth Ambassadors when they all reconvened in Washington, DC, after their stays in Kansas City and Denver. “I really see how they improved,” she says. “They’re more outgoing and confident about themselves.” She sees those changes in herself, too. Though she’d been a bit worried about whether she’d fit in with her host family in just 12 days, she found she adapted quickly and became so close to her host sister that they began to consider themselves best friends. “My goal was to learn about other ways of thinking and to see things from different positions, be more empathetic, and to inspire,” she said. “I really expected the program to make me that person and I think it has. I’m not the same as before. I think I’ve gotten better. We all have.”

Exploring Maryland’s Maritime Heritage By Living It

A fisherman takes in a sunset on the Chesapeake Bay.

The Waterman’s Wharf exhibit sits isolated in the middle of a dock on the far side of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum grounds. The museum, which is spread along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay in downtown St. Michaels, Maryland, is primarily made up of open-air exhibits like this one.

The Waterman’s Wharf exhibit at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.

I walked into the small wooden structure and found myself in a setting that was profoundly familiar: I could hear the breeze rustling the tall grass that filled the shallow water just outside the shack. I noticed the open crab pots on the ground, the tubs full of blue crabs in various stages of molting, and the old photos of watermen on the walls.

Just a few days earlier I was pulling a crab pot to the surface from the side of another dock. I was scooping “peelers” and “busters,” both names for stages of blue crab molting, out of climate-controlled tubs. I was on a Skipjack shaking hands with men just like the ones in the photos.

I realized then that I had not only learned about the cultural heritage of the Chesapeake Bay, I had experienced it for myself.

In June 2018, I spent three weeks traveling with Saving What Matters, one of six projects that I was working with on World Learning’s Communities Connecting Heritage program. This program brings together U.S. and international organizations and participants to explore cultural heritage. Participating organizations partner up and submit proposals for unique cultural heritage projects they will carry out together through both virtual and in-person exchanges. Selected partnerships receive funding and undergo a training course in which World Learning helps them build their capacity to manage such an exchange program.

Saving What Matters members get an up close look at a Chesapeake Bay crab.

Our partners on Saving What Matters were Coastal Heritage Alliance, an organization devoted to preserving traditional fishing family culture based in St. Michaels, Md.; and Cultural Heritage without Borders, an organization dedicated to preserving cultural heritage in areas affected by conflict in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. They developed a project exploring their cultural heritages by way of digital storytelling. On the Bosnian side, they focused on a special kind of pottery that only one man in one village still knows how to make. In Maryland, the participants focused on the people that still live traditional watermen culture in the Chesapeake Bay.

As part of the Saving What Matters project, a group of Bosnian students from the University of Sarajevo and American students from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, first developed digital stories of their local cultures over the course of a six-month virtual exchange. They then participated in two in-person exchanges in which they visited one another’s countries, exploring their partner’s cultural heritage.

One critical element of the project was its emphasis on experiential learning. As cornerstone of World Learning’s teaching philosophy, Communities Connecting Heritage teaches our partners about the importance of experiential learning throughout their capacity building course.

Experiential learning encompasses both learning by doing and learning by processing. In the experiential learning process, a participant first takes part in an activity, then is encouraged to reflect on the experience, taking time to understand what actions they took and how it affected them. Next, the participant begins to analyze the activity, exploring how it connects to their past experiences, and finding deeper meaning in it for themselves. Finally, the participant applies what they’ve learned through that experience throughout their lives.

While accompanying Saving What Matters in Maryland, I saw our partner, Mike Vlahovich of Coastal Heritage Alliance, emphasize experiential learning every step of the way. Instead of spending all of our time in museums, though there were some wonderful ones, we ventured outside to learn from the people who still live their heritage every day.

We visited facilities where a staff of just two or three people work from early in the morning adjusting sprinkler intensity for tubs of blue crabs to simulate the natural conditions in the bay that encourage molting. Harvesting crabs right after they shed their old shell is how we get soft shell crabs, and the process requires great attention and care. We helped clean and paint the deck of a Skipjack, the traditional boat used for oystering in the Chesapeake Bay. We took a boat around Smith Island, observing firsthand how rising sea levels are eroding the shores of this small group of isolated islands. Instead of being told about the traditional way of life in the Chesapeake Bay, our participants were able to feel, smell, taste, hear, and see how these communities are preserving the maritime cultural heritage of the bay in their day-to-day lives.

Mike consistently emphasized the importance of not enclosing cultural heritage in a museum, but celebrating it and preserving it where it already exists. Academically I understood this, but I did not fully grasp what it meant until I was walking around the Waterman’s Wharf exhibit in the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.

Let me show you what I realized. Below are a few sets of side-by-side photos. The photos on the left are what I saw in the museum exhibit, while the photos on the right are what those exhibits sparked in my memory from our time spent experiencing maritime cultural heritage:

Crab pot simulation at the museum (left) versus pulling up a crab pot on the shore of the bay (right).

Sample soft shell crab facility in the museum (left) versus a real facility on the Eastern Shore (right).

Old photo of watermen crabbing in the museum (left) versus a local tradition bearer of watermen culture holding a basket of blue crabs (right).

This project challenged participants to think about cultural heritage as something to be preserved where it currently exists. They went beyond the classroom to see the world as it is. The participants of this program not only learned about the culture of the Chesapeake Bay, but had the privilege to walk alongside local tradition bearers for two weeks and experience it for themselves. My colleagues and I hope they will take the lessons they learned and reflected on along the Eastern Shore and apply them in their lives as they continue to celebrate and preserve cultural heritage back home.

They seem determined to do so. “My exchange program showed me how much heritage is being lived in the world of today,” says Jasmina Ferhatovic, a participant from Bosnia and Herzegovina who came to the Eastern Shore. “We are part of this heritage and its future. That is why heritage preservation is important, for both the people that live it and the people that study it.”

Sean Mooney is a program officer at World Learning.

Breaking Down Barriers to Employment for People with Disabilities

IVLP participants during their visit to the Accessibility Lab at Oath, a Verizon company.

In Salt Lake City, Utah, nine professionals from the Middle East and North Africa experienced what inclusion of people with disabilities means in a state known for outdoor adventure. During their stay, they visited a rock climbing gym that offers adaptive equipment like harnesses and hand grips and climbing partners. The gym is not a separate facility just for people with disabilities but a place that brings a community of people of all abilities together.

These professionals were in the U.S. for three weeks as participants of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), an exchange program that brings professionals from a variety of fields to the U.S. to cultivate relationships and share experiences and expertise. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government and administered by World Learning, this program focused on disability rights. The group saw how the Americans with Disabilities Act has created accessible spaces since it was enacted 28 years ago. They also learned about the progress that still needs to be made to break down barriers people with disabilities face in finding employment.

An IVLP participant tries out the rock climbing wall at the National Ability Center.

Facilities like the rock climbing gym can make a difference. Mohamed Elbadry, one of the IVLP participants, is a disability rights activist and athlete in Egypt. He sees sports as a way to express himself and increase his confidence. His participation in sports ­has also helped change others’ perceptions of what people with disabilities are capable of doing.

Changing these perceptions is key to increasing employment among people with disabilities. This October, the United States celebrated National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), an effort led by the U.S. Department of Labor to raise awareness of the employment needs — and the capabilities — of people with all types of disabilities. Everyone can contribute their unique talents and skills to a job if given the opportunity.

During the IVLP experience, Elbadry and his colleagues learned many ways to address this worldwide employment gap between people with and without disabilities.

Education is an important place to start. The group visited different schools and universities to observe the support and accommodations they provide students with disabilities. Group members were particularly impressed with The College Experience, a program through which students with disabilities live independently on a college campus in Albany, New York. A partnership between the nonprofit Living Resources and the College of Saint Rose, the program helps youth with developmental disabilities take classes and transition to the workforce. The program showed the group what meaningful employment is possible when people with disabilities are given accommodations and assistive technology.

For Elbadry, the program provided a helpful example of how organizations can build bridges between the disability community and employers, which in turn helps employers understand why they should hire people with disabilities. He hopes to apply what he learned from this IVLP experience when he returns to Egypt. “I see that we need a center in each field of work or in each region that can help those who need training,” he says. “Every state [in Egypt] should have a team responsible for connecting with organizations and companies to ensure the employment of people with disabilities.”

IVLP participants practice beep baseball.

Hafid Babazahou, another IVLP participant, is president of an association of people with disabilities in Morocco. He learned from these meetings the importance of data collection. People with disabilities have been found to have higher attendance and a lower turnover rate on average than people without disabilities. Sharing this information and specifics about low-cost accommodations and assistive technology support can show potential employers why it makes good business sense to hire people with disabilities. Employment data can also demonstrate how to create jobs that play to the skills and strengths of people with disabilities. When employers understand facts about working with people with disabilities, it is possible to shift their attitudes and open doors to create a more diverse workforce.

Professional exchanges like the IVLP can spark new ideas and build connections that advance international disability rights. These meetings across the U.S. motivated participants to continue their advocacy for disability rights upon returning home.

These exchanges also remind the U.S.-based hosts, interpreters, and program administrators of the progress we have made over the years and what more needs to be done to change attitudes toward people with disabilities. By working together and sharing our best ideas, we can bridge the employment gap in communities and countries across the world.

— Amy Reid, Program Officer

As NDEAM draws to a close, this is a time of reflection for individuals and organizations across the world. Consider: How are you fostering a more diverse and inclusive workforce? Are people with visible disabilities recruited, hired, mentored, and advanced? If you need ideas for increasing disability inclusion in your organization, check out the Department of Labor’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month resources. Put up a poster, arrange for a disability education program, and advertise employment opportunities with your local Center for Independent Living or Rehabilitation Services Program. For international recruitment, advertise with Mobility International USA.

Why is Mentorship Critical in STEAM Fields? Pros from Google, Intel, and NASA Weigh In

It can be daunting to imagine the future if you’re a girl pursuing a career in a field where there are few, if any, other women to look up to as role models and mentors.

As World Learning Inc. President and CEO Carol Jenkins noted in an op-ed for the Council on Foreign Relations, women are entering bachelor’s and master’s degree programs at the same levels as men, but there are leaks in the pipeline: women are far less likely to pursue doctoral degrees and other advanced opportunities.

But recent studies show that having female mentors — and more female peers — can turn that phenomenon around.

Creating those mentorship opportunities is one of the many goals of WiSci, the Women in Science Girls STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Design, and Mathematics) Camp. Implemented by World Learning, the camp brings together high school girls to develop their leadership potential and engage in an intensive STEAM curriculum devised and taught by professionals from WiSci partner organizations Google, Intel, and NASA. During nightly mentor hours, those professionals also advise the girls on their academic paths and careers.

At this year’s camp, hosted in Namibia, World Learning spoke with these mentors to find out why they believe mentorship helps girls stay in STEAM fields. Check out what they had to say in the following video clips and Q&As:

Jennifer Francis
Technology Development Environmental Health and Safety Engineer
Intel Corporation

How have your experiences been with the girls?
They are really cool. They give us energy when we are tired. It’s exciting to see them excited about learning. I also think it’s really exciting to see those who have that basic interest in chemistry or biology. It is that drive of being interested in science and learning and problem solving that really engages them in the other parts of STEAM. So that’s been really cool.

Why do you think that mentorship is important, especially for girls in STEAM fields?
Mentorship is really important because although you go to school, to actually go from sitting in a classroom getting that information to now meeting and talking to someone who does that as a part of their day-to-day life is really important. It factors into something I wholeheartedly believe in, a concept that I’ve been doing for many many years, called SEE: Science and Everyday Experiences.

By being a mentor, I represent SEE because this [camp] is an application of [the STEAM subjects] you may be interested in. And the girls may not get that. And even if they do get it from their teachers or from other professors, it’s always good to diversify and get that same experience and exposure from other people.

Onome Ofoman
Software Engineer
Google

What was your experience of mentorship when you were coming up in this field?
I didn’t have too much exposure to engineering in high school. I had lots of math and science classes, but I didn’t really know what engineering was. I just knew it was a prestigious career. But I had a lot of teachers who encouraged me to apply to different competitions and would help me study after school to make sure I was prepared. That really stayed with me.

I think one of the reasons that I’ve been able to get to where I am today is because of the access and opportunity I had through those competitions, as a result of these teachers spending extra time to prepare me. I can see the direct connection between mentorship and success in my life, so I try to to give back as much as possible.

What have your impressions been of the girls so far?
They are just great. I have not taught this age group before. I usually teach either younger students, middle schoolers, or developers that are already working. So I thought they would be really rowdy. But they’ve been really, really excited to be here and excited to learn.

A lot of them are focused on what they want to study in the future, what they want to do with their life, and how they can help bring change to the world. So they’re asking really interesting questions like “How did you get to Google?” or “What should I be doing to get to a university or to figure out what I want my career to be?” or “What kind of access to scholarships are there?”

I went to the U.S. on a scholarship, so I got a lot of questions about the whole application process to schools in the U.S. A lot of the girls are very future-focused, and I’m very very happy to see that.

Do you think that there is a connection between mentoring and being able to retain women in the industry?
I definitely think there is. And one of the most important things that companies do — and those that don’t should be doing — is have resource groups. At Google, we have a women engineers group. These resource groups are very useful for helping share knowledge that people who have gone through the ranks have accumulated and can share with junior engineers.

What final advice would you give girls?
What I say all the time is just don’t limit yourself. Never think that something is out of reach. Just always try. A lot of the opportunities I’ve had is because I tried. And at first it was other people telling me to try — mentors, my parents, saying, “Apply for this,” or “Go to this competition.”

And as you try things, you see that you’re good at some things [and] maybe not so good at other things. All that information is useful. It’s useful to know what you’re good at. It’s also useful to know what you’re not good. But also just trying things [is useful]. It’s a muscle so the more you do it the easier it is. So just always try, never limit yourself.

Emily Adams
Regional Science Coordination Lead for the Eastern Southern Africa Hub
NASA SERVIR Science Coordination Office

NASA’s Emily Adams joins mentor night at WiSci Namibia.

What interested you in coming to the camp?
It’s become even more obvious over the past couple of years, even six or eight months really, how women have been discriminated against in STEM fields. I mean, it’s obvious that it’s a male-dominated field, but the discrimination is a much bigger problem than I think anybody had really realized.

I didn’t necessarily face a lot of the same problems that some other women have faced, but I did have a little bit of discrimination through my master’s degree and it really empowered me to want to make the science fields better for the next generation of young women. I had so many opportunities thanks to my parents and things like that, and I think this camp is a great opportunity to expose young women to new science opportunities and empower them to pursue STEM careers if that’s what they choose to do.

What was the discrimination you faced?
It was not anything aggressive by any means. I give the benefit of the doubt that it was unconscious, but in a lot of cases I was the only woman in my lab and it was my job to clean, always. So there’s just small things like that where I was being pushed toward fulfilling a stereotype rather than being treated as an equal. It’s not necessarily a huge thing, but even something like that can be really detrimental to a woman’s career. Cleaning takes away from my studies, takes away from my research, etcetera. It can build up.

What was important to you to impart to the girls at mentor hours?
I think what’s amazing right now is we’re so connected. The world is so connected and there are so many resources available to young women online and through different projects like this. I really encourage them to seek out these opportunities and build their repertoire of experiences.

One of the big reasons why I am here today is because I took a lot of chances on experiences that maybe were a little bit outside of my comfort zone — sometimes a lot of outside of my comfort zone — but they exposed me to new skills and new things that I was so excited to keep exploring. It’s a huge deal for a lot of these girls to come all the way to Namibia to learn about STEM. It’s an experience like nothing else. And so I really encourage them to use their online platforms and communities to continue learning.

Why are mentorship opportunities important in your field?
Obviously there are very few women in STEM fields, which means we have very few people to look up to and that we could easily learn from. There are a lot of male allies that have been in my life as well, but sometimes you feel most comfortable looking up to somebody like you. I would like to continue to pass that relationship down to the next generation and encourage women to continue to pursue STEM and at least give them a positive role model to look up to throughout their career.

 

Robert O’Connor
IT Factory Automation Engineer
Intel Corporation

You’ve been participating in mentor nights. What kind of questions are you getting?
Before this week, we did mentoring with the counselors rather than the girls. We had them in for two sessions, we went through our projects with them in the first session and then they asked us if we could have a second one where we talk about our careers, how we started — I was a swimming teacher and a lifeguard — and how we progressed in each step along the way to where we are now and where we want to go in the future and the roadblocks [we faced]. And [they also asked for] recommendations for how they could potentially get jobs both in their own countries and abroad. So that was very interesting.

Now in week two, the girls are all very focused on their final week project. They want to win. So they’re all coming up to us and are like, “Here’s my idea,” and they’re really pushing it and want all the tweaks they can get. And then they’re like, “Now how can we present this so it comes across well to the judges?” So essentially our mentor hours for this week are focused around their camp projects and how they’re merging our work, Google’s, and NASA’s together for the final project.

What has been your overall experience at WiSci?
I just think it’s been brilliant. A lot of people in Ireland that I spoke to when I told them I was going on it said, “Oh, I never applied for it because I didn’t think I’d get it.” I’m male, so I saw this as women in science and I knew straight away that it would have to have a heavy female-weighted team just so the girls could see themselves in it.

But that didn’t turn me off it because I thought you also have to have men there so that it’s not it’s not a divide. Theresa (another Intel mentor) has years of experience, she’s a brilliant manager, so now she’s leading a team of both men and women, and I just think that comes across a bit better than a woman leading a female team. It shows that are all working together. It’s not men holding women back — maybe one day it was — but we’re all trying to drive together into the future. [These girls] can have support no matter where they are and no matter what jobs they go into.

Jackie Rajuai
Geoprogram Manager
Google

Google’s Jackie Rajuai at NUST’s Windhoek campus.

Why is it important to teach STEAM skills to girls?
I grew up in Kenya, and no one ever came to speak to me about what kind of options there are in life career-wise. My parents always said you can do anything you want to do as long as it’s engineering or science, but I didn’t have a grasp of what those things were. So when I was selecting what I was going to do in university, it was just based on what my parents said.

At that age, given how impressionable you are, sometimes you select things based on what your friends say, but if I had the opportunity to talk to people who actually work in the industry, that could have changed a whole lot of things. Luckily I ended up somewhere I really love, but it’s important to me that these girls meet people who actually work in these industries and get a sense of what opportunities are available to them in life.

Did you participate in mentor hours?
I did. That’s been interesting as well. One girl said she always had a passion for structural engineering and construction, but now that she’s met us she’s like, “Okay, I never thought this would be considered engineering as well” — because it’s not things you physically see. So it was interesting to see how options have opened up [for her]. She has a few years to think about it. And the benefit is that in the first two or three years of engineering, the basics are the same. It’s very math-heavy. So I asked her to focus on building the foundation, be comfortable with math and things around that, that’s going to help build you up in the future.

[I also spoke] to girls who really enjoyed the camp and want to be able to do this in the future but they don’t have the monetary ability. So I was talking to them about scholarships. Some girls didn’t know those things would be available to them. That’s been really cool.

What are your thoughts on how to break down the barriers for women entering STEAM fields and where this camp fits in with that?
I think a big chunk of it is funneling as many people as you possibly can into those fields. Because being one of the few women in the industry is difficult, but you find solace in groups, right? Even if you’re like five [women], you know you’re not in this by yourself. So having more women come into the field is going to change the work environment.

We know from the top to the bottom there’s lots of males in leadership, so even how these companies are run or basic things like benefits or even the terms we use are all very male-oriented. So if there’s more females in the company, people are like, “Oh, that’s something we never thought about.” But then still sometimes companies struggle because it’s like, “Even if we change all this, we still have very few women, so why are we changing this existing structure that’s been working for just 1 percent?”

Right? So the more we funnel people into the industry, the more it’s also going to change the work environment.

With initiatives like this one, do you see a difference in how they funnel people into the industry?
Definitely. At the end of the day yesterday, I was talking to some of my colleagues who happen to be from Kenya as well. We were saying it would be really good to keep tabs on these girls because it would be nice to ensure that bond carries on. We don’t want to have passed on all this knowledge and opened up their eyes and then just drop it. So just keep tabs on them if they get into a university. For example, in Google we have a university outreach team. If some of these students end up in a STEAM field, how do we get them to be interns in the company and maintain that relationship?

[We want to] just keep holding their hands because it’s tough. As I mentioned, I went to school in Kenya. In my engineering class, we were four girls out of like 35 guys. So before they even get into the field, [when they’re] studying it in school, we just have to try and keep holding their hand and telling them it’s fine, it keeps getting better. We’d like to keep that pipeline going.

Any final advice?
I think just go for your dreams, right? At the end of the day, I understand we have lots of barriers, whether it could be economic barriers or access to opportunities or things like that. I never thought going to school in Kenya that I would get hired by Google and be on the same team as people who went to Stanford and different places, but you’re on the same team and you’re working on the same product for users for the same goal. Sometimes we are our own challenge. You say like, ‘yeah, but I don’t have this, but I don’t have this.’ But just go for what you want in life. Anytime an opportunity comes up, take it because you never know. You never know where it’s going to lead, you never know who you’ll meet, so just follow your dreams. It can be hard sometimes, but at least you know at the end of life, I gave it my best. I tried.

Women in Science (WiSci) Girls STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Design, and Mathematics) Camp is a private public partnership (PPP) between the U.S. Department of State’s Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships, UN Foundation’s Girl Up Initiative, Intel Corporation, and Google. In 2018, the camp brought approximately 100 high school girls from the African continent and the U.S. together for 13 days in Namibia to explore the STEAM fields and access mentorship opportunities and leadership training.

WiSci Campers Look to the Future

Over the last two weeks, the 2018 WiSci STEAM Camp brought together nearly 100 high school girls from five countries to learn about coding, robotics, leadership and more. They had some incredible experiences discovering new fields and innovative technologies with the help of trainers and mentors from Intel, Google, NASA, and more.

Now that the girls have returned home — including the U.S., Kenya, eSwatini, Ethiopia, and all over Namibia — we asked a few of them to share with us their hopes and visions for the future:

Natalie
15 years old
Kenya

Natalie has attended school in three countries due to her mother’s job with the UN Development Programme. Though some in her community believe girls should stay at home, Natalie’s mother was a role model for pursuing a career.

“My dream would be to graduate from Harvard Law School and then work in the U.S. as a forensic detective because my favorite show growing up was NCIS.”

Iyambo
17 years old
Namibia

Iyambo has loved science since primary school. She has always been a curious person and relishes discovering everything from how the human body is composed of cells to building apps that are accessible to people in all communities. She says that the Google classes at WiSci confirmed her love for her chosen STEAM field:

“They taught us many things, how to develop apps and how you can use them to help people in our communities. It actually made me love computer science much more, which is why I’d like to pursue it as a future career.

I would like to complete my high school and go to university at least. If I can get a scholarship then I’ll go abroad. If not, I’ll come to this university, the Namibia University of Science and Technology, and do computer science. That’s what has been interesting to me so far and I think it’s the best career I can ever opt for.”

Beza
17 years old
Ethiopia

Beza’s love for challenge is what got her interested in pursuing STEAM: “In the 9th grade, I was listening to BBC News and they were saying how there’s really less involvement in girls in the STEAM fields,” she says. “I thought, ‘That’s not true. I love physics and math.’ I tried to push myself more into those fields. And then I fell so in love with them.”

In fact, Beza loves physics and math — plus her technical drawing classes back in Ethiopia — so much that she’s still debating her future career options. “I haven’t decided yet but I’m thinking about studying computer science and architecture, and software engineering,” she says.

Samkay
16 years old
eSwatini

Samkay loves writing poetry — a skill she demonstrated during the WiSci Talent Show — but she wants to pursue a career as a scientist and medical doctor. “My mom is a nurse and growing up alongside her just made me want to help people the way she does.”

Through WiSci’s NASA classes, Samkay has become more interested in the geospatial mapping tools that allow you to track changes in the environment. She also made other great discoveries: “When this opportunity came, it just landed on my lap and I had to take it because I saw it as an opportunity for a young woman like me to prove myself, for me to see my options and try my best to achieve the best for myself. So WiSci is like the greatest thing that has ever happened to me because I got to learn a lot of things, and I believe I’m still going to learn a lot of things.”

Renata
16 years old
United States

Renata has had a passion for STEAM for years, especially mathematics. Though she doesn’t know exactly what she wants to do for a career, spending time at WiSci has given Renata a chance to explore new fields and possibilities:

“I really want to advocate for something and do something on behalf of others when I’m working. So I could try to do something for accessibility like the people at Google or I could work for a nonprofit like my mom. I don’t know. I’m just so excited to get out there. One of our Google teachers, she worked for like five different industries. So I’m thinking why not just do that and try out every bit of your dreams?”

Women in Science (WiSci) Girls STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Design, and Mathematics) Camp is a private public partnership (PPP) between the U.S. Department of State’s Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships, UN Foundation’s Girl Up Initiative, Intel Corporation, and Google. In 2018, the camp will bring approximately 100 high school girls from the African continent and the U.S. together for 13 days in Namibia to explore the STEAM fields and access mentorship opportunities and leadership training.

5 Amazing Innovations From the WiSci STEAM Camp

After two weeks of learning how to code, build autonomous robot cars, create accessible apps, and live together with girls from five different countries, the 2018 Women in Science (WiSci) Girls STEAM Camp drew to an innovative end yesterday.

Teams of WiSci campers have spent the past week designing creative solutions to problems in their communities, ranging from waste and environmental degradation to everyday problems in girls’ lives. Their ideas were astounding. They’ve come up with ways to make cars cleaner and keep girls safer.

At the closing ceremony, esteemed judges from the U.S. Department of State, Intel, Girl Up, and the Namibia University of Science and Technology presented four WiSci teams with awards, which were also made possible with the support of Cheryl Lewy, vice chair of World Learning’s Board of Trustees, and her husband Glen. These were given out in the categories of most innovative, best presentation/pitch, most technical rigor, and best all-around projects.

Want to learn more about how these campers are going to change the world? Here’s a look at five amazing projects that reveal the diverse possibilities of STEAM:

The Jeng Jacket Project
Elisa, Noelia, Grace, Johanna

What if your jacket could keep you warm and safe? That’s what these four girls from the U.S. and Namibia asked themselves when they started to work on their final WiSci projects. While brainstorming ideas, they discovered they all had a common problem: whether they were staying late for clubs or walking long ways to school in early hours, they all had to walk alone in the dark sometimes. So they designed the Jeng Jacket.

This jacket comes outfitted with heating pads that activate as you move to keep you warm, reflective velcro (which can be removed for washing), and an alarm that sounds when you pull a string. In their presentation, the girls explained that the alarm — which sounds like a siren — is designed to scare off anyone who might try to attack a girl. They had a lot of fun building it together and plan to keep working on it even after WiSci. “We really hope we can make this into a reality,” Grace said.

lJ!6 (“Girl” Upside-Down)
Jo-Ann, Leslie M., Leslie D., Hendrina
(Winners of “Best All-Around” project)

Team IJ!6 set out to solve a problem that was very close to their hearts: they wanted to provide service dogs to people who can’t see — and do so at a low cost. As Leslie M. explained during her presentation, years ago she and her brother were in a car accident that left him blind. Her mother wasn’t able to afford a service dog, as they can cost more than $15,000.

So IJ!6 created a robotic service dog made of cheap materials such as plywood and silicone as their WiSci project. “We invented what I personally wish had been invented,” Leslie M. said. They named the robot IJ!6 — the word “girl” written upside-down — to challenge the idea that only men can become engineers. And, to this team, there was no question as to their motivation. “The reason why this is important is because we care,” Jo-Ann said.

Flat Heels
Emily, Bezawit, Marye, Tatiana
(Winners of “Most Innovative” project)

“Do you wear heels?” Emily asked the judges and other onlookers during her presentation. “Do you feel uncomfortable wearing them the whole day? Do you wish there was an easier way to change from flats to heels?” Team Flat Heels had a solution to this problem that most women will find familiar. Their project was a high heel that can convert into flats at the touch of a button.

Bezawit and Marye said the inspiration for the Flat Heel came from their performance in Ethiopia’s culture night at WiSci. They were both pulling double-duty as presenters and dancers and needed to quickly change out of their heels.

In their pretotype design for Flat Heels, the team envisions the shoes will come outfitted with a gas spring in the heel that can rise into a high heel or compress into a flat. The mechanism would be operated by a tiny arduino computer that a user could activate from a cell phone app. They’re hoping to turn this design into a reality when they get home — and judging from the responses from their fellow WiSci participants, there’s certainly a market for it. “Everyone said they would buy it,” Marye said.

Future Pack
Daniella, Rakkel, Marina, Faith

Backpacks can be hard on your back — as the girls from this WiSci project team know well from years of commuting to their schools in eSwatini, Kenya, and Namibia. They wanted to build a better, more lightweight, backpack that will not only make for easy wearing but also prevent back pain for years to come.

They designed the Future Pack, a backpack outfitted with a system that distributes helium evenly throughout to reduce the bag’s weight by up to 25 percent. As with all the projects, the team faced significant challenges: “We were aiming to reduce the weight of the bag, but had to use a heavy helium canister,” Faith explains. But the team worked to find a way to compensate for that weight and are proud of their end result. “I feel like a scientist,” Faith said.

Just Expressing Artistic Motives (J.E.A.M.)
Joysy, Evandra, Angela, Miracle

Miracle was disappointed when the funding for her school’s art program was cut. She and her fellow art students had started working on a mural but ran out of paint and couldn’t afford more to finish it. But it turned out they weren’t done with art: instead, her teacher came in with magazines and other recyclable materials to transform into bowls and other forms of art..

Team J.E.A.M. — which also represents the girls’ initials — love both art and the environment and were excited to combine their passions into this upcycling project that transforms recyclable materials into art. When they return to their homes in the U.S. and Namibia, they’re planning to create dropboxes in their communities where they can leave recyclable materials for others to use. They’re also creating a Facebook page offering tutorials on how to turn cardboard, water bottles, and spoons into dollhouses, toy monsters, and windchimes.

The girls said they were inspired by their time at WiSci: “We’re here to express ourselves as well as learn, so we used our technology to allow people to express their artistic forms and share it with other people,” Miracle said.

Women in Science (WiSci) Girls STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Design, and Mathematics) Camp is a private public partnership (PPP) between the U.S. Department of State’s Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships, UN Foundation’s Girl Up Initiative, Intel Corporation, and Google. In 2018, the camp will bring approximately 100 high school girls from the African continent and the U.S. together for 13 days in Namibia to explore the STEAM fields and access mentorship opportunities and leadership training.

A Day in the Life of a WiSci Camper

Every day is a busy — and fun — one for the campers at the 2018 Women in Science (WiSci) Girls STEAM Camp. Beyond learning how to code, build apps, and design tools to help solve problems in their communities, this group of girls are learning about leadership, women’s empowerment, and each other.

Take a peek into the daily life of our campers through the eyes of Cori, a 16-year-old from Atlanta who came to WiSci because she’s interested in studying chemistry and eventuallypursuing a career as a forensic scientist.

6:35 a.m.: Wake up!

For Cori, being at WiSci — where she’s surrounded by dozens of girls from the U.S., Namibia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and eSwatini (the former Swaziland) — has not only taught her how to wait her turn for the shower. She’s also learned a lot about herself:

“I know I’m African American, but I never realized my roots. This might not be the part of Africa I’m from and I might not have met anyone from the part of Africa that I’m really from, but I never learned about Africa in history classes. For some reason they skip over that. I feel closer to myself now.”

8:00 a.m.: Breakfast

On the menu today: Weet-Bix, ham, cheese, and bread.

9:00 a.m.: Class with Girl Up 

As a WiSci partner, the United Nation Foundation’s Girl Up has been leading leadership and empowerment classes each morning. Today, Cori and her classmates learned about public speaking and practiced interviews and elevator pitches.

Cori plans to start a Girl Up club when she gets back to her high school, where she says there aren’t many outlets for girls. “I learned that there’s more than one way to be a leader, that anyone can be a leader,” she says.

10:30 a.m.: Final project planning

For this last week of WiSci, the campers will be working on projects using their STEAM skills to find innovative solutions to problems in their communities. Cori and her classmates Elena, Ntsikelelo, and Shakyra are devising a way to use the kinetic energy that girls in rural areas create while biking to school — sometimes several hours each way — to charge their cell phones, which can be a lifeline in their daily lives.

12 p.m.: Lunchtime

1:00 p.m.: Intel classes begin

Today, a team of trainers from Intel — a WiSci partner — kicked off their week of classes. Cori and the other campers learned coding for artificial intelligence, built CurieBots, and designed prototypes of tools that can assist in disaster scenarios from alien invasions to sharknados.

WiSci partners have been leading classes since the camp began. Last week, trainers from Google and NASA taught the girls how to build apps and use geospatial mapping tools. Even though Cori is primarily interested in chemistry, she realized that she enjoys making apps and hopes to continue trying to do so when she gets home.

3:30 p.m.: Snack break 

Snack choices today: apples, bananas, or cheddar popcorn.

4 p.m. Back to class 

Having learned the basics of the Python programming language, Cori and her classmates began testing the Smart Animal Surveillance System — also called SASSY — that can recognize pictures of animals held in front of a webcam. Cori says she enjoyed learning from the Intel trainers:

“They’re really fun. You could tell that they’re really invested and they really enjoy this experience. It feels like they’re in it with us. It’s not just classes. They bond with us.”

6:30 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Talent show

Though there was lots of amazing dancing and singing on display, Cori’s favorite performance of the night was a public speaking demonstration from Iyambo, one of the girls from Namibia. Iyambo spoke passionately about how her fellow WiSci campers should not be afraid to pursue careers in science as they are all strong and intelligent women.

“It was really empowering,” Cori says. “You could tell she meant what she said. It spoke to me.”

10:00 p.m. Lights out!

Women in Science (WiSci) Girls STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Design, and Mathematics) Camp is a private public partnership (PPP) between the U.S. Department of State’s Secretary’s Office of Global Partnerships, UN Foundation’s Girl Up Initiative, Intel Corporation, and Google. In 2018, the camp will bring approximately 100 high school girls from the African continent and the U.S. together for 13 days in Namibia to explore the STEAM fields and access mentorship opportunities and leadership training.

The 2018 WiSci STEAM Camp Kicks Off with NASA, Google, and Teen Girls From Five Countries

This week, nearly 100 high school girls from across the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa have arrived in Windhoek, Namibia, where they’re learning how to say hello to Harry Potter through code, design apps for painting pictures on their tablets, build lights out of tiny computers — and so much more.

These teenagers are taking part in the 2018 Women in Science (WiSci) Girls STEAM Camp, which has brought together girls from the United States, Namibia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and eSwatini (the former Swaziland) for two weeks to learn about one another’s cultures and develop their skills in science, technology, engineering, arts and design, and mathematics (STEAM).

U.S. Ambassador to Namibia Lisa Johnson with WiSci 2018 participants.
U.S. Ambassador to Namibia Lisa Johnson with WiSci 2018 participants.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the girls in terms of broadening their world and making them stronger and realizing what opportunities and potential is out there, particularly in the STEAM fields,” said U.S. Ambassador to Namibia Lisa Johnson, who has attended a number of WiSci sessions this week.

Funded by the U.S. Department of State and run by World Learning, WiSci operates through a public-private partnership with Google, NASA, Intel, and the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up. Representatives from these partner organizations are leading classes introducing teens to the STEAM fields and mentoring the girls on their potential academic and career paths.

Funded by the U.S. Department of State and run by World Learning, WiSci operates through a public-private partnership with Google, NASA, Intel, and the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up. Representatives from these partner organizations are leading classes introducing teens to the STEAM fields and mentoring the girls on their potential academic and career paths.

NASA and Google kicked off the academic components of WiSci this week, offering hands-on classes and activities.

With the help of NASA instructors, the girls tried their hands at Javascript programming using satellite data visualization tools like the Google Earth Engine. “It was fun to see the girls start putting things into the computer and then get that a-ha moment when they pressed the ‘run’ button and it did what they had instructed it to do,” Ambassador Johnson said. “You see it light up in their eyes. It was definitely having an impact.”

WiSci 2018 participants in their Google classroom.
WiSci 2018 participants in their Google classroom.

Google employees also highlighted how they use technology to make a difference in people’s lives. They demonstrated some of that technology — including theTalkBack app for vision-impaired Android users and a smart spoon designed for people with hand tremors — and helped girls build their own apps that take accessibility into account.

“I challenge you to go out into your classrooms today and build something great,” said Eve Andersson, director of accessibility engineering at Google.

WiSci also focuses on leadership development and cultural exchange. Camp counselors are hosting daily leadership development and empowerment workshops with the campers with the support of Girl Up and, in the evenings, the campers are putting on performances exploring the music, dance, customs, and more from their home countries.

“You can see how excited they are to be here,” Ambassador Johnson said. “They’re not hesitant at all to ask questions, they want to learn, they’re super engaged. That’s really awesome to see.”

Next week, the girls of WiSci will turn their focus to robotics and AI as Intel takes over classroom duty, and they’ll also begin to develop their own projects to explore firsthand how STEAM education can make a difference in the world.