World Learning just concluded two phases of a multi-year program aimed at training English language teachers.

The C5 + O.N.E. Ed program, which offers a unique professional development opportunity for early-career English language teachers from Central Asia, is administered by World Learning in partnership with the Kazakhstan Teachers of English Association and funded by the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The first phase of the program was an online course that concluded earlier this summer. The second phase was an intensive, in-person workshop in Almaty, Kazakhstan, which wrapped up in August. Both sessions ran for four weeks.

Phase one’s curriculum, delivered by eight World Learning and Georgetown University teacher trainers, included 20 hours of both independent and collaborative online learning activities. By the end of the month, the 179 participants could effectively plan a student-centered English as a foreign language (EFL) lesson that is tailored to a specific group of students’ needs and aligns with Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). CLT is an approach that emphasizes using the language to communicate as both the means and the goal of learning. Because the course was taught completely in English, the participants’ own English proficiency was strengthened.

“The phase one online preparation course was designed to strategically introduce participants to technology, virtual flipped classroom pedagogy, and project-based learning. Student-centered and peer-assisted learning guided the activities in this phase,” said Mihiri Warnasuriya, World Learning’s C5 + O.N.E Ed project director.

“The most significant change this course has had on me is a deeper and more practical understanding of how to implement student-centered learning in a way that truly empowers learners,” said Aldabayeva Kamila Kadyrovna, a teacher from Kazakhstan. “Through our exploration of the C5 + ONE framework, I’ve shifted from simply facilitating activities to intentionally designing learning experiences that prioritize autonomy, inquiry, and real-world relevance.”

The second phase of C5 + O.N.E. Ed involved 130 hours of instructional activities and focused further on the participants’ English language proficiency, EFL teaching methodology, and professional leadership.

“Thanks to the detailed explanations and trainings by professors, I am able to consciously analyze my teaching sessions, classroom management, teacher behavior, and student engagement, which I have been doing unconsciously for years!” Nodirahon Turgunova from Uzbekistan said, just one week into the workshop.

By the end, the group was able to formulate personal English learning objectives in a measurable and time-bound format, develop activities to support the achievement of personal learning objectives, and design an EFL learning activity for a C5+ONE Ed Resource Guide.

“Working alongside these teachers was a privilege. I watched them gain confidence, embrace new methods, and support one another in ways that will ripple out to their students and communities,” said Lois Scott-Conley, a C5 + O.N.E Ed instructor for World Learning. “Their commitment to professional growth and to building intercultural relationships and networks made this program as rewarding for me and the other trainers as it was for the participants.”

“I learned how to shift from being the “knowledge-giver” to becoming a facilitator who supports students in constructing their own understanding. This change in mindset has already started to transform the way I approach my lessons, and I feel more confident about fostering critical thinking and participation among my students,” Aknur Sissekeshova from Kazakhstan.

The C5 + O.N.E. Ed program also aimed to nurture professional development networks throughout the region. The participants developed an initial professional development plan, and by March 2026, each participant is expected to lead at least two professional development activities in their region.

“This course has inspired me to rethink my classroom strategies and approach each lesson as an opportunity to empower learners through meaningful communication.”

In the coming months, there will be individual coaching sessions, group meetings, webinars, and an online forum to support them, provide reflection time, and help shape long-term professional development and leadership plans. Nearly 87% of the participants reported that the completed sessions already have had a “major impact” on their professional development.

“Over the past few weeks, I’ve come to truly appreciate the power of collaboration and community in professional development. Engaging with educators from across Central Asia helped me see new ways to create more inclusive, engaging, and student-centered classrooms. One session on integrating digital tools into lesson planning especially stood out. It gave me practical ideas that I’ve already started implementing in my teaching,” said Alexandra Ilina from Kazakhstan.

More than 90% of the participants said the C5 + O.N.E. Ed program has already had a “major impact” on their teaching of English. Seventy-seven percent reported they are now adapting textbook activities to the needs of the students, 81% are scaffolding student learning, and 67% are actively helping students become more independent learners in a variety of ways.

“One of the most impactful takeaways for me was the emphasis on creating more interactive and learner-centered lessons. I realized how small adjustments — like incorporating open-ended questions or using real-world scenarios — can significantly boost student engagement and confidence. This course has inspired me to rethink my classroom strategies and approach each lesson as an opportunity to empower learners through meaningful communication,” said Gutlymyradova Selbi Berdimyradovna from Turkmenistan.

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For Brayan Weelkly Prendigan, one of the best parts about participating in the Youth Ambassadors program was spending time with his host family.

“Getting to know my host family and feeling how they did their best to make me feel a part of them was extraordinary,” said Weelkly Prendigan. “I learned a lot from my host family. They shared their culture and traditions with me.”

It is no surprise that Weelkly Prendigan put bonding with his host family at the top of his takeaway list. When asked why he originally applied to Youth Ambassadors, a cultural exchange program for youth from the U.S. and across the Western Hemisphere, he said he thought it would be a “great opportunity to grow, learn, and connect with people from different cultures.”

“I learned about political, social, historical, and cultural topics. I would like to become a diplomat or work in cultural diplomacy to make positive global change and support people who need more opportunities.”

In the summer of 2023, Weelkly Prendigan, who is finishing his senior year of high school in Limón, Costa Rica, spent three weeks with the Youth Ambassadors Program in Kalamazoo, MI.

“One of the most important lessons I learned from the program was about the value of sharing and connecting with cultures different from mine,” he said. “I discovered the beauty of learning about how people express themselves through language, food, art, and traditions—and how meaningful it is to share my own culture as well.”

Weelkly Prendigan, a musician, said music was a special way he made connections with others while on the program. His host father, an orchestra conductor, introduced him to new technical aspects of orchestral music, and Weelkly Prendigan also had the opportunity to play with the Kalamazoo Junior Symphony Orchestra.

“I am a musician, and meeting people from another country with the same interests was enriching. I was able to share the Afro-Caribbean Calypso genre with them, as they were not used to other rhythms,” he said.

Playing music also proved to be a language lesson for both Weelkly Prendigan and his host brother, Theo. “He was the most excited about my arrival because he was able to practice his Spanish. When we played [music], we spoke a kind of Spanglish, and I felt like we were exchanging our experiences and cultures.”

All these moments throughout his time with Youth Ambassadors created a powerful impact that inspired Weelkly Prendigan’s future plans.

“I learned about political, social, historical, and cultural topics. This opened my eyes and inspired me to study international relations in the future. I would like to become a diplomat or work in cultural diplomacy to make positive global change and support people who need more opportunities.”

Would Weelkly Prendigan recommend the Youth Ambassadors Program to other students? Absolutely. But he believes that the program comes with a responsibility—to share the lessons he learned with other youth and work to make change in his hometown and the world.

“Being a Youth Ambassador means representing your community anywhere in the world. However, more than just being a representative, it’s a responsibility that involves serving as a role model, someone who inspires and influences others,” he said. “I believe that young people are not only the future — we are also the present, and we can be changemakers today.”

World Learning has been implementing Youth Ambassadors, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, since 2011. The three-week exchange program aims to instill a strong sense of civic responsibility and community development in youth from the U.S. and from across the Western Hemisphere.

Interested in applying to be a Youth Ambassador? Click here to read what Brayan has to share about the application process and tips for building a strong application! 

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It is well documented that studying abroad offers numerous benefits for personal and professional growth, including expanding one’s worldview, developing intercultural skills, and enhancing academic and career prospects.

While Joel Colony agrees, he also believes it benefits more than just the individual. He says it is “a need-to-have for the next generation of American leaders” and “a national security imperative.”

We asked Colony why studying abroad is so important. He shared his thoughts from his own personal experience, having studied abroad numerous times as a student, as well as from a professional standpoint as World Learning’s Vice President for External Engagement and Advocacy. Here’s what he had to say.

What is your personal experience with studying abroad? Why did you decide to study abroad?

From a very early age, I was drawn to the idea of representing my country abroad, not so much as a diplomat but as a visitor and a learner. My own journey in international education began with a summer tour to England in high school, which sparked greater curiosity about the world beyond my own American mill town community. That experience led me to solo backpacking trips overseas and eventually to doing School for International Training’s study abroad program in China in college. Later, I won a Fulbright scholarship to the European Union (EU), where I studied how EU foreign policy is formed. In that time, I completed a master’s degree at the London School of Economics and closely examined EU and British politics and transatlantic relations.

In each case, I chose to study abroad because I wanted to deepen my understanding of the world—and just as importantly, serve as a citizen ambassador of the United States. These experiences shaped who I am and why I believe international education is essential to America’s future.

“When students study abroad, they’re not just gaining academic knowledge — they’re building the kind of cross-cultural relationships that promote peace, economic cooperation, and mutual respect.”

Can you share more about this? Why do you think studying abroad is important, specifically for America’s future?

Study abroad is no longer a luxury or a nice-to-have—it’s a need-to-have for the next generation of American leaders. It’s a national security imperative. In an increasingly interconnected and contested world, we need Americans who can think globally, communicate across cultures, and understand the nuances of history, politics, and language to impact the world beyond the United States.

When students study abroad, they’re not just gaining academic knowledge—they’re building the kind of cross-cultural relationships that promote peace, economic cooperation, and mutual respect. In many places around the world, the only American someone may ever meet is a student, and that impression matters. Hollywood has a powerful sway on how Americans are perceived internationally, but this can be both good and bad. When conveying American values and potentially winning hearts and minds, my own personal preference is that we have American citizens in the lead.

If we want to compete globally, protect our interests, and uphold our values, we must invest in sending more Americans overseas, not fewer. That includes more citizen diplomacy between Americans and Chinese despite the ongoing challenges in this fraught bilateral relationship. We have a good number of Chinese studying here in the U.S., but we need young Americans to be encouraged to study in China so they recognize the significance of that relationship and help shape it for the next generation.

More than 660 current and former heads of state and government are alumni of U.S.-funded educational and cultural exchange programs. While this is impressive, my hope would be that all our leaders have some international experience. But in addition, if young people and emerging leaders from around the world and from a range of backgrounds were to experience these exchange programs, they might become advocates in their communities for compassion for others, peace between nations, and a friendlier disposition toward Americans without preconceived notions. All of this would surely be helpful from a national security and influence standpoint for our country.

Is there data you can share that supports this?

According to The Open Doors Report, only about 300,000 U.S. students study abroad each year, less than 2% of the total enrolled in U.S. higher education. That means the vast majority of American college students are graduating without direct exposure to life outside the United States. If we want the next generation of Americans to lead globally, we have to make study abroad more accessible and pervasive in our educational experience at all levels.

“If we want to compete globally, protect our interests, and uphold our values, we must invest in sending more Americans overseas, not fewer.”

What is your favorite memory from your time studying abroad?

While studying through SIT in China, a few classmates and I were invited to a party taking place on a neighboring college campus. When we were picked up, the students who had organized the party asked us to bring music. I thought it was an odd request, but I complied. To our surprise, when we arrived, there were flyers announcing, “strange foreigners to perform unknown song.” We entered to discover 10,000 screaming students sitting in stadium seats, tossing beach balls, blowing whistles, and shaking pompoms to booming music.

We were ushered backstage, where we soon realized we were expected to be part of the performing line-up. Were we nervous? Absolutely. But when in our lives would we have an opportunity like this? We decided on our song, were handed microphones and cowboy hats, and were wished luck. I was the default lead singer of our karaoke debut while my friends covered the backup dancing and chorus. By the end, we crowd surfed, started The Wave, and passed out roses to audience members, some in tears. This actually happened.

Given this exhilarating experience and so much more, I wholeheartedly recommend that everyone says yes to studying abroad for their own sake and for the sake of our country and the world.

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Jennifer Chen is the director of virtual programming at World Learning. She originally joined the organization in 2016, left for a time to work at Meta on its Education Partnerships team, and returned to World Learning in her current role in 2023.

We caught up with Chen to ask about her thoughts on how virtual exchange programs have evolved over the years and the important role they play in providing educational opportunities for all. Here’s what she had to say.

What is your title and background?

I’m currently the director of virtual programming at World Learning, where I support an amazing team that designs and delivers online trainings for students and educators around the world. I began my career as a high school history teacher. In this role, I explored different digital tools in my classroom and saw firsthand how they could transform learning. That experience sparked my passion for leveraging technology to help learners build the skills they need for the future.

I originally joined World Learning in 2016 to lead the organization’s first virtual exchange program, which connected high school students from the U.S. and Iraq. The goal of the program was to develop students’ leadership skills and cross-cultural understanding. That program, now called The Experiment Digital, has since reached over 5,000 students across more than 30 countries.

In 2020, I joined Meta’s Education Partnerships team, where I helped scale the company’s first K–12 initiative, a program introducing students to engineering, from the U.S. to global markets. I returned to World Learning in 2023 and am excited to keep exploring new ways to expand access to impactful, tech-enabled learning experiences.

How have you seen technology evolve through the years as it relates to exchange programs?

I still remember when I first began working on virtual exchange in 2016. Even then, programs used a range of digital platforms: Learning Management Systems like Google Classroom and Canvas, communication tools like Slack, and in some cases, custom-built video conferencing platforms. At that time, many of my peers found the concept of “virtual exchange” intriguing but often questioned its feasibility and value. It took consistent effort to demonstrate that virtual exchange wasn’t just a cost-effective way to connect people. It could be just as transformative as traditional, travel-based programs.

“By breaking down financial and geographic barriers, virtual exchanges open global opportunities to students who might otherwise not have the chance to participate.”

Fast forward to 2025. Virtual exchange has become widely adopted by organizations and institutions around the world. While the term itself may still be unfamiliar to some, the concept of connecting and collaborating online with peers from other countries is now quite commonplace—accelerated by more accessible digital tools and the global shift prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, implementers are continuing to push boundaries with new platforms and approaches. The integration of AI is also opening up new possibilities. Features like real-time translation on Zoom are helping participants overcome language barriers, making virtual exchange more inclusive and accessible than ever before.

Why are virtual exchange programs important? How can virtual exchanges enhance in-person exchanges (or even serve a purpose in-person exchange programs cannot?)

I believe virtual exchange programs are essential because they make cross-cultural learning more accessible, inclusive, and scalable. By breaking down financial and geographic barriers, virtual exchanges open global opportunities to students who might otherwise not have the chance to participate.

At World Learning, we’ve intentionally designed our programs to be experiential.  Students engage with content independently and then come together in facilitated online spaces to reflect, discuss, and take action. This structure often encourages deeper, more meaningful dialogue, especially for students who are more introverted or need time to process before speaking. Features like the “raise hand” function on video calls also reduce the pressure of jumping into large group conversations immediately, giving students a low-stakes way to contribute, which fosters a more inclusive and thoughtful environment.

“This approach to training focuses on fostering the interpersonal skills needed to navigate complex, cross-cultural interactions in digital spaces, which is essential in today’s global workforce.”

I also see virtual exchanges as a great way to enhance in-person programs. For instance, students in a travel program can meet virtually beforehand to learn about each other’s cultures and set shared goals, which builds trust and makes their time together on the ground more meaningful. After the trip, virtual sessions can help students debrief, reflect on their experiences, and collaborate on follow-up projects. This kind of ongoing engagement extends the impact of the exchange well beyond the physical travel and ensures that the learning continues.

What do you see as the future of virtual exchanges?

I believe that virtual exchange is more than just a tool for students; it is a pedagogy that equips people with the skills and knowledge to collaborate effectively in an online, global environment. It’s not just about learning content but about learning how to connect, communicate, and work with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds across the world. This approach to training focuses on fostering the interpersonal skills needed to navigate complex, cross-cultural interactions in digital spaces, which is essential in today’s global workforce.

I can see virtual exchanges help organizations scale out their training programs, offering employees or stakeholders the opportunity to develop competencies such as cultural agility, empathy, and digital communication. What kind of phrases are appropriate to use when working with your colleague in Japan? What kind of online facilitation style would generate the most productive conversation given this multicultural team? A virtual exchange-style training could simulate cross-cultural scenarios, helping employees build rapport and shared understanding, eventually building adaptable, globally-minded teams ready to meet the challenges of an interconnected world.

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Elizabeth and Mike Patterson began hosting students from the Youth Ambassadors program in the fall of 2023. To date, they have hosted 11 students, two or three each semester, from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and the Caribbean.

World Learning has been implementing Youth Ambassadors, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, since 2011. The three-week exchange program aims to instill a strong sense of civic responsibility and community development in youth from the U.S. and Latin America. The Pattersons first heard of the program from the University of Virginia Center for Politics, one of World Learning’s implementing partners that helps find host families.

We spoke to Elizabeth Patterson about what inspired her and Mike to become hosts, how they see students change throughout the program, and how the program has affected them. Here’s what she had to say.

What made you decide to become a Youth Ambassadors host?

Mike’s family had previously hosted a student from Korea for three months, and I had participated in an exchange program in France and hosted two students when I was in high school. I also spent fifteen months traveling throughout the South Pacific after my second year at university. I believe nothing opens one’s eyes to the possibility of hosting like international travel. It helps you develop a healthy skepticism toward your own culture while deepening your sense of connection with humankind as a whole.

Our family situation also likely prepared us well for hosting. This is our second marriage for us both, and we have seven children between us. After weathering the merger of four teenagers into a family unit, we don’t scare easily. In fact, having an “empty nest” after such a full house may have primed us to become host parents! The students who are selected to participate in the Youth Ambassadors program have all been top-notch—intelligent, engaged, and demonstrating exceptional character.

Do you see changes in the students from the start of the program to the end? If yes, how so?

The biggest transformation we see in our Ambassadors is probably one of confidence. Again, these youth are all top-notch students, but being removed from everything they know can be intimidating. I have appreciated watching them grow in their ability to trust us—and ultimately themselves—as they navigate unfamiliar landscapes. Over the course of their stay, they become more willing to share their ideas, speak their minds, and learn from each other. The students leave with broader perspectives about the world, and an emboldened sense of their own competence in applying leadership and communication skills to tackle issues of importance to them.

How has hosting students made an impact on you? Would you encourage other families to be hosts?

Yes! It is easy to descend into cynicism and mistrust about international relations. However, opening our hearts and our homes to Youth Ambassadors has proved deeply rewarding. It renews our sense of hope about the future and allows us to “be the change we wish to see in the world.”

The Youth Ambassadors Program brings together high school students and adult mentors from across the Western Hemisphere to promote mutual understanding, increase leadership skills, and prepare youth to make a difference in their communities. Youth Ambassadors is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government.It is administered by World Learning in partnership with Amigos de las Américas and Georgetown University CIED and other local supporting partners.

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World Learning Program Officer Baylee Easterday recently received the Network Honors for Excellence in Programming award at the 2025 national meeting of Global Ties U.S.

A committee of Global Ties’ network peers selected Easterday for the award in recognition of her work designing and implementing programming for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The IVLP brings current and emerging global leaders to the United States for short-term professional exchanges with their American counterparts. Easterday develops content themes and shapes itineraries for projects that support U.S. foreign policy priorities.

“Her colleagues across the network…recognize Baylee for her innovative programming, thoughtful leadership, and dedication to building transformative experiences for program participants and the U.S. communities that host them.”

“In just three years, Baylee has left an undeniable mark on the IVLP network. Her dedication to creating transformative experiences isn’t just impressive, it’s redefining what’s possible,” said Karen Baumgaertner, professional exchanges manager at Global Ties Minnesota and a member of the award selection committee.

Baumgaertner also noted that Easterday has organized professional working groups and mentors colleagues on universal design. “Simply put, Baylee doesn’t just represent IVLP’s values, she elevates them. Baylee’s dedication, leadership, and generosity make her truly deserving of this award.”

“I am enormously proud to have received this award,” Easterday said. “IVLP has existed for 85 years because of the undeniable truth that person-to-person connections and searching for common ground—and using that common ground to make change—is what matters.”

The Global Ties U.S. 2025 National Meeting took place February 18-21 in Washington, DC. This year’s theme, “Stronger Alliances, Stronger Communities,” explored the multidimensional benefits of exchanges and how exchange programs strengthen U.S. influence and security abroad and build stronger communities and workforces here at home.

“We are thrilled that Baylee was honored by the Global Ties U.S. community,” said World Learning Senior Program Officer Anthony Zaun. “Her colleagues across the network, including the Office of International Visitors, National Program Agencies, and community-based members recognize Baylee for her innovative programming, thoughtful leadership, and dedication to building transformative experiences for program participants and the U.S. communities that host them.”

Global Ties U.S. connects people and communities in the United States with global leaders through international exchange programs. Since 1961, Global Ties U.S. has powered a community-based network of more than 80 nonprofit organizations that serve all 50 U.S. States. The work of Global Ties U.S. advances U.S. strategic priorities abroad and boosts prosperity at home.

The International Visitor Leadership Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and celebrates its 85th anniversary this year.

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By Abby Henson

Through World Learning’s teacher training work, faculty members in Indonesia conducted research to examine the experiences of English language teachers in the country.

The research project came out of World Learning’s English Language Teacher Training (ELTT) program. Through ELTT, World Learning increases the capacity and effectiveness of English language teacher trainers and educators in Indonesia.

When World Learning implemented ELTT for the first time in 2021, it supported a group of senior faculty members in conducting research on the program. Led by Lois Scott-Conley, senior advisor for education and capacity development at World Learning, in collaboration with Donald Freeman, a global leader in teacher education, the research team’s findings highlight a thorough understanding of the teacher education context across Indonesia.

“By strengthening the field of TESOL in Indonesia, we are strengthening locally-led workforce development in the country.”

The team presented their work at a conference in Jakarta in 2023 and the collection of findings was recently published digitally. The research will strengthen the education landscape for English teachers in Indonesia. Specifically, it will help shape future teacher trainings to ensure best practices and growth in the English language field.

“By strengthening the field of TESOL in Indonesia, we are strengthening locally-led workforce development in the country,” said German Gomez, director of TESOL education at World Learning.

The research will also help shape the ELTT program itself, now in its third iteration.

ELTT utilizes online and in-person sessions to support English language teachers through learner-centered and communicative methods. Teachers in the program complete two self-paced online courses developed by National Geographic Learning: English for Teaching and Professional Knowledge for English Language Teachers.

World Learning also trains local teacher trainers to lead Peer Learning Hubs and in-person workshops. These hubs, small groups of 10-12 teachers, help program participants contextualize the course content through collaboration and gain a deeper understanding of course content. The workshops supplement the online courses by integrating experiential learning, interactive practice, and reflection into the learning process. Both the hubs and workshops also help the teachers build professional networks they can access throughout their careers.

“The workshops really make the difference for teachers,” said Scott-Conley. “Teachers learn how to transfer the knowledge of the online courses into direct classroom application.”

Scott-Conley also notes the unique cascade approach of the program—”training trainers who then train teachers.” This capacity building creates a powerful impact. The local teacher trainers support participants by providing direct and individualized instruction, guiding reflection and goal setting, and encouraging teachers to apply what they’re learning to their classrooms. To date, 1,547 teachers have been served by ELTT, which is funded by the U.S. Embassy in Jakata.

Mihiri Warnasuriya, senior program manager at World Learning, believes the new research conducted not only demonstrates the far-reaching impacts of the ELTT program, but also how the program directly helps student learning.

“We are glad that this volume of research was released,” Warnasuriya said. “It highlights how the program enables teachers to enhance learning outcomes for students across Indonesia through the effective use of learner-centered and communicative methods of English language instruction.”

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When Jamie Ousley arrived in Costa Rica as a Fulbright Specialist, he had one goal in mind: to help strengthen the country’s first graduate-level jazz studies program. Little did he know that his visit would not only make a lasting impact on music education in the region but also lead to a Latin Grammy nomination.

As the coordinator of jazz performance at Florida International University (FIU) and an accomplished jazz bassist, Ousley was well-equipped to assist the inaugural cohort in Universidad Nacional’s master’s program in Jazz Studies. For two weeks, he served as a guest lecturer in jazz composition, conducted masterclasses on improvisation and ensemble skills, and worked one-on-one with students, many of whom are already active in the region’s burgeoning jazz scene.

The program is believed to be the first of its kind in the region, providing a critical pathway for students who do not have the financial resources to travel to the United States for further studies. “I got the chance to impact the future and current jazz teachers of the region,” Ousley explained.

While in Costa Rica, Ousley also contributed to an album, Claude Bolling Goes Latin, with UNA professor and percussionist Carlomagno Araya. The recording is a Latin jazz interpretation of Claude Bolling’s classical Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio, album. Araya’s jazz-update featured Ousley on bass with Costa Rican and international artists, and recently earned a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Album.

Ousley expressed his excitement about the nomination, noting that it was a great honor to be recognized and participate in the Latin Grammys in Miami. The awards ceremony was also his first opportunity to meet some of his fellow collaborators who remotely recorded their portions of the album.

Based on the success of this recording, Ousley already has plans to return to Costa Rica next year, the 50th anniversary of Claude Bolling’s original piece, for a performance of Claude Bolling Goes Latin at the National Theater. “I’m also encouraging our department to form a memorandum of understanding with UNA,” he shared, envisioning opportunities for faculty and student exchanges, joint performances, and other projects that could benefit both institutions and support the growth of this historic program in Costa Rica.

“Professor Ousley’s time at Universidad Nacional has sown the seeds for future exchanges with FIU’s Herbert and Nicole Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts,” said Gitta Rausch-Montoto, director of FIU Global. “His success underscores the value of global academic and artistic collaboration, demonstrating how in partnership with Fulbright our faculty can grow FIU’s impact locally and globally.”

One of the highlights of Ousley’s trip was the opportunity to connect with students outside of the classroom. “Just hanging out and playing with them at a local hole-in-the-wall bar — some were playing very well and some were not as experienced, but seeing how cooperative and enthusiastic they were about listening to each other play,” Ousley recalled, “that was probably my favorite part of the experience.”

Reflecting on the importance of international collaboration in jazz education, Ousley emphasized the barriers many aspiring musicians face in accessing opportunities to study the art form. “Jazz is regarded as our original American musical art form. It was born in the United States, but there have been people all around the world interested in learning jazz,” he explained. “That’s why it’s important for us to go, if there’s interest in our art form, to share it so they can do it there at their own university,” Ousley said. “It’s like having a native speaker come teach a language — it brings a different flavor.”

The Fulbright Specialist Program, a short-term complement to the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, sends more than 400 experienced U.S. faculty and professionals abroad annually to serve as expert consultants and engage in education and/or training activities for a period of two to six weeks. Specialists, who represent a wide range of professional and academic disciplines, are competitively selected to join the Fulbright Specialist Roster based upon their expertise and ability to make a significant contribution to institutions abroad. Individuals on the Roster are then eligible to be matched with approved projects, which are proposed by eligible overseas institutions.

The Fulbright Specialist Program is implemented by World Learning. This article originally appeared on the Fulbright website.

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Each year, The Experiment Digital connects high students around the world using dynamic digital platforms. Along the way, they gain leadership skills, increase their community and civic engagement, and form bonds with youth from other countries.

Engaged leaders such as Zhigger Abozaid help facilitate these exchanges, guiding students on their transformative journeys. We emailed Zhigger to share his perspective on what it’s like to be a facilitator and the enduring value of virtual exchange. Here’s what he had to say.

1. Where are you from, and what is your professional background?
I am from Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Currently, I am the CEO of Open Space Academy (OS Academy) which is a platform that connects trainers and facilitators to trainees and those in need of professional development. As a young professional, mentor, consultant, and activist, my professional journey has been diverse, encompassing roles in education, leadership development, and event management. I have a passion for empowering communities, fostering intercultural dialogue, and creating spaces for collaboration and growth.

2. How did you learn about The Experiment Digital, and what made you want to be a facilitator?
I first learned about The Experiment Digital in 2022, through its reputation as a transformative program that bridges cultural divides. I wanted to be a facilitator because I believe in the power of virtual exchange to bring people together, empower youth, and build global communities. The opportunity to guide young leaders from different parts of the world through meaningful conversations and personal growth aligned perfectly with my values and experiences and that is when I applied for the first time to become one of the facilitators for The Experiment Digital Program 2023.

3. What do you believe is the value of The Experiment Digital?
The Experiment Digital is invaluable in breaking down barriers and connecting young people across cultures, backgrounds, and geographies. It teaches leadership, empathy, and critical thinking while providing participants with tools to create positive change in their communities. It’s not just a program—it’s a platform for growth, understanding, and lifelong connections.

4. How have you seen the students evolve and grow from the start of the program to the end?
At the start, many students are shy, uncertain, or hesitant to share their thoughts. By the end, they become confident, self-aware, and eager to take on leadership roles. It’s incredible to witness their transformation as they build communication skills, embrace cultural diversity, and develop a stronger sense of purpose and direction.

5. What is your facilitator “style”?
My facilitator style is collaborative, empathetic, and engaging. I prioritize creating a safe and inclusive space where everyone feels valued and heard. I use storytelling, active listening, and humor to build trust and make the experience enjoyable while encouraging deep reflection and meaningful dialogue.

6. What do you enjoy most about being a facilitator?
I enjoy the connections I make with participants and witnessing their growth throughout the program. It’s fulfilling to see their perspectives broaden and their confidence flourish. The opportunity to learn from their experiences and insights enriches my own understanding of the world.

7. What advice would you give to future Experiment Digital participants?
Dive into the program with an open mind and a willingness to step out of your comfort zone. Engage fully, listen actively, and embrace the diversity of perspectives. This is a unique opportunity to grow, learn, and build connections that will last a lifetime—make the most of it!

The Experiment Digital Leadership in STEM is supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute.

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Each year, World Learning education and exchange programs enable students and participants to experience different cultures and ideas, learn new skills, and expand their social and professional networks. Along the way, they broaden their worldviews and apply their new perspectives in their home communities.

As the year comes to a close, World Learning looks back at some of our favorite moments that exemplified the way students and participants in our programs worked to build a more sustainable, peaceful, and just world.

2024: A Year in Photos

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The IDEAS Program recently hosted a symposium for IDEAS grantees and alumni institutions in Washington, DC, on how to sustain the impact of their IDEAS-funded projects and expand their study abroad partnerships and programs to new destinations. Forty leaders from 40 higher education institutions in 22 states that previously received IDEAS grants to build their study abroad capacity and programs participated in this inaugural training.

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Marianne Craven welcomed grantees to the U.S. Department of State with remarks on the role of higher education partnerships and the imperative of U.S. study abroad in advancing U.S. foreign policy. Attendees then connected with representatives from the State Department’s regional bureaus and with multiple foreign embassies in the D.C. area to learn about regional priorities and resources for developing U.S. study abroad programming.

Attendees also met with representatives from several other government agencies and international education organizations in the DC area to discuss resources and strategies for developing, funding, and sustaining programming in new and existing global destinations.

Throughout the sessions, attendees were encouraged to share best practices and brainstorm new ways to strengthen or expand study abroad programming and build a campus community that supports continued internationalization. At the event’s closing, they discussed ways to set concrete goals for their respective institutions and projects.

“One of the greatest strengths of the IDEAS Program is the breadth of institutions we engage across the country,” said World Learning Program Manager Rachel Rice. “This training brought together faculty in a variety of disciplines from education to emergency management, professionals from technical colleges and one-person offices, HBCUs and rural-serving institutions. The range of these experiences allowed for invaluable information sharing, resource pooling, and potential for future collaboration in a range of overseas destinations and industries critical to U.S. national security and economic prosperity.”

In post-symposium feedback, many attendees celebrated the symposium as insightful and inspiring, noting the event’s range of knowledgeable speakers and the opportunities to connect with like-minded international educators and governmental and non-governmental experts in the field. 97% of post-event survey respondents noted that they had learned new tools and information that they planned to use in their future work as a result of the symposium.

“This symposium was the best professional development program in international education in which I have ever participated because of the range and depth of relevant topics covered, the incredible access to high-level officials from key government and private sector agencies, and the networking opportunities with motivated and talented colleagues from across the U.S.,” said Rebekah de Wit, director of global education at the Community College of Baltimore County. “I gained new information and inspiration and am now working on collaborations created during the symposium with several of the attendees and presenters.”

100% of post-event respondents noted that the networking and sharing opportunities provided by the symposium were effective, and that they were able to learn from colleagues at other institutions.

“The IDEAS Symposium was incredibly inspiring, primarily because it underscored the global demand for different perspectives in study abroad programs,” said attendee Stanford Fichtman. “Representing Kapiʻolani Community College, I not only gained valuable insights into U.S. State Department programs but also connected with study abroad leaders from across the country.”

The IDEAS Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by World Learning.

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At World Learning we know investing in the capacity strengthening of local organizations is imperative to foster sustainable social and economic development.

For decades, World Learning has actively engaged in institutional capacity strengthening for civil society organizations, higher education institutions, and the private sector. We provide targeted support that helps address the unique needs and challenges of communities. We do so by recognizing that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach.

In a three-part series, World Learning experts discuss various approaches to capacity strengthening and explain how World Learning is implementing these approaches with partners to help maximize impact in local communities.

Part Two: Participatory Institutional Analysis

Matt Brown is a director of global programs at World Learning. He has worked on a range of programs in international development and education, all with a common aim: organizational capacity strengthening.

In 2013, Brown led an internal effort to update World Learning’s approach to organizational capacity strengthening, including training staff to implement Participatory Institutional Analysis (PIA). This effort incorporated his own perspectives from applying PIA in Ethiopia, Jamaica, and Iraq, as well as the experience of other World Learning PIA practitioners, past and present.

“My work has largely been focused on helping people and organizations define their goals and gaps and then develop the perspectives, skills, and know-how to forge ahead,” says Brown, who has been with World Learning for 26 years. Currently, he is managing Supporting Higher Education in Refugee Resettlement, a program that helps to increase the capacity of higher education institutions to support refugee resettlement.

We asked Brown about PIA and its enduring strength as a tool for organizational capacity strengthening. Here’s what he had to say.

What is PIA and how was it developed?

PIA is a form of facilitated self-assessment that allows an organization to determine, on its own terms, where it sits on its development journey, where it could be, and what steps are needed to bridge the gap between the two.

A group of World Learning trailblazers developed PIA in the 1990s. These organizational development experts, who were engaged in a growing global portfolio of capacity development initiatives for non-governmental organizations (NGOs), codified and packaged their approach and materials as a consolidated toolkit and facilitator’s manual. The approach strongly encouraged a full range of an organization’s stakeholders to participate and ensured that an organization’s unique personality and context would be respected and appreciated.

Over the last 30 years, World Learning has continued to adapt and update PIA, including the addition of specific new competencies to the toolkit for higher education institutions, private sector organizations, and grants administration.

How has PIA evolved over time from the first iteration?

One distinct characteristic of PIA, and something that’s been consistent since the beginning, is how much the approach is influenced by experiential learning methodologies and values. World Learning has designed much of our transformational programming around this approach, which involves intentional cycles of reflection, personal experience, prediction, and planning.

Those influences and the emphasis on participatory, inclusive processes are still very much evident in the updated tools and materials. Of course, today’s PIA also reflects the evolution of the organizational development field as well as international development best practices.

“An impact we hear about consistently is that the PIA process itself — the opportunity and the emphasis on participation and dialogue — brings a refreshed energy to the organization. It creates a renewed belief in and commitment to the organization’s goals, the reasons it got started in the first place.”

In recent years, World Learning as an organization has been significantly influenced by our work in the organizational performance improvement field. We’ve spent a lot of time exploring the connection between capacity assessment, capacity strengthening, and performance improvement. PIA remains a participatory assessment and planning tool and isn’t designed to improve performance per se. But it can serve as a steppingstone for improved performance. World Learning’s developmental engagement with organizations and institutions ideally combines aspects of both PIA for participatory assessment and technical assistance to boost performance and impact.

Could you outline a few of the major steps involved in using PIA?

The major phases of a PIA process include engagement, data gathering, data analysis, and priority setting and planning.

During the engagement phase, World Learning’s facilitator works with the partner organization to explicitly define the purposes of the PIA exercise, build broad commitment, and spell out expectations. During the data gathering phase, internal stakeholders of the partner organization are invited (preferably through workshop-style discussions) to share and discuss details about the organization’s workings and structures, including both objective data and subjective perspectives.

In the data analysis phase, a smaller group of the partner organization’s stakeholders consolidates the data and identifies a preliminary set of priority gaps for the organization to consider addressing through a strategic plan. And in the priority setting and planning phase, the partner organization discusses the analysis and develops a plan for action to address the priority capacity gaps. World Learning staff and/or external subject matter experts coach and provide targeted support not only during the planning exercise but also in implementation of the steps identified to strengthen capacity.

What is unique about the approach, and what has been particularly effective?

Several qualities stand out for me that make PIA special and effective. As a facilitated self-assessment, PIA promotes broad participation and safe, honest communication, including dialogue across parts of an organization that may often be walled off from each other. Sometimes, the simple act of initiating dialogue or bringing together departments that rarely talk to each other produces startling results. World Learning believes that when a whole organization participates in this process, the organization becomes more invested in and committed to the conclusions and next steps.

PIA also combines structure with space for exploration and discovery. We offer partner organizations rich suites of questions that reflect best practices in organizational development, and we create a forum for discussion so that the organization can assess its own status and priorities in its own context.

And finally, the adaptability of PIA is an essential feature. World Learning can work with a partner organization’s unique context, personality, priorities, and availability in many ways, ensuring an authentic, customized process that brings in diverse voices and produces meaningful insights and clear plans.

PIA has been adapted for different types of institutions — grassroots organizations, national organizations, higher education institutes, and even private sector institutes. What considerations were needed when considering ways to adapt PIA?

World Learning has used PIA in many different contexts: with NGOs working in education; with around 90 nascent NGOs in Armenia; with 26 civil society NGOs in Romania; with Angolan NGOs under a broad NGO strengthening project; and with universities in Iraq and Kosovo. In Lebanon, under a three-year project funded by USAID, World Learning facilitated comprehensive PIA assessments for 20 organizations and adapted a version of PIA for 150 additional organizations, partnering with traditional NGOs as well as organizations in the public and private sector.

The purpose of the exercise is our primary consideration when deciding whether and how to use or adapt PIA for a new engagement. Is there a broad purpose, such as to identify, prioritize, and strategize about a full range of capacity gaps? Is there a narrower intended focus, such as whether and how to build a new staff development initiative?

In addition, we consider questions such as: Realistically, how much time can the right people at the partner organization dedicate to an effective process? How much personnel time can World Learning allocate within the parameters of the project budget? And what are the partner organization’s priority focus areas?

From the beginning, our PIA toolkit has contained menus of questions in several core organizational areas of competency: governance, operations & management, human resources, financial resources, service delivery, and external relations & advocacy. Over the years, we have added new areas to meet the needs of specific types of organizations and funder interests. For example, we have added matrices of higher education institution competencies, grants administration competencies, and competencies concerning stewardship of U.S. government funding.

What types of impact have you seen from using PIA? What types of changes have occurred within the organization?

An example from a major university in Iraq comes to mind. In the initial phase of a multi-year project, the PIA process with the university culminated in detailed insights and a project roadmap, with solid consensus from across the university. For example, the university identified that personnel working in isolation in separate departments on student career services needed similar professional development, and that these departments could benefit from greater coordination. Based on the PIA plan, the project then brought together career services personnel from multiple departments for joint training and collaboration on the university’s first labor market survey, which led to improved career services across the university.

My colleague who managed our PIA work in Lebanon shared that following PIA assessments, organizations were inspired to revise their mission statements and develop numerous manuals and operations protocols.

And an impact we hear about consistently is that the PIA process itself — the opportunity and the emphasis on participation and dialogue — brings a refreshed energy to the organization. It creates a renewed belief in and commitment to the organization’s goals, the reasons it got started in the first place.

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Marwa Bekhti is a student at World Learning’s Algiers STEM Center, where she has participated in several workshops and the STEAMQuest project. She was also part of Team Algeria’s First Global Challenge 2024 robotics building team, which recently competed in the world competition in Greece.

If Marwa Bekhti is a flower, her family is her soil.

“The family is the soil for the plants to grow,” Marwa said. “I was born and raised in a rich soil.”

The youngest in the family, Marwa was raised by people who love learning. At seven years old, her brother taught her how to fix broken electronics. At 10, her sister encouraged her to get fish-breeding and garden certificates from an education program at the National Botanical Gardens. Even Marwa’s 20 pet birds at home taught her a lot about animal ecosystems.

Now 16 years old, Marwa is blooming. She calls herself a “dreamer,” aspiring to use her love for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) to make change in the world. And while she dreams of leaving home to gain new skills and knowledge abroad, her ultimate goal is to bring the lessons she learns back to Algeria.

“It’s our country,” Marwa said. “The martyrs didn’t die just for us to leave it. And if we [the youth] don’t build Algeria and improve it, who will?”

Already, Marwa is using knowledge to make a difference. And where some may see problems, she sees potential. While official statistics vary, Marwa found that 67% of garbage in Algeria is food waste. To her, this was an opportunity to turn trash into treasure.

Marwa and a team of other students at World Learning designed “Kheliha lghirek” or “Leave it For Others” — an app that would direct people to ways they can repurpose food waste. Users could donate their unused food to local donation centers or organizations serving those in need. The app, available in English and Arabic, also would provide recipes for soon-to-be-expired food.

Each year, nearly a fifth of all food produced globally goes to waste, generating up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Food Programme. So Marwa asked herself, “Why not work on a smaller scale, in Algeria, to do something with the leftover food?”

“We can feed people using the app,” Marwa said. “And we can help the environment and the economy of Algeria.”

Though the app has not yet launched, polling of university students in cities all around Algeria — who all said they would be interested in the concept of the app — shows a market for it. And eventually, Bekhti hopes the app can be utilized in other countries, too.

The idea for the app, Marwa says, stems from her parents’ efforts during the COVID pandemic to gather clothes for families in need. Marwa’s mother, who just recently went back to university to get her degree, served as an intermediary between the donors and the families.

“You can see why I have big dreams,” Marwa said, thinking fondly of her mother. 

Marwa spends the majority of her days at World Learning, a U.S. nongovernmental organization that hosts the Algiers STEAM center that gave Marwa her start. For her, it is a place filled with other “dreamers” who teach her about things she never expected to know. 

“At World Learning, everyone has something different to talk about,” Marwa said. “That’s how it opened my mind to new things.”

Marwa said she has noticed a small number of people in Algeria who think their dreams can’t come true there, but she doesn’t agree.

“Algeria has a lot of opportunities,” she said. “We just need to know the real worth of Algeria. There’s so much potential here.”

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World Learning will support the digital programming for the 2025 Special Olympics Global Youth Leadership Summit.

The summit, which takes place in Italy in March, will bring together youth from around the world to develop skills to be changemakers in their communities. In addition, Special Olympics wants summit attendees to engage and network with each other before and after the event. To achieve this, World Learning is designing curricula for virtual exchange programs that will launch in January and extend after the summit’s March dates.

“World Learning is thrilled to work with Special Olympics on this unique project,” World Learning CEO Carol Jenkins said. “Virtual exchanges allow organizations to enhance programming by providing an effective way to teach skills and deliver resources ahead of or following in-person exchanges. The inclusive program design optimizes participant engagement and ensures they are fully prepared when they meet in person—as well as allows a platform to expand upon what they have learned after.”

The pre-summit exchange will be designed for a minimum of 50 youth. The two-week online program will consist of asynchronous activities, a full-group workshop with breakout sessions, and small-group dialogue sessions—all designed to promote cross-cultural awareness and understanding of global competencies. Customized training modules may also be developed to acknowledge the strengths or challenges that participants with or without intellectual disabilities bring to the group.

The post-summit virtual exchange will be a full group synchronous session, allowing the participants to reflect on their in-person summit experience and create ways to expand their networks in their home communities.

World Learning has also been charged with developing the curriculum for a two-week-long virtual adult mentor training for 25 participants. Adult mentors will facilitate the participants’ progress on program activities, help build their capacities and skill sets, and act as a cultural bridge. Overall, they support the development of group cohesion and community among participants.

“The goal of the training is to provide adult mentors with a clear understanding of their pivotal role in working with and nurturing the potential of youth within the Special Olympics community,” said Special Olympics Chief of Global Youth and Education Jackie Jodl. “By fostering an environment of support, encouragement, and inclusion, mentors play a crucial part in empowering youth to overcome challenges, build self-confidence, and develop the skills needed to thrive both within the Special Olympics and beyond.”

In addition to developing three virtual program curriculums, World Learning will train Special Olympics staff on how to deliver all three sessions. These trainings will include tailored reference materials to help the trainees in the future.

“World Learning has extensive experience designing contextualized programs that address partner needs,” said World Learning Vice President of Global Programs Melissa Oppenheimer. “Our experience in building dynamic, scalable training of trainers programs is equally deep. We prioritize helping our partners increase their teams’ capacity to achieve sustainable results.”

World Learning began developing the various curriculums in July and plans to finalize them—and train Special Olympics staff—before December. It will also conduct a post-event survey to make recommendations that will help shape the next Global Youth Leadership Summit in 2027.

“Our agreement with Special Olympics creatively combines resources and expertise to further our mutually aligned efforts to help youth gain new skills and networks to be leaders in their communities,” said Jenkins.

Special Olympics’ Unified Virtual Exchange is funded by the Stevens Initiative, which is housed at the Aspen Institute and is supported by the Bezos Family Foundation.

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Evelio Alegre is eagerly establishing himself as a leadership ambassador in his home country of Paraguay. After serving as a mentor in the Youth Ambassadors program in 2019, he was motivated to start a program that empowers women entrepreneurs in Paraguay to embrace their leadership potential.

Established in 2022, the Scale Up Digital Entrepreneurs program works with women in Paraguay to strengthen their business and digital skills through workshops, master classes, and mentorship—all free to the participants. It began as a project between Alegre and fellow exchange program alumni, whom he met through State Alumni Paraguay.

Alegre and his co-collaborators agreed that participating in exchange programs like Youth Ambassadors provides skill-building and professional networking that few people in Paraguay—particularly middle-aged women—experience.

Their goal was to create a community for women who were not only entrepreneurs but mothers and caretakers who often didn’t have the time or access to resources to take their creative business ideas to the next level.

Through an online platform, Scale Up Digital Entrepreneurs provided access to courses on skills ranging from artificial intelligence and customer service to community-building and combatting imposter syndrome. In addition, participants could come together for in-person workshops, master classes, and networking opportunities.

“The first edition of Scale Up was nothing short of inspiring,” Alegre said. “We set out to empower 60 female entrepreneurs, but the response exceeded our expectations. Over 754 women applied, showcasing the enthusiasm and potential within Paraguay’s digital entrepreneurial landscape.”

Of the 754 applicants, 100 participated in the program’s first iteration in 2022, accumulating 7,505 hours of online training. Due to the program’s success, they received additional funding and completed a second cohort of 50 women from late 2023 to February 2024.

Empowered with new skills and a budding network of like-minded women, participants have created their own networking group called Scale Up Community. This group allows them to continue building relationships and pathways to mentorship and peer-to-peer support.

Since the launch of Scale Up Digital Entrepreneurs, Alegre is proud that the needs and wants of the participants have been the priority.

“This is a locally led project,” he said. “We cannot just go and tell them, ‘This is what you need.’ We ask them what they need, ask them their opinion, and try to put that into the project. It’s been a journey of learning not only for them but for us as well.”

When he can, Alegre still supports Scale Up Digital Entrepreneur and Scale Up Community and hopes that it can become an annual program.

“By working on this project, I saw how one can truly impact lives,” he said. “I want to learn more about how to start projects and ensure they’re impactful.”

Alegre’s experience as a Youth Ambassador mentor had a clear impact on him and solidified his dedication to helping others gain the skills and agency they need to be leaders and changemakers.

“Youth Ambassadors [participants] don’t always come from a privileged background or have it easy,” he said. “And they come to the program and can learn so much about their potential. As a mentor, you get to help them realize that they’re capable of so much, and they learn the impact they could have.

“I hope more people apply to Youth Ambassadors, because it is awesome, and I think that they will definitely see the before and after,” he said. “They will never be the same after becoming an Ambassador. I encourage youth to have the guts to do it because it takes a lot of courage, but it is definitely worth it.”

Youth Ambassadors is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government. The program is administered by World Learning in partnership with Amigos de las Américas and Georgetown University CIED.

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Derived from the Latin word for memory, a memento is something “kept as a reminder or souvenir of a person or event.” Read on for just a few examples of how these enduring physical reminders help Fulbright Specialists remain connected to the people, places, and experiences that have shaped their lives.

Robin Hamilton, an Emmy-winning producer and broadcast journalist, shared that her memento is a meaningful reminder of the resilience of the people she encountered while working with local civil society organizations. On her Fulbright to Burma, Hamilton developed natural disaster-oriented communications plans in the wake of 2008 Cyclone Nargis, the worst natural disaster in the nation’s history, and major nationwide flooding in 2015.

“This small vase came from the Nagar Glass Factory, an old glass factory off the beaten path that not a lot of tourists visit. The factory, established in 1957, was once the largest glass factory in Yangon, producing everything from drinking glasses to vials for medicine. However, when Cyclone Nargis hit in 2008, the factory was destroyed.

With ingenuity and creativity, the owners still found viable commerce among the rubble. Surprisingly, many pieces of glass remained intact, and the owners turned the demolished factory into a ‘natural warehouse’. When I visited in 2016, eight years after the cyclone, the plot looked like a junkyard. However, that changed upon closer inspection. To my amazement, there were still pieces of glassware, intact and pretty. To me, this small vase represents the resilience of the Burmese people.”

Chaunda Scott is a professor of Human Resource Development and Graduate Coordinator of the Human Diversity Inclusion and Social Justice Graduate Certificate Program at Oakland University in Michigan. Her memento reminds her of everyday experiences living alongside historically significant sites in Cape Town, South Africa.

“As a Fulbright Specialist at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, I spent several of my Saturday mornings browsing and shopping at the renowned Green Market located on Greenmarket Square — one of the oldest public market spaces in Cape Town since 1696. This historic site was once a slave trading post as well as a place to sell fruits and vegetables.

This market is now a popular cultural site where you will find an inimitable collection of gems, carved animal figurines, South African clothing, handmade jewelry, and more. The historical significance of Greenmarket Square, along with the contemporary entrepreneurial spirit of informal trading and bartering provided me with an opportunity to meet local traders, shop like a local, and purchase local items that I still cherish.”

Karen Kwok, a nurse practitioner, advocate, and educator in public health and family nursing, couldn’t physically bring her memento onto the plane after finishing her project at the Kosovo Ministry of Health. However, a photograph serves as her reminder of a dynamic time for women’s empowerment in the country, which celebrated its 10th anniversary shortly before her Fulbright in 2019.

“It was an honor to serve as a Fulbright Specialist and learn more about Kosovo and Balkan history, culture, and communities. Since the 2008 declaration of independence, the NEWBORN monument has honored a new future for the country. I spent the 2019 Day of the Woman in Kosovo’s capital, Prishtina, where the recently redesigned NEWBORN monument featured photos of 99 Kosovan women, including the former President, researchers in gender studies, a documentary filmmaker, a martial artist, and a survivor of the 1998 Serbian-Kosovar conflict. I also enjoyed that year’s FemArt Festival in Prishtina, which highlighted the peacebuilding and changemaking power of women united across the region.”

While some mementos remind Specialists of meaningful places they visited, others are tied to people who had an impact on them during their Fulbright. Sheree Josephson, Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor of Communications at Weber State University, received her prized memento from a colleague-turned-friend at her host institution, the first community radio station for people with disabilities in Africa and the Arab world.

“This Tunisian farmla, an ornate ruby red velvet vest with sparkling gold trim and embroidery, was gifted to me by Besma Essoussi, the host of a weekly radio show at my host institution, Radio ML 102.3 FM in Tunis. After Besma lost her eyesight as an adult, she became the country’s leading advocate for people with disabilities in Tunisia. Besma helps listeners see the challenges that people with disabilities face by using her voice in a country with limited accommodations in transportation, education, and health care. This farmla was designed and sewed by another blind Tunisian woman who could only see her beautiful creation in her mind’s eye. My treasured memento is truly a sight to behold.”

Similarly, a parting gift from her host institution colleagues serves as a daily reminder for Joyce Maxwell, a professor at Union County College, a community college in New Jersey, of the friendships she gained while at Stanislaw Staszic State University in Poland.

“Amber was, at one point, a commodity in Poland, and this amber necklace was given to me by the nursing professors in Poland. I love it — I’ll take it off and immediately, I’m thinking, ‘oh, where’s my necklace?’ and I put it back on. It’s one of the few pieces of jewelry I wear constantly.”

And for some alums, a photo or object from their time as a Fulbrighter simply cannot capture the impact of the experience and how friendships with host colleagues and students have endured and grown over many years. Doug Mitchell, the founder and director of National Public Radio’s Next Generation Radio, a digital media professional development training program for college students and early career journalism professionals, shared this photo and reflection:

“In the Fall of 2007, the Fulbright Specialist Program took me to Santiago and La Universidad Catolica de Chile. The school was launching a ground-breaking Internet radio station, and I consulted on how that initiative would be folded into their journalism curriculum and taught a short course.

Iveliz Martel was in that class, and she later came to the United States to pursue a Master’s degree in Journalism. During her studies, she participated in a Next Gen project we did in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She returned to Chile after school, where she hosted a live radio program for many years, but recently moved to Seattle to complete an MFA the University of Washington. This photo is from last summer as she and I spent time catching up in person.

My work as the founder of NPR’s Next Gen Radio continues to be shaped by my time as a Fulbright Specialist in 2007. Media and journalism (and life!) are about connections: creating them and keeping them. I’ve started using the term “long game” when mentoring our rising professionals. We’re not just doing a job — we’re showing up in places, with people, and creating stories. But it’s the memories that take up real space and remain with us, much like this photo and many others does for me.”

The post Beyond objects: Fulbright Specialists reflect on the meaning behind their mementos  appeared first on World Learning.

At World Learning we know investing in the capacity strengthening of local organizations is imperative to foster sustainable social and economic development.

For decades, World Learning has actively engaged in institutional capacity strengthening for civil society organizations, higher education institutions, and the private sector. We provide targeted support that helps address the unique needs and challenges of communities. We do so by recognizing that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach.

In a three-part series, World Learning experts discuss various approaches to capacity strengthening and explain how World Learning is implementing these approaches with partners to help maximize impact in local communities.

Part One: Local Expertise Advancing Development

We spoke to Munguntuya Otgonjargal (Mungunuu), a program specialist who worked on a World Learning program in Mongolia.

Specifically, Mungunuu specialized in implementing World Learning’s exclusively designed capacity strengthening approach Local Expertise Advancing Development (LEAD). This approach fosters deeper sustainability by matching local organizations’ needs and areas of expertise and shifting the dependence on external facilitators to local proficiency across a country or region.

Here is what Mungunuu had to say about implementing this strengths-based approach.

Could you explain why and how the LEAD model was developed for civil society organizations in Mongolia?

The Leaders Advancing Democracy program helped young leaders tackle issues such as poverty and unemployment, the environment and urbanization, and government transparency and anti-corruption in their country. During the implementation of the program, we partnered with many local and national civil society organizations (CSOs) and invited them as thematic experts, trainers, and collaborators. Many of our participants also represented a wide range of CSOs from the education, health, energy, women’s rights, youth empowerment, and governance sectors. After the final completion of the program, we heard from program alumni about the types of activities they wanted moving forward, and they shared the idea of a dual capacity strengthening and networking workshop.

This idea originated from an understanding that since 2020, the civil society space was shrinking and struggling to sustain itself. However, not much research had been done as to why and how the CSOs are being operated, what helps them to be sustainable, and what challenges and best practices they are experiencing. CSOs in rural areas are especially under-studied and underserved, and that is one of the key reasons we wanted this type of workshop — to reach CSOs in the rural provinces and help them connect with each other as well as larger organizations based on the capital.

Can you talk more about the purpose of the LEAD model?

One thing we heard a lot through our Leaders Advancing Democracy program and the needs survey we sent to help shape the workshop was that CSOs, in general and especially the ones in rural areas, lack capacity-building opportunities and are often stuck at the initial stage of development. CSOs are also spread across Mongolia, a very large country, and have limited opportunities to connect with like-minded organizations around shared goals.

One of the key objectives of the LEAD model is, therefore, to empower the local CSOs through a peer-to-peer learning model. This contrasts with many capacity efforts that are very assessment-focused, driven by donor requirements instead of organizational priorities, led by international experts, and often lack the necessary practical support to make improvements.

With this in mind, and unlike traditional trainings which include a standard agenda, we wanted all sessions to be demand-driven and reflect real needs and interests from participating organizations. To come up with an agenda that would be effective and worthwhile, it was important to understand what they needed and what they aspired to learn. Therefore, we created a comprehensive survey to include along with the application to attend the LEAD workshop, in which organizations could select topics they wanted to improve on. They also prioritized areas that they felt comfortable leading an interactive skill-building session on during the workshop. This initial needs survey was very informative in designing the workshop. The results helped us design an agenda that was driven by the specific needs of the CSO participants and provided the space for these same local CSOs to demonstrate their expertise in specific areas.

Could you outline a few of the major steps involved in implementing the LEAD model?

As mentioned, we did the needs survey first to get to know the CSOs through our application. One of the key aspects of the application was to learn about both the CSO’s priorities and the experience/skills/knowledge that a particular CSO wanted to share with others. We then coded the responses to identify the topics to be covered. Based on this analysis, our workshop covered topics such as social inclusion, financial resources for CSOs, citizen engagement, advocacy, digital communication, and strategic planning. 

We then paired each topic with one of our participating CSOs for them to present. Each CSO shared their own experiences, which was one of the highlights of the workshop. Prior to the workshop, we provided online consultation and coaching to help each CSO hone their skill-sharing sessions and prepare for the workshop to ensure an impactful session on their designated topic. Through this experience, our participants understood that each and every NGO has something to offer to the others; each of their experiences is unique and valuable.

What is unique about the approach, and what was particularly effective?

The LEAD model is very flexible, as it is purely driven by local organizations’ needs and strengths. For this program, we designed it as a two-day program, allowing us to cover a multitude of topics but not requiring too large of a time commitment from our participants. Participants were initially a little skeptical of a capacity strengthening workshop facilitated completely by Mongolian CSOs with no external experts. However, when I talked to the CSOs and their representatives at the end of the two days, they were all very satisfied and said they learned at least one skill or bit of knowledge that they can use for their future work. All participants shared they would go to another workshop with this format.

I think the workshop was also a successful one because it was demand-driven and needs-based. And two, it had a great share of peer learning. By the end of the workshop, approximately 90% of the participants were confident in most of the covered topics. Prior to the workshop, only 26% knew how to create a digital presence for their organization, compared to 89% at the end of the workshop, and only 42% knew specific ways to ensure their organization was inclusive, compared to 95% by the end of the workshop.

In what types of environments outside of Mongolia do you think the LEAD model would be best implemented?

I think this model would be best implemented in any environment where there is a need for development of local CSOs. Depending on the needs, of course, the two-day agenda could look a little bit different. However, the main concept of connecting local organizations and elevating them as experts in their field remains valuable in any case.

Last year you conducted follow-up interviews with some of the participants of the LEAD model. What types of impact did the LEAD model have?

I think this feedback was even more interesting as it was after a whole year, and I did not know what to expect. It was a two-day workshop and to be honest, I was not sure whether the CSOs would remember what they learned.

To my surprise, not only did they remember, but some of them are still using the skills and knowledge they acquired through the workshop and have applied or are still applying them in their work. One of the examples I like the most is this initiative in Bayan-Ulgii province, where our participants identified the lack of services and centers for psychological services, especially for youth. After the workshop, they collaborated with the local government and the lifelong learning center to conduct psychological tests and training for 12th graders, as well as created a short video promoting mental health.

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Christina Wagner is a program officer at World Learning, which implements The Experiment Digital Leadership in STEM. This six-week virtual exchange program encourages high school-aged participants in the U.S. and the Middle East and North Africa region to explore career paths in STEM and develop leadership competencies while establishing cross-cultural connections.

The Experiment Digital Leadership in STEM is supported by the J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative (JCSVEI). JCSVEI is a U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs program administered by the Aspen Institute. This article originally appeared on the Stevens Initiative website and has been reprinted with permission.

Virtual exchange gives educators a valuable opportunity to provide an enriching cross-cultural experience by implementing social emotional learning and awareness into programming. Many virtual exchange programs focus on creating awareness and collaborating on skill development and, in turn, help cultivate lifelong resiliency skills among young people, which is essential to their mental wellbeing. Each program looks different and, depending on the theme, there are many ways educators can incorporate social emotional learning (SEL) into virtual programming in an accessible and impactful way to help students learn critical social emotional learning skills, coping skills, and resiliency.

Virtual exchange programs offer cross-cultural learning and collaboration that inspires participants to become leaders, help their communities, and expose them to opportunities they did not know existed. With distinct learning outcomes, educators, who are often virtual exchange facilitators, set the tone for connections that can be made between participants. By incorporating SEL outcomes, facilitators can introduce skill-building and self-reflection from the get-go.

The goal of SEL and awareness is to cultivate skills and an understanding about human development and connection. Ashkanasy and Humphrey (1) argue that “emotion plays a key role in communication…emotional expressions are universally recognized across cultures, thus demonstrating their importance to communication.” Virtual exchange provides global experiences and opportunities to celebrate differences and connect on mutually understood emotions.

The five core competencies of SEL are self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, social awareness, and relationship skills. When working with participants in a virtual exchange environment, facilitators can invariably teach them these skills that impel them to take command of how they react to difficulties. An alumnus of World Learning’s virtual exchange program, The Experiment Digital, explained, “This experience equipped me through a journey of self-discovery to find and uncover my true passions.” It is that self-discovery journey where facilitators can make the greatest impact with participants.

Focusing on core competencies in SEL such as self-awareness through virtual activities that help participants understand their purpose strengthens their love of self and empowers them to create their own path.

We can do this through reflection activities that compel a participant to view their strengths and pair them with what interests them. In addition, responsible decision making can take shape in virtual exchange like creating a college and career action plan based on program activities focused on academic skills young people need to pursue an in-demand career path. Introducing mutual, cross-cultural areas of opportunity in local and global communities also helps participants find solutions to common challenges such as flooding, literacy education, or beach pollution. Participants who complete a virtual exchange often display more confidence in their ability to make a difference in their communities. This is shown to further compel participants to focus on their social awareness. The Experiment Digital “has made me understand the strength I hold within myself to make change within my community from small actions to bigger projects.”

Virtual exchange practitioners serving a diverse population of young people may aspire to be responsible by practicing active listening (or reading) when participants share struggles in their lives. Participants can connect with others cross-culturally on these shared experiences through virtual exchange, as “students reported a growing awareness of cultural diversity and becoming aware of their partners’ multiple identities” (O’Dowd, 2).  Learning about coping skills and suggestions from a group helps handle frustrations and awareness. Discussing struggles and how to overcome them in an asynchronous environment can also help participants feel more confident when they have time to think about thoughtful responses.

Incorporating SEL in virtual exchange program curriculum is mutually beneficial for facilitators and young people alike. It helps participants not only during the exchange, but also with their future learning and resiliency. Offering dialogue amongst participants gives them an additional component to consider and apply to what is happening right now in their lives. This skill-building will continue in most young people’s academic careers and personal lives. By contributing to participants’ skill-building, self-reflection, and global awareness, facilitators can serve as a guide in their personal journey of discovery and provide them with the tools to succeed in the 21st century global environment.

(1) Ashkanasy, Neal M, and Ronald H Humphrey. “Current Emotion Research in Organizational Behavior.” Emotion Review, Apr. 2011.
(2) O’Dowd, Robert. “Virtual Exchange: Moving forward into the next decade.” Computer Assisted Language Learning, vol. 34, no. 3, 4 Mar. 2021, pp. 209–224, https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.1902201.

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Dr. Lenneal Henderson is an alum of The Experiment in International Living and has also providedbriefings on federalism for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) for several decades. In March, he received a 2024 Citizen Diplomat Award from Global Ties U.S. at its national meeting in Washington, DC. The award honors individuals and institutions for outstanding achievements that advance international understanding and global engagement. 

Specifically, Dr. Henderson was recognized for his dedication to making international exchange available to everyone, especially African American, rural, and other historically under-represented students. In addition to providing briefings, he played a key role in World Learning’s 2022 IVLP project “Developing University Partnerships–Connecting African Universities with HBCUs” by hosting the participants’ visit to Virginia State University, connecting them to students, faculty, and administrators, and organizing meetings with local elected officials and community leaders. Dr. Henderson is a dean in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Virginia State University, a historically Black university.

Read more about Dr. Henderson’s global career: The Experiment launches a global career that connects World Learning’s IVLP to HBCUs

“He embodies the lifelong impact and benefits that international exchanges can have and demonstrates the generosity and energy that alumni bring to sharing those benefits with others,” said Ann Driscoll, an IVLP program manager at World Learning who nominated Dr. Henderson for the award.

We spoke to Dr. Henderson after receiving the award about citizen diplomacy and its importance.

The evening of the awards was themed “Diplomacy in Action,” and Global Ties U.S. noted it was celebrating “citizen diplomacy in strengthening international alliances and communities at home.” How would you define the term citizen diplomacy?

Citizen diplomacy is the unofficial behavior of citizens who embrace personal and cultural exchanges and interpersonal relationships as a method of constructive international relations. This often involves reaching an agreement on mutually essential values, goals, and strategies and a willingness to sustain relationships beyond initial encounters.

Citizen diplomacy is essential as a resource to official diplomacy and fundamental to human success across the planet, as well as respect for all life forms.

How have you worked in your career to strengthen international alliances and communities at home?

I encourage travel to emphasize learning with diverse groups so that the diversity of the traveling group drives a motivation to embrace and learn from those encounters from other nations.

I have taught international economics and statistics in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea, and I conduct briefings on federalism and the United States in India, South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, the Netherlands, Chile, Zimbabwe, and Kosovo as part of the U.S. Speaker Program and IVLP.

I also collaborate with the Indian Institute of Technology, the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, the Coalition for Effective Democracy (South Africa), and the Mimosa International Foundation of America.

Do you have any suggestions for someone who might want to actively engage in foreign affairs as a citizen?  Where might they start?

I would suggest they identify and learn about their sister city; join a World Affairs Council; identify and reach out to neighborhoods with citizens or immigrants from other nations; or link up with your faith institution’s global or international offices, initiatives, or programs.

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Beatriz Céspedes de Fantini was already a committed internationalist when she came to School for International Training in 1966 to teach Spanish. The daughter of a Bolivian diplomat, Beatriz was born in Italy and had lived in Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, and Argentina before coming to the United States. She speaks Spanish, Italian, English, and Portuguese.

In 1968, Beatriz joined SIT’s faculty in the Master of Arts Teaching program, making her the first woman from outside the United States to serve on the faculty. Over the next five decades, she promoted proficient language learning, teaching methodologies, and intercultural understanding in various positions at the school. Students and co-workers always appreciated Beatriz, not only for her high degree of professionalism, especially in language training, but also for her perpetual optimism and upbeat energy when performing and teaching folk dancing and Latin music.

She contributed tirelessly to all branches of World Learning as a Language and Culture department director, a teacher trainer, and a language teacher and advisor for academic study abroad programs, among other roles. She directed summer language and orientation programs in Oaxtepec, Mexico, for 15 summers with The Experiment in International Living. She also developed training and implementation material for diverse activities including African language courses and the World Learning program Salaam-Shalom, which used Arabic and Hebrew language training and cultural studies to build understanding of the Middle East.

In 2004, Beatriz was awarded the World Learning Presidential Medal in recognition of her contributions and commitment to the mission of the organization. In 2016, she was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters by the World Learning Board of Trustees.

Retirement in 2016 did not stop Professor Emerita Fantini from actively furthering the mission of the organization. She had an essential role in welcoming and orienting refugees to Brattleboro, VT, as part of the New Vermonter Education Program, helping develop and deliver the initial language classes for refugees. Today, she continues as a cultural orientation teacher in community-based activities for the program, as well as she contributes articles to the media about World Learning initiatives.

Engaging and warm, Beatriz exemplifies the values of World Learning by always fostering a sense of community and furthering intercultural understanding among all.

We wish to thank Lou Witherite and Maisie Crowther from World Learning’s Alvino E. Fantini Institutional Archives who generously volunteered their time to provide the research and photo for this story.

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