Stevens Initiative offers a number of ways to get involved with virtual exchange ranging in effort and experience required. From joining an existing virtual exchange to receiving training in program design and practice, explore ways to engage with us here.
A Decade in Photos
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$48464301.65
Total Investments152
Total Grants
Featured Grantees
Soliya
A pioneer in the virtual exchange field, Soliya was among the first institutions to receive a grant from the Initiative to expand virtual exchange participation. With a focus on dialogue-based exchanges, Soliya connects young people for conversations on topics that are of interest to them, fostering mutual understanding.
iEARN
A longstanding Stevens Initiative grantee, iEARN-USA has a rich history of fostering mutual understanding through virtual exchange. As a recipient of the Initiative’s Coronavirus Response Fund, iEARN-USA delivered its Digital Storytelling Workshop during the pandemic, connecting students to collaborate virtually, develop digital storytelling skills, and create narratives that promote mutual understanding and tolerance in a challenging global context.
GNG
After years of successful programming in the Middle East and North Africa, Global Nomads Group launched its first virtual exchange pilot in Mexico in 2023, catalyzing the Initiative’s strategy for widespread virtual exchange adoption in Latin America and invigorating its evolution as a global movement.
MapWorks Learning
MapWorks Learning’s Ukraine Youth Network (UYN) is the first Initiative-supported program in Europe. Developed in response to the war in Ukraine, UYN encourages young people to share personal stories, fostering a sense of belonging and channeling wartime experiences into positive action for affected Ukrainians.
PeacePlayers International
The sports for good organization, PeacePlayers International, is the Stevens Initiative’s first grantee operating in South Africa and Northern Ireland. By harnessing the unifying power of sports, PeacePlayers International brings young people together for collaboration and connection.
World Learning
Through its partnership with the Initiative, The Experiment Digital has empowered young people to not only explore STEM and language learning, but also apply for small grants that enable real life engagement with these topics. These grants allow participants to pursue their passions and implement service projects that address the unique needs of their communities.
WDI
Since 2019, The William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan has institutionalized virtual exchange, serving as a model for other higher education institutions. Through their business-oriented programs, the William Davidson Institute recognizes the entrepreneurial interests of its participants and offers them real-world experiences to develop the skills needed to thrive in their future careers.
IREX
Participants of IREX’s broad virtual exchange programming leverage design thinking, entrepreneurship, and innovation to create solutions that address problems in their local and global communities — from constructing tents for refugee camps to designing automatic air circulation mechanisms in homes with gas heating stoves.
Education for Employment
Education For Employment’s (EFE) Intercontinental Innovators represents the Initiative’s most recent grantees established in partnership with the Government of Morocco. This program is designed to prepare emerging entrepreneurs, and includes a “Virtual Junior Incubator” for participants to refine their business concepts, culminating in a “Shark Tank”-style pitch competition.
Ras Al Khaimah American Academy
Selected through the Initiative’s first grant competition launched in the United Arab Emirates, Ras Al Khaimah American Academy’s The Scheherazade Project equipped young people with interviewing and creative storytelling skills needed to explore and celebrate the roles of ancestors in their lives.
Inspiration
The Stevens Initiative was conceived and developed in close partnership with U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens’ family to expose a generation of young people to the kind of meaningful international experiences that shaped him as a young man. Ambassador Stevens devoted his life to building connections through open and respectful dialogue and person-to-person diplomacy. Explore how the Initiative has commemorated the ambassador’s life and legacy here.
Ambassador Stevens during his time in the Peace Corps.
Our History
- Pre Launch
- 2015 - 2016
- 2017 - 2019
- 2020 - 2021
- 2022 - 2023
- 2024 - Present
September 2012
In response to the outpouring of support after the death of Ambassador Stevens, his family establishes the J. Christopher Stevens Fund to support activities building bridges between people in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa.
September 2012
Soliya founder and CEO, Lucas Welch authors an op-ed titled Why We Need A Million More Chris Stevens and How We Can Get Them, inspiring the family of Ambassador Stevens to explore the possibility of virtual exchange.
May 2013
The Stevens Family and Exchange 2.0 Coalition debut an initiative including a public-private partnership funded by contributions from the J. Christopher Stevens Fund, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Kingdom of Morocco, United Arab Emirates, and the U.S. Government to enable young people to participate in virtual exchange.
October 2013
Secretaries Hillary Clinton and John Kerry host partners in New York during the 2013 UN General Assembly, formally unveiling an initiative named in honor of Ambassador Stevens.
November 2014
Vice President Joe Biden announces the Stevens Initiative in Marrakech, Morocco.
October 2015
The Initiative at the Aspen Institute is officially founded and the first grant competition is announced.
April 2016
The first 10 grantees are revealed, reaching 15,000 young people in 15 countries.
May 2016
The first cohort of young people from the U.S. and MENA complete a Stevens Initiative-funded program.
June 2017
Stevens Initiative-funded programming reaches 10,000 young people.
October 2018
The Government of Morocco supports its first Stevens Initiative grantee.
June 2019
Stevens Initiative holds its inaugural grantee roundtable designed for community building and knowledge sharing.
November 2019
Stevens Initiative publishes its Virtual Exchange Impact and Learning Report.
April 2020
Stevens Initiative Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic — a multipronged response to pandemic-impacted education and exchange stakeholders — is announced.
June 2020
Stevens Initiative Connected Classrooms — which helped higher education institutions and K-12 schools build capacity and prepare faculty for virtual exchange — kicks off.
July 2020
Stevens Initiative rolls out its largest open, public grant competition to date at $10 million.
November 2020
The first Survey of the Virtual Exchange Field Report is published.
February 2021
Stevens Initiative commences sponsored research projects to strengthen the virtual exchange field.
March 2021
The Stevens Initiative Virtual Exchange Academy is inaugurated to address the need for readily available foundational training on virtual exchange.
September 2022
Stevens Initiative honors 10 years since Ambassador Stevens’ passing and his belief in building global connections.
January 2022
The Stevens Initiative Alumni Fellowship is established to support the continued learning and development of virtual exchange alumni.
June 2022
Stevens Initiative-funded programming reaches 50,000 young people.
March 2023
Stevens Initiative announces global expansion into Latin America and Europe.
April 2023
Stevens Initiative surpasses 100 virtual exchange programs funded.
January 2024
Stevens Initiative introduces its first Breakouts campaign highlighting multimedia projects from the field that showcase the power of virtual exchange.
February 2024
Stevens Initiative convenes education and exchange leaders in a roundtable to discuss challenges facing the field and strategize virtual exchange’s expansion in the future.
March 2024
Stevens Initiative unveils the global Training Hub to offer resources and build opportunities for educators, administrators, and education and exchange leaders worldwide.
August 2024
Stevens Initiative joins the Aspen Institute’s Center for Rising Generations.
September 2024
The Stevens Initiative Advisory Council is relaunched.
October 2024
Stevens Initiative celebrates 300 education and exchange leaders, across 40 U.S. States and 35 countries, trained by the Virtual Exchange Academy.
February 2025
The Stevens Initiative Alumni Advisory Council is established to ensure that alumni experiences help chart a path forward.
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