Engage with Virtual Exchange
Providing opportunities to get involved
Vision
The Stevens Initiative aims to give every young person the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to prosper in an increasingly interconnected world.
Approach
Virtual exchange uses online technology to connect young people around the world to learn and work together so they can build marketable global competencies and deepen their understanding of and ability to engage with people from other backgrounds.
Engage
There are several ways to get involved in virtual exchange through the Stevens Initiative. We encourage you to review the different pathways below to find the option that best fits your needs.
Join a Program
Educators along with schools, districts, postsecondary institutions, and nonprofit organizations can have young people participate in a virtual exchange program implemented by a Stevens Initiative grantee. Joining an existing program can be a great way to have a first experience with virtual exchange. This process allows institutions and educators to benefit from the grantee’s content, partnership network, technology, facilitation training, and other forms of guidance and support.
*educators and representatives of schools, districts, postsecondary institutions, and nonprofit organizations
Mobilize Youth Participation
Educators, youth organizers, and administrators can share opportunities with their students or youth participants to apply to an open-enrollment virtual exchange program funded by the Stevens Initiative. Open-enrollment programs give young people the freedom to participate in virtual exchange programs on their own time that are interesting to them, but don’t fit into their classroom experience. Upon submitting the “Mobilize Youth Participation” form, educators will engage with the Stevens Initiative and will receive materials about open-enrollment programs that they can share with the youth they serve.
*educators, youth organizers, and administrators
Apply for a Grant
The Stevens Initiative runs competitions to give grants to educational institutions and nonprofit organizations that administer virtual exchange programs connecting youth in the United States and the MENA region.
The next Virtual Exchange Grant Competition should be announced in spring 2022. Feedback compiled by the Initiative in response to proposals submitted during the 2020 competition can be found here.
Attend an Event
Info Sessions
Info Sessions are half-day presentations (in-person or online) providing an introduction to virtual exchange, the Stevens Initiative, and basic steps for getting involved in a program or starting a new one.Workshops
Workshops are two-day in-depth trainings during which attendees learn about several critical aspects of successful virtual exchange programs, such as international partnerships, facilitation and facilitator training, and monitoring and evaluation.Webinars
Webinars are hour-long online, panels, interviews, or presentations on a range of topics such as different approaches to virtual exchange, evaluating virtual exchange programs, and using virtual exchange as part of campus internationalization.Upcoming Events
February 18, 2021
Webinar: Strategies for Successful Virtual Exchange Recruitment
How do you convey what virtual exchange is in a way that draws the attention of students? Understanding the specific appeal of virtual exchange to different audiences is critical to capturing their interest. Communicating about the value of virtual exchange is important for any program’s success, particularly during recruitment. This…
Explore Resources
The Stevens Initiative has created and collected several tools and resources, including publications and presentation recordings, to help anyone interested in virtual exchange learn how to design and run their own virtual exchange program.