Intercultural exchange thrives on a variety of perspectives and lived experiences. We are committed to recruiting and supporting students from all backgrounds, statuses, origins, and practices.

Experimenters may come from small towns or large cities, urban or rural areas, public, private, or home-school educational experiences, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We’re experienced in offering programs that meet our participants’ full range of interests and needs. In addition to learning about other countries, participants should expect to learn from their fellow Experimenters’ perspectives and backgrounds. Our responsibility is to ensure a program experience that allows all our participants to feel valued and safe, while also having the opportunity to grow through challenges and new experiences.

We offer an array of scholarship opportunities and welcome participants from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.

Our Approach

Group Leader Training & Inclusive Group Dynamics

We seek educators who bring a range of perspectives and experiences, enhancing the value of our program. Our group leaders come from various backgrounds and are skilled in fostering welcoming and engaging group environments. We are continually working to expand the breadth of experiences within our leader pool.

Staff members attend trainings, lectures, and conferences throughout the year on intercultural education best practices. Group leaders are trained to quickly identify a participant who is feeling unsafe and provide the necessary support tailored to the student’s needs. In addition, some staff also train other organizations and schools on these topics. This information is shared with program partners and facilitators through training and workshops before programs begin.

During the program, group leaders empower participants to share in storytelling and learn about each other and their different experiences. The role of our facilitators is to set the groundwork and enable learning in a space and manner so that all participants can process, understand, and reflect. At the start of all Experiment programs, participants work together to build a group constitution. Students use this living document to guide how they’re going to treat each other, how to make the group a safe space for everyone, and how they will address it when it’s not.

Our group brought together individuals from eight U.S. states, ranging in age from 15 to 17, each with unique backgrounds and stories. We are extroverts; we are introverts; we are athletes; we are performers—but most importantly, we are family. We each bring something different to the table, yet we all share a curiosity and appreciation for various cultures, beliefs, and people.

 

Recruitment, Scholarship & Partnerships

We work with more than 40 partner organizations to recruit participants that represent their communities. Every year, about 50 percent of our students come through partner scholarship programs and partner schools or receive scholarships from our generous donors. The Experiment has offered scholarships to young people from a range of backgrounds since 1940. Our broad coalition of partners and funders includes after-school programs, community groups, public and private schools, and foundations across the world. Learn more about The Experiment’s scholarship and financial aid opportunities.

Our partners are essential not just in recruiting participants but also in ensuring that they are supported before, during, and after the programs. Partners help place students in compatible programs related to their interests and talk them through logistics that can feel overwhelming—like how and what to pack, handling the health screening process, and the homestay experience. Our admissions team coordinates closely with partners to ensure students receive the assistance they need to make the most of their program experience and that they thrive during re-entry.

If you are an educator and would like to form a scholarship partnership with your school or community-based organization, please contact us.

Extending Our Reach through Virtual Exchange

In 2016, we launched The Experiment Digital, a dynamic virtual exchange program that pulls upon The Experiment in International Living’s longstanding model of experiential learning and emphasis on meaningful relationships and transfers it to a digital format. Using popular digital platforms for teenagers like Canvas, Padlet, and Zoom, our virtual program model gives young people the opportunity to build international friendships online. Peer-to-peer engagement, combined with carefully designed activities, allows students to learn from one another and together develop knowledge and attitudes that foster cultural understanding.

Virtual exchanges enable more young people to enjoy a meaningful intercultural experience as part of their education. From 2020 to 2023, The Experiment Digital reached more than 3,000 participants from around the U.S. and the Middle East and North Africa region. Our post-program survey results indicate that the program has led to substantial changes in students’ attitudes, skills, and perceptions.

The Experiment by the Numbers

1537
Experimenters
9
Countries
900
Scholarships (USD)