United States: Human Rights & College Discovery
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Peace, Politics, and Human Rights

Travel from the North to the South while learning about the history of civil rights in the United States. Experience America’s rich diversity and civil rights movements while visiting the campuses of top universities.

Peace, Politics, & Human Rights

Physical Activity

Homestay

Dormitory

DEPARTURE

N/A

Program Description

Due to the deepening concern about the coronavirus, The Experiment has transitioned all 2020 programs to The Experiment Digital.

The Experiment Digital is a fully funded (free) exchange program conducted entirely online and mobile-accessible four (4) hours per week from June 22 to August 16, 2020.

The Experiment Digital connects hundreds of young people across the United States with peers from Iraq, Algeria, Yemen, and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa to discuss such topics as digital citizenship, leadership and identity, community initiatives, and public narrative. Participants even have virtual families!

We anticipate offering this program summer 2021, and you may apply online for summer 2021 programs now.

Start your Experiment in the Big Apple: New York City. Witness where many immigrants first entered the United States at Ellis Island and marvel at the Statue of Liberty that greeted them. Go on a walking tour of the city to learn about the history of the African Diaspora and the impact it has had on the U.S., and visit the United Nations headquarters to learn about the organization’s commitment to maintaining international peace and security. Tour the Columbia University campus and experience a real college class by taking a workshop with a professor from its esteemed human rights program. While in New York, you’ll also visit the LGBT Center, participate in a workshop with the Theatre of the Oppressed, sample the rich diversity of the city’s food scene, and take in breathtaking views at the Empire State Building.

Hop a train south to Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital, where you’ll learn about the city’s unique history and engage with local organizations and human rights activists. Visit the National Mall to see some of the country’s most famous monuments, such as the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, and the Washington Monument. Explore the Smithsonian Institution’s museums, including the National Museum of the American Indian, where you’ll take a workshop on indigenous rights. You will also tour George Washington University, where you’ll stay during your time in the capital city.

Travel to Atlanta, Georgia, a cultural center of the American South that is noted for its ethnic diversity. Here, you’ll learn about the city’s crucial role in civil rights and get your first taste of Southern life and culture as you begin your homestay with a local family. Continue learning about human rights at Emory University and stay on the college campus while learning about the college process. Visit Clarkston, just outside Atlanta, to discover how a coffee shop provides job-training opportunities to resettled refugees. Meet with students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and learn about the role of HBCUs in civil rights history. Complete your journey with final reflection and visits to key sites such as the Center for Civil and Human Rights, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Martin Luther King, Jr’s home, and the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

Program Availability:

Program Suspended

Prerequisite:

None

Dates:

N/A

Program Fee:

TBD

Group Airfare Cost:

TBD

Depart/Return City:

New York/Atlanta

Orientation:

New York, 3 days

Homestay:

Atlanta, 4 days

Other Accommodations:

Hostels

Sample Itinerary

  •  
    Days 1-3

    New York City

    • On your first day, get to know your group while familiarizing yourself with your surroundings by going on a scavenger hunt
    • Visit famous sites and museums throughout the city, such as the Empire State Building, Central Park, and the United Nations Headquarters
    • Explore the different ethnic enclaves of the city by going on a walking tour that will introduce you to New York when it was known as New Amsterdam.
    • Visit either Columbia University or NYU, both prestigious colleges in Manhattan to learn about the admissions process and college life
    • Trace the steps of American immigrants at Liberty Island and Ellis land and learn the history of how they settled in the United States
    • Engage with a civil rights group and learn about how they advocate on issues such as LGBT rights, Muslim rights, or police reform.
    • Take a workshop with the Theatre of the Oppressed and learn techniques to better understand human rights and community issues

    During your time in New York, you will stay in hotels or hostels

  •  
    Days 4-6

    Washington, D.C.

    • Take a train to the District of Columbia, the nation’s capital, where you’ll learn about the city’s unique human rights issues and settle into your dorms at one of two large colleges in the area – American University or George Washington University.
    • Tour George Washington University and engage in discussion about human rights with a faculty member
    • Engage with various civil and human rights organizations including speaking with a commissioner of the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
    • Roam the National Mall and visit famous monuments of esteemed leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Lincoln. Explore the many Smithsonian Museums such as the Museum of Natural History, Museum of the American Indian, the US Botanic Garden, and the National Portrait Gallery
    • Take workshops with local activists to learn how to organize for social change

    During your time in Washington, you will stay at either George Washington University or American University

  •  
    Day 7

    Greensboro, North Carolina

    • Your group will road-trip to Charlottesville, Virginia as your first stop into the South. Here you will lunch with local leaders and hear how they have addressed historic and current issues around human rights that have made national news
    • Head down to Greensboro, North Carolina for the evening

    During your time in Greensboro, you will stay at a hotel.

  •  
    Day 8-14

    Atlanta, Georgia

    • Here you begin your homestays of five nights and six days
    • Explore Civil Rights sites that include MLK Museum, MLK’s home, Ebenezer Baptist Church, the SCLC, MLK’s grave, and the Center for Civil and Human Rights.
    • Visit historically black colleges and universities such as Morehouse and Spelman and learn about their significance
    • Volunteer at an elementary school by helping them fix up classrooms to get ready for the new school year and spend an afternoon in Clarkston meeting with the mayor at Refuge Coffee Company
    • Daytrip to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama to walk in the footsteps of those who marched for voting rights at Edmund Pettus Bridge and who were part of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Explore the Equal Justice Initiative’s new museum
    • Tour Emory University and meet with researchers of the Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project
    • Explore the various sites in Atlanta such as Stone Mountain or the Chattahoochee River with your homestay families
    • During your time in Atlanta, you will stay in the home of a local family and spend the last two days at Emory University.

    During your time in Atlanta, you will stay in the home of a local family and spend the last two days at Emory University.

  •  
    Day 15

    • Departures
Itinerary is subject to change.

Student Voices

  • The experience I had exceeded my expectations. I really wanted my summer to be exciting and I was looking for some adventure as well as some learning experience and what I had with The Experiment was completely what I wanted. I felt like I was in a different country even though we were still in the United States.

    --Sistine

  • For me, this trip provides me with a new look and deeper understanding of civil rights. I am aware of the civil rights issue we face today, but I didn’t take into account that we’ve made so much progress. This experience expand my respect and appreciation of those before me who stood up for the rights I take for granted today. Meeting with people who lived through these times help me connect with the reality of the past. This experience was eye owning and provided me with a new appreciation for things I took for granted before. I gained knowledge and respect.

    --Kamerian