The first ever youth-led, digital learning experience that uses design thinking, community journalism, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals to strengthen language learning and cross-cultural collaboration.
A new, groundbreaking opportunity for middle and high school students.
The Digital Exchange Program (DEP) is a Project Exchange initiative to increase access to meaningful cross-cultural learning experiences for middle & high school students around the world, and lower the barrier to access to global education through technology. Classrooms, students, and partner organizations/education facilities access a unique, research-based curriculum to promote tolerance, eradicate stereotypes, foster collaboration, and empower young people to view themselves as global citizens & changemakers.
Along with a robust network of partners and allies, the Project Exchange team is excited to present the first ever youth-led, digital learning experience that uses design thinking, community journalism, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals to strengthen language learning and cross-cultural collaboration. Throughout Part One of the program, participants will not only learn about a new culture, they will also examine their own culture and community to identify how local issues connect with their peers’ and to the greater global narrative. At the end, high performing DEP students will have an opportunity to enroll in Part Two of the program, and demonstrate their new cross-cultural understanding through 1) a digital internship with an NGO/social enterprise in their exchange country (special Project Exchange match), or 2) automatic acceptance to Project Exchange’s digital cross-cultural social impact incubator!
How It Works
Program length: mid-September 2019 to mid-December 2019 (3 months; 12 weeks)
Program structure: Each week students will participate in one video call with DEP match (60 minutes), and complete an individual follow-on activity (time varies, average 30 minutes)
Program perks:
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Matched with a peer from a different culture for cultural/language learning
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Receive video guides and activity guides to facilitate exchange for each week of the DEP
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Matched with an experienced adult mentor for language learning sessions and to review weekly completed activities
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Learn about design thinking, community journalism, and the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals from professionals in the field
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Access Project Exchange partner services, such as language learning with Glossika
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Priority access to Part Two programs (internship or the incubator)
Program cost: free! We want to make sure every motivated & dedicated student has an equal chance to access our services
Participant Requirements
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Will be enrolled in middle or high school in the 2019-2020 school year
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Interested in a digital cross-cultural learning experience through themes of design thinking, community journalism, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
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Commit to participate in one video-call/week with DEP match for the full program (12 weeks), and provide at least 48 hour notice if need to reschedule
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Identified a local adult mentor who will be a commitment partner
A Week In the DEP
The Digital Exchange Program is an exciting opportunity for middle & high school students to step into roles as active global citizens. As this is a selective program, students are expected to spend around two hours/week for the duration of the 12-week DEP to best utilize the opportunity. Curriculum every week will be look different as the program progresses; however, there are some things participants can expect weekly. They are listed here:
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Video Call: a 60-minute call with your DEP student match (from another country). At the beginning of the week, students will receive a video call guide, a one-pager with conversation prompts and guiding points. Calls are scheduled between the student match (we recommend agreeing on a weekly time), and can be hosted via whichever platform works best for the student.
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Follow-On Activity: a set of activities that build on ideas and dialogue from the video call, always with multiple options to cater to different learning styles. Depending on the week, activities can be everything from writing a blog article, to trying a new food, to sharing a music playlist!
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Online Dialogue: a question related to the week's video content, posted on Slack (the cohort collaboration platform we'll be using throughout the program)! Participants will post their thoughts, and respond to the comment of at least one other participant.
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Check-In: a weekly Google form to fill out, which helps participants track their activities for the week. It's a to-do list as well as a place to report progress!
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Optional—Mentor Call: a 30-minute call with your adult mentor who will be able to provide guidance on DEP tasks for the week, as well as serve as a resource for language learning.
How to Get Involved
Project Exchange is currently recruiting participants for the second cohort of the Digital Exchange Program, which will go from September 16 to December 8, for a total of 12 weeks. Please apply for the Digital Exchange Program below. Applications are rolling until they close on September 2, and you can expect to hear back within two weeks about your acceptance status! We are excited to hear from you soon!
Project Exchange is currently recruiting participants for the second cohort of the Digital Exchange Program, which will go from September 16 to December 8, for a total of 12 weeks. Please apply for the Digital Exchange Program below. Applications are rolling until they close on September 2, and you can expect to hear back within two weeks about your acceptance status! We are excited to hear from you soon!
