What We Do
Mission statement
Through state-to-state student exchange, our mission is to promote empathy and understanding across the United States.
How it Works
We admit students who are genuinely curious about life in other parts of the nation. We match those students with a local family through our network of host families, and during the students’ sophomore spring semester of high school, they will participate in our program. Students will attend local public high schools in their host region, engage in community events, and become fully integrated into their new environment. Participation is completely free for students, thanks to the generosity of our partners and donors. We are here to mediate this experience, handling the behind-the-scenes work so that students can enjoy the transformative experience that will shape their lives, their host families, and the communities they live in.
"Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another."
— Alfred Adler
Our Founding Pillars
Service & Leadership
As students complete their exchange programs, they will be involved in service and leadership across their new community. They will interact hands-on with the challenges and triumphs of their particularly neighborhood. After this program, students will receive continued personal support for their career.
Our curious students today will be the changemakers of tomorrow.
Empathy & Understanding
In the 21st century, the United States is becoming more geographically divided than ever. By building a student exchange program, we hope to build trust and understanding across geographic lines, forging otherwise unlikely friendships and creating lasting connections between students, teachers, hosts, and neighbors.
Opportunity & Accessibility
Student exchange experiences are valuable, but unfortunately, international exchange creates a language and financial barrier that limits this opportunity. We seek out students from a wider range of communities, intentionally building a program that’s available to as many students as possible.
Our goal is to expand youth opportunity for generations of Americans to come.