2021

Impact Report & 2020 Annual Report

Virtual & Reality

Virtual & Reality

The Stevens Initiative creates global online exchanges and lasting impact.

Give NowAfter five years of conducting surveys that show participants build empathy, gain greater knowledge about other places and cultures, and increase cross-cultural collaboration and communication skills, the Stevens Initiative—which promotes virtual exchange to connect tens of thousands of young people from diverse places using everyday technology for collaborative learning and interaction—completed a study in 2020 showing that alumni frequently say their virtual exchange experience continues to help them in their professional and personal lives long after the program ends. Data about the long-term effects of virtual exchange are rare in this emerging field, so this study is a promising indication that these programs are effective.

Participants say that virtual exchange has even changed the way they think. “I became more aware of the things happening in the world,” says Aseel, an alumna of Global Nomads Group’s Student to World. “It has made me dream bigger.” Because of her experience, Aseel says she now hopes to one day study or work internationally.

Other participants in the Stevens Initiative, which is funded by the US State Department, have taken action. After identifying a gap in research funding in his community, Mohamed, an alumnus of World Learning’s The Experiment Digital, developed a tech platform that connects researchers with investors. Building the platform was possible, he says, in part thanks to the skills and confidence he gained during his virtual exchange. “If you want to build skills, networks, and gain opportunities, virtual exchange programs are the place for that,” he says. “They create opportunities to improve our communities.”