Responsible Digital Citizens Exchange Program

 

 

For the past ten years, Know My World has been supporting students' social and emotional well-being and cultural awareness worldwide by providing unique opportunities for them to meet, engage, explore, and learn with and from each other through our dynamic virtual cross-cultural exchange programs. These exchanges allow students to explore essential problem areas together and devise valuable solutions. It also allows students to expand their cultural lens as they learn more about students' daily lives around the world. These experiences help deepen students' understanding and appreciation for the richness that cultural diversity brings to the world. Through supported dialogue opportunities, students can develop meaningful relationships with peers they would otherwise not have the chance to meet.

 

The pandemic shook the education sector and impacted educators and students globally. Unfortunately, 25% of students worldwide are still experiencing social, emotional, and mental health challenges due to the impact of the pandemic. One valuable way to help students right now is to provide opportunities for them to process their experiences through reflective journaling and teach them helpful coping strategies. That's why we will continue to offer program scholarships to our Responsible Digital Citizens cross-cultural exchange program. This program is specifically designed to support students in both of those areas. By providing journal prompts and secure platforms for interactions, students can share their stories as they connect with global peers across a shared experience.

 

This year we will be using Manga Chat, a recently awarded EdTech platform that converts text into comics through AI technology to support students' mental and emotional well-being, as one of our secure platforms. We will also use Fan.school, a student-centered blogging platform that allows teachers to monitor student interactions. These platforms will enable us to ensure the quality of the exchange experience for all students. Check out an overview of these EdTech platforms in the video below.

 

 

 

 

We all know that the education realm is notoriously short on funding. Part of our mission at Know My World is to ensure that all students can participate in our programs which is why we developed our EveryWorld Initiative in 2015. Through this initiative, we fundraise to provide program scholarships to schools in need of financial support.

 

We need your help. We aim to offer program scholarships to 20 classrooms worldwide to participate in our upcoming Responsible Digital Citizens cross-cultural exchange program. To do that, we need to raise USD 13,000.

 

All donations will directly go towards providing program scholarships.

 

Classroom Sponsorships are Needed

 

Your gift of $700 sponsors one entire class

 

Your gift of $1,200 will support a program match between two participating classrooms

 

This program includes

 

A Live Webinar Teacher Training session focusing on Cross-Cultural Communication, Virtual Exchange, and How to Use the Technology Platforms.

20-Grade Appropriate Digital Journal Prompts

Facilitation Support Throughout the Entire Duration of the 6-Week Program

Classroom-to-Classroom Match

Teacher Introduction Virtual Meeting with Facilitation Support

Access to an award-winning EdTech platform Manga Chat

Access to a secure blogging platform Fan.school

Classroom-to-Classroom Blog Exchange Facilitation Support

Culminating Student Video Discussion or Culminating Video with Facilitation Support

Certificate of Completion for Teachers

Certificate of Participation for Students (if you sponsor an entire class, your logo will go on the program certificates and our website)

 

Your support in helping us match 20 classes will positively impact and create life-changing cultural experiences for up to 900 students worldwide.

 

How Does Our Responsible Digital Citizens Exchange Program Work?

 

 

Why is this type of experience necessary?

 

 

Students are still dealing with mental and emotional health challenges due to the Pandemic. This program is designed to help provide a space for students to reflect and process their past experiences as well as ponder ways they can create a better, brighter future for themselves and the world at large.

 

 

Social and emotional skills are critical to the workforce of the future. The kinds of skills that SEL addresses, such as problem-solving and collaboration, are increasingly necessary for the labor market. According to one estimate, 65% of children entering grade school will ultimately work in jobs that don’t exist today, putting creativity, initiative, and adaptability at a premium.

 

At Know My World, we believe that people learn most effectively when focusing on 3 facets:

 

 

Through these 3 aspects, participants develop deeper connections and can feel empowered to foster communities and create social change. When people understand who they are emotionally, intellectually, and culturally, they then possess a set of skills to explore critically. Applying methods such as self-reflection, open discussion, and group projects, students can make deep connections to the information they discover. They can think about their actions, the ways in which they coexist with cultural differences and similarities, and the impact it has on others. Ultimately, people can then create a deep understanding and mutual respect for the world they live in on both a local and global scale. A rich understanding of self and the surrounding world empowers people to incite and support social change. It is this belief that led to the development of Know My World’s cross-cultural virtual exchange program.

 

Please consider making a donation, or sponsoring a classroom or full exchange match and help us continue our mission to connect children around the world and provide meaningful opportunities for them to grow with and from each other.

 

Your donation will give children opportunities to truly “know their world” and participate in cultural, enriching, life-changing opportunities. Any amount helps us make a difference in the lives of our children!

 

Know My World is an independent nonprofit organization and all donations are tax-deductible.

EIN 83-0529279

 

Click here to learn more about us at our website

 

Testimonials

“I loved the exchange as I was able to talk with someone I had never met. We were able to carry on a conversation and also we were able to appreciate what each country had to offer.”

— Student/ South Korea

 

"My students and I really enjoyed this project. You would not believe the excitement and awe I witnessed as they opened the journals from Australia. The students enjoyed this project very much and I would like to do this again next year. ” — Teacher/ USA

 

"It was a meaningful experience for both the students and teachers. Compared with knowledge learned from textbooks, this project inspired my students by providing an opportunity to have connections with students abroad who come from different cultural backgrounds." —Teacher/ Taiwan