At this week's Round Table, Inica, Jack, Kenisha, and Madeline spoke with David McCullough of the American Exchange Project (AEP) AEP is a first-of-its-kind, free exchange program in which you stay in your own country. That’s right, you don’t need a passport to experience different cultures given the diversity of America and how deeply the political landscape varies in different regions. Based on his own experiences and conversations with some of the best thinkers about bridging divides in America, David recognized that one of the best ways to learn about different people and places is to experience them directly and so he cooked up this way to expand young people’s perspectives by traveling, exploring, and learning more about the United States before they head into college. We talked about how the American Exchange Project came to fruition, what’s been successful--and what’s been challenging, and how David hopes to build out AEP in order to create the generational change we need. David reminded us that rather than worry about ‘saving America’, young people can and should start with kernels of connection that can be forged by having fun, communicating with one another, and being the teenagers we are. Sounds good to us. Thank you for listening!
