December 15th, 2004

Filed under:
The Long View
4 Comments »

Every High School Student Abroad

The Pew Internet and American Life Project and the Gates Foundation have an exciting idea. What if every high school student in the US spent six weeks in a third-world country?

If the United States wants to help end the violence of war and terrorism, we need to build bridges to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, many Americans have little knowledge about other countries. A study by the National Geographic Society found that eighty-five percent of Americans aged 18 to 24 could not find Iraq on a map.

Might that change the whole nation’s perspective on global politics? Might it encourage American children (and their children) to narrow the gap between the have and have-not countries? It seems like a good idea with an eye for the long view.

Comments: 4 Responses so far

Richard
December 15th, 2004
11:38 pm

I say randomly split high schoolers into two groups: one group does the third-world exchange thing, and the other group does a state-to-state exchange. Even make them Red State-Blue State pairings: New York State students get to go to Texas and vice versa, Minnesota students get to go to Nebraska and vice versa. Even if children from Republican households visit Republican states (and Democratic students visit Democratic states), at least they’ll get to visit with different types of members of their own political party, so that they can at least understand where the other guys and girls are coming from.

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Richard (a different one)
December 16th, 2004
5:12 pm

I think this is a good idea, if they actually interact with the people of the country. Too many “country visits” end up being “hang around with people from your country or similar countries, and ignore the actual place you are in”. e.g. BNL

I can go to europe travel with my friends
I can blow a thousand deutsche marks
To get drunk in a pub with some australians.

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Jodie
December 16th, 2004
11:25 pm

I heartily agree. I would even *insist* that this should be done as often as possible. I have been lucky enough to have gone on several exchanges in my life, and does it ever give you a broader view. You get to not only find out who you are without those people around you that hold you to their own pre-conceived notions of who you are and how you “normally” act, but you also get to literally look at something new through the fresh eyes of a child and get to *know*. Those trips seriously molded who I am today - and how I react towards others. Breaking bread and sharing poutine with another family is an amazing education.

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Augie De Blieck Jr.
December 20th, 2004
12:48 pm

Great idea, until the first students die overseas. It’s a nightmare waiting to happen.

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