Green River College Receives Grant to Connect Young People From Diverse Places and Backgrounds Through Virtual Exchange
A grant from the J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative will enable Green River College and The Pacific NW COIL Center to give young people global collaboration and learning opportunities – without them having to leave their home communities.
Auburn, WA, November 19, 2024 –– Today, the Stevens Initiative announced Green River College is one of nine schools, higher education institutions, and nonprofit organizations to receive funding to run virtual exchange programs that connect young people in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa. The Pacific NW COIL Center will help reach 8,000 young people along with the new J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative Grantees, supported by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
“I’m proud to celebrate the addition of nine new grantees to our 2024 J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative portfolio today. Over the last year, we have taken great strides to bridge cultural divides and prepare rising generations of global leaders,” said Christine Shiau, Executive Director of the Stevens Initiative. “Everything we do is centered around making transformative global experiences accessible to young people, and that would be impossible without the partnership of these incredible organizations and educational institutions.”
Through virtual exchange, participants build a better understanding of the world around them and develop critical thinking and cultural fluency skills needed to be successful in an ever-changing world. It is a powerful tool to reimagine what global learning looks like, how it can be conducted, and how many people participate.Green River College’s Pacific Northwest and MENA COIL Consortia Building trains higher education faculty to collaborate with international counterparts and develop interdisciplinary, cross-cultural exchange courses. This network will foster high quality virtual exchanges on a variety of topics between universities while building sustainable Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) consortia in the regions. Through project-based learning connected to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, participating students will develop confidence, cultural humility, and global competency, empowering them to solve pressing global challenges.
"We are thrilled to receive this grant, which underscores our commitment to providing innovative global learning opportunities for our students and faculty,” Green River College President Suzanne M. Johnson said. "These initiatives not only enrich the educational experiences of our community but also contribute to building bridges across cultures and fostering mutual understanding in an increasingly interconnected world."
The Pacific NW COIL Center is implemented by Green River College and is supported by the J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative (JCSVEI). JCSVEI is a U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs program administered by the Aspen Institute.
More Information
Green River College is an open-access, public college where students from all over the world come together to learn, grow and enrich their lives. Green River’s main campus stretches over 180 acres of beautifully forested land. Branch campuses, located in downtown Auburn, Kent and Enumclaw, bring the college’s unique educational experiences to local communities. At Green River, students can choose from a wide variety of transfer degrees, Bachelor of Applied Science degrees, career and technical education, pre-college and basic skills courses and continuing and community education classes. High-quality faculty and motivated staff advise, counsel and support students in their chosen educational careers, creating an encouraging atmosphere that fosters achievement. For more information, visit www.greenriver.edu.
The Stevens Initiative, a program of the Aspen Institute, is an international leader in virtual exchange, which brings young people from diverse places together for dialogue and discovery through everyday technology. Created in 2015 as a lasting tribute to Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, the Initiative is building a better tomorrow by championing global citizenship, empowering future leaders, and advancing the field of virtual exchange. Learn more: https://www.stevensinitiative.org.
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) builds relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries through academic, cultural, sports, professional and private exchanges, as well as public-private partnerships and mentoring programs. These exchange programs improve foreign relations and strengthen the national security of the United States, support U.S. international leadership, and provide a broad range of domestic benefits by helping break down barriers that often divide us. Visit eca.state.gov.
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.