What We Do > Our Approach
Leadership Development
World Learning is committed to helping emerging leaders tackle the challenges of a complex world. We work with people of all ages and backgrounds to develop their leadership skills, which they can draw on to make a difference locally and globally.
We foster youth leadership through international exchanges like The Experiment in International Living and the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program. These programs bring together young people from the United States and around the world to strengthen their sense of civic responsibility, develop communication skills, build lasting friendships across cultures, and cultivate the ability, confidence, and motivation to make a difference in their communities. Our youth exchanges don’t end when participants return home—many go on to organize action projects in their communities.
Our professional exchange and development programs motivate participants to take initiative and drive change. The Leaders Advancing Democracy Mongolia program brings young democracy activists together to collaborate on ways to solve their country’s most pressing issues. In Kosovo, our Transformational Leadership Program gives a new generation of leaders the opportunity to pursue master’s degrees in the U.S., then return home to strengthen their professional fields and rebuild a war-torn society. Our global development programs employ the same strategy. For example, in El Salvador, our Higher Education for Economic Growth Project trains educators to use cutting-edge strategies to transform their universities.
Ultimately, our programs cultivate the core principles of leadership. This is evident in our results: Program participants routinely report an increase in confidence, cultural intelligence, and empathy, as well as a clearer understanding of what it means to lead. They report a sense of responsibility to ͞pay it forward͟ through volunteerism, civic engagement, and deeper involvement in their communities.
Learn more about how leadership development enriches our work across our six program areas.
PROGRAM AREAS
People-to-People Exchanges: World Learning offers dozens of exchange programs each year, promoting tolerance, empathy, and respect among people from more than 150 countries at all points in their careers and academic lives through professional development, academic, and youth exchanges.
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Global Education: World Learning believes everyone has the right to a high-quality education. We help make that vision a reality through our cutting-edge global education programming tailored to each country and context—including Basic Education and Higher Education.
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Capacity Strengthening: Institutions work best when they fulfill their missions strategically, connect with key allies, and expand to serve a broader constituency. We work beside our partner organizations to help them shift their organizational culture toward one of continuous improvement.
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Youth Workforce and Entrepreneurship: Societies and economies are stronger when each person contributes to community prosperity. World Learning helps youth and adults find a pathway into the workforce through career center development, STEM education, English for the workplace, civic engagement, and more.
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Civic Engagement: People are their own greatest champions. World Learning believes society is stronger when people can influence the life of their communities, stand up for their rights, and hold their government accountable. Our programs seek to foster strong systems of civic engagement everywhere.
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TESOL | English Teacher Training: English is increasingly vital to success in higher education and the 21st-century workplace. Our TESOL teacher training—which includes customized courses, leadership building, and more—helps position teachers around the world to motivate and empower their students in their language learning.
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