WHY:

  • The purpose of GCE’s Urban Exchange Program is to build global awareness, connection, and opportunities for action for public school students throughout the nation.  GCE’s year-long Urban Exchange program offers an immersion into the cross-sections of America as a foundation for understanding global vision, interaction, and sustainability.
  • Participants learn why and how cities manage resources, sustain population, stimulate enterprise, and shape culture. During the year-long, multi-city, shared learning experience, students investigate each city’s approach to resources, urban planning, and culture.  Research and real-world exploration result in proposals for how individuals, organizations, and cities might effectively and realistically evolve in order to thrive in the future.

WHAT:

  • One significant difference between GCE’s Urban Exchange and almost all other exchange programs is that our youth learn with youth from sister cities throughout an entire year.  We start in person; finish in person; in between we see each other in person. Throughout the year, we learn together through GCE’s blended learning platform.
  • Chicago students, educators, and funders partner with their counterparts from a few U.S. cities that meet GCE’s selection criteria.  In each case, partner cities are vibrant, culturally rich, and they are committed to rethinking, repurposing, and reshaping the urban experience. Students explore each other’s communities in person and online.

  • Curriculum
    • Global Resources: Water, Food, Fuel
    • Global Health: Population, Disease, Cure
    • Urban Planning & Policy: Infrastructure, Housing, Services, Transportation
    • Global Peace

WHO:

  • Public school students (juniors and seniors) from Chicago and three partner cities

WHEN:

  • Program Development: February 2012 through June 2013
  • Year 1: July 2013-June2014
    • Urban Exchange runs July 2013 through June 2014
    • Summer Exchange – July, two week exchange with one week in sister city and Chicago respectively, followed by a one week intensive workshop for students in their respective cities
    • Fall Exchange – October in sister city (tentatively October 11-14 – Columbus Day weekend).
    • Spring Exchange –  April in Chicago (tentatively April 11-14)
    • School year Field Experiences and workshops (1 city-wide FE and workshop per month plus weekly meetings in student “learning groups”; more detail available)
    • Gala event date TBD in June, 2014
  • Year 2: July 2014-June 2015 (adjust 2013-’14 calendar for relevant dates; develop plans for national replication/expansion

An important side benefit of this program is the training of teachers and teaching assistants in GCE’s blended learning and City2Classroom models. This model for learning can be replicated in individual classrooms within a school, across a school district, and in formal and informal learning groups that take a wide range of forms.

Much more information available upon request. If you would like to learn more about GCE’s Urban Exchange or propose an exchange for your community, please let us know.

Many thanks.