STRENGTHENINGCOMMUNITIES TODRIVE POSITIVESOCIAL CHANGE

Listening to communities and building

local capacity are critical to developing

strong institutions and organizations.

World Learning draws on 80 years of

expertise to help our partners identify

specific needs, resources, and challenges

that inform the design and implementa-

tion of custom development activities.

This approach ensures that our partners

invest deeply in projects and provide the

local leadership required to ensure their

long-term success.

To foster individual leadership, we focus

on building self-awareness and humility,

and a sincere appreciation for the ideas,

cultures, and context of others. World

Learning programs emphasize that

leaders use connection and consensus

to create lasting positive change, while

working to eliminate inequality, discrimi-

nation, and oppression.

World Learning is a nonprofit organization advancing leadership in more than 60 countries. Our mission is to empower people and strengthen institutions through education, exchange, and development programs. Together, these programs build the leadership necessary to address critical issues such as poverty, youth participation, educational access and quality, the spread of HIV/AIDS, marginalization of women and children, and government accountability.

Education

Education transforms communities by

creating new economic opportunities,

strengthening citizen engagement, and

reducing inequality. World Learning roots

its approach in the experiential learning

model and in the field-tested methods of

our accredited SIT Graduate Institute.

We partner with government agencies,

educational institutions, and communities

to remove barriers to education and

improve educational quality.

Our work in higher and vocational

education empowers universities and

training institutions to design and deliver

relevant, learner-centered programs that

help students achieve their maximum

potential while meeting local demands

for a creative and productive workforce.

English skills are essential for participat-

ing in today’s global marketplace. World

Learning helps institutions meet this

worldwide demand in two ways: through

high-quality training for those who wish

to teach English at home or overseas,

and through professional development

for English language education profes-

sionals.

World Learning is also a strong advo-

cate for high-quality, basic education.

Our work increases children’s access

to primary and secondary school to

reduce poverty, improve health, prevent

HIV/AIDS, and protect children from

exploitative labor. Our projects mobilize

communities to support and develop the

skills of teachers, inspectors, curriculum

developers, parent groups, and school

administrators to produce system-wide

educational reform.

Experiential Learning

All World Learning training programs use experiential learning

principles and techniques, combining rigorous academic stan-

dards with hands-on, applied practice. Experiential learning

provides participants with relevant tools to analyze and trans-

form their professional practice while engaging in real-world

tasks, both in the classroom and on the job. Participants do

not simply acquire new skills; they learn new ways of leading

meaningful change.

World Learning works with Algeria’s Ministries of National and Higher Education to implement system-wide educational reform.

Strong organizations help communities and societies

achieve their goals. World Learning works with nongov-

ernmental organizations, government institutions, schools,

universities, and others to strengthen their capacity and

performance.

World Learning has provided organizational capacity building

and performance improvement for decades. Today, host coun-

tries and donors actively seek programs that prepare local

organizations to lead development initiatives in their own

communities, rather than rely on outside assistance.

While World Learning custom tailors every engagement,

our basic approach begins with a collaborative analysis,

designed and conducted in partnership with the local organi-

zation. Together, we identify capacity and performance gaps.

Then we work together to close those gaps, through tools such

as technical assistance, mentoring, small grant funding, and

training. Principles of partnership, sustainable impact, and

accountability are paramount.

Organizational Capacity Development

Capacity Development

IF THIS INTERVENTION HAD BEEN DONE PREVIOUSLY, WE WOULD HAVE SAVED MORE OF OUR FRIENDS.”

- Teferi Kassahun Peer Educator, HIV Prevention

in Large-Scale Construction

Sites in Ethiopia Project

“

Performance Improvement Tools

World Learning’s Participatory Institutional Analysis is a powerful

framework used to help organizations identify their strengths

and weakness in broad categories such as service delivery,

governance, financial management, grant administration, and

monitoring and evaluation. We also work extensively with

performance improvement professional tools that are care-

fully adapted for the development context. World Learning is

an active member of the International Society for Performance

Improvement, a leading international association dedicated to

improving productivity and performance in the workplace.

close

Exchange

A pioneer in intercultural education, World Learning organizes

transformative exchanges and study tours for thousands of

emerging leaders from 140 countries annually. These programs

develop leadership skills, community-building tools, and

professional expertise while immersing participants in other

cultures and contexts.

World Learning provides short-term learning experiences

in the United States for individuals seeking professional

development through links to US and international col-

leagues, new insights, and a broader view of core US

values and culture.

Our academic exchanges place international exchange

students in US colleges and universities to strengthen

their leadership and career-specific skills while exploring

US culture through campus activities, internships, community

service, and homestays with US host families.

Young people from around the globe learn about leadership,

current issues, and peacebuilding on World Learning youth

programs. Our programs empower young people to under-

stand their world, develop civic responsibility, build lasting

friendships across cultures, and gain the skills and motiva-

tion to make a difference in their communities.

GLOBAL UGRAD HELPED ME REMOVE THE CULTURAL BAR-RIERS THAT I HAD BEFORE, IT HELPED ME BECOME MORE OPEN MINDED AND ACCEPTING TO DIFFERENCES THAT PEOPLE HAVE IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD.”

- Uyanga Vladimir Global UGRAD Participant,

Mongolia

International Exchange Program Participants by Country January 2007 - April 2012

1 761

Visitor Exchange, Youth Exchange

“

SELECTED CURRENT AND RECENT PROJECTS INCLUDE:

•Working in the Middle East and North Africa to increase youth involvement in leadership development in Egypt; improve English language education in Libya; and bring Iraqi students to the US to learn about leadership, civil society development, and advocacy.

•Strengthening the ability of NGOs in Jamaica to support populations most-at-risk for HIV/AIDS.

•Facilitating the US Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program to bring about 1,000 visitors to the US for observational study tours each year.

•Creating school-community partnerships to expand care and support for 40,000 orphans and vulnerable children in Ethiopia.

•Addressing healthcare challenges ranging from teen pregnancy to HIV/AIDS awareness in Liberia.

Exchange Programs

World Learning is a nonprofit organization that advances leadership through education, exchange, and development programs in more than 60 countries.

A D V A N C I N G

L E A D E R S H I P

FOR 80 YEARS

World Learning 1015 15th St, NW Seventh Floor Washington, DC 20005

Phone +202 408-5420Fax +202 408-5397Email development@worldlearning.org

www.worldlearning.org

International Development and Exchange Programs are part of a family of World Learning

programs: The Experiment in International Living offers challenging summer abroad

programs that immerse high school students into other cultures and languages. SIT Study

Abroad offers undergraduates semester, summer, and academic year programs in Africa,

Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as comparative

programs in multiple locations. SIT Graduate Institute delivers master’s and professional

education in peacebuilding and conflict transformation, international education, sustainable

development, and TESOL.

Photo credits: Blanka Homolova, Laura Ingalls, Irawan Nugroho, Jeffrey Woodward

It is the policy of World Learning to provide equal employment and educational opportunities

for all persons regardless of age, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, physical or learning ability,

race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran’s status, or any other

legally protected status.

World Learning and its circle design, School for International Training, SIT, and The Experiment

in International Living and its infinity design are registered trademarks of World Learning Inc.

The U.S. Experiment in International Living is a trademark of World Learning Inc.

© 2012. All Rights Reserved