The American Exchange Project
What if every high school senior went across the country to another town and spent a week hosted by another family working, volunteering, and hanging out with 12 other high school seniors from around the US?
That’s what David McCullough III is finding out. He’s the co-founder and CEO of the American Exchange Project, a non-profit that is trying to reconnect America, one 18-year old at a time. They will host their 1,000th participant this summer across 34 different states. Every trip is completely free for the student, from airfare to lodging to food and programming.
David, whom I interview on the podcast this week, started AEP in 2019. “So many people were concerned about polarization, but what were we doing about it? I thought this was something concrete that Americans of every background could get behind.” One of my policy goals in 2020 was a very similar “American Exchange Program,” and I’m thrilled that David and his team have brought such an important vision to life.
David was 24 back in 2019. “My parents were surprised when I moved back home to start a non-profit with a couple of guys they’d never heard of.” Their early days were catalyzed by tragedy. “One of my co-founders, who was in his seventies, developed Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He told all of his friends that the American Exchange Project would become his legacy. He and his friends raised about $500,000 for our new little organization, which was enough for us to hire a team and get started.”
So what has the impact been in participants? “We’re seeing civic benefits where optimism about America’s future and faith in other Americans shoots up. We’re also seeing mental health and social benefits; 90% of our participants say they made at least one more close friend. One alum said she’d never gotten so many text messages when it was her birthday the next year from people outside her town. 30% of our participants had never been on a plane before. This experience has completely changed their horizons.”
It makes perfect sense. When I was young I went to sleepaway camps with people from different towns. When you spend all day with someone you can become friends pretty quickly. If you are put in an intentional environment where you work together and make common cause, it’s easy to imagine intense, even lifelong bonds forming. “We’ve seen persistent effects and relationships from the 1st alumni class over what is now several years.” This genuinely is the way change happens.
Now David has a big vision. “Imagine if 1 million high school grads visited another part of the country and brought back a different understanding and new relationships with them every single year. That’s what AEP is trying to make happen, and I want to make it happen by 2030.” Given how much they’ve accomplished already, it’s hard to bet against David and his team. A country where 18-year olds felt better about the country and its people would be a better, stronger one.
For my interview of David click here. To check out the American Exchange Project click here. To see what Forward is doing in your area to bring people together, click here.
Some fun news - I will be speaking at TED in April! That should be a great way to get the word out about how to improve our politics. I will also be speaking at the Hudson Valley Ideas Fest in April.
