International education is a life changing experience, and builds greater empathy, tolerance, and compassion. Sparking a love of intercultural exchange for students at a young age encourages social emotional skills curiosity, critical thinking skills like open-mindedness, and global citizenship skills like language development, leading students to seek out international opportunities in the future. For students, a global education leads to more future opportunity as international education is a critical part of today’s interconnected world. These international education opportunities are facilitated by students’ greatest advocates, teachers. The Cultura Connect Cohort for teachers facilitates international community and support, and provides free resources for immediate classroom use, taking work off teachers’ plates. If teachers have what they need, they can do what they do best, support student growth. By increasing access to intercultural exchange in classrooms across the Americas, we are addressing inequities in international education, leading to more empathy and understanding across borders and between cultures, and decreasing xenophobia in the Americas.
