Join Cultura Connect’s Cohort to build intercultural curiosity, connection, and confidence between students. With the annual cohort, you become part of an international network of language teachers across the Americas who work together to increase access to international education and intercultural exchange between students. Each cohort participant receives access to free international education resources, bringing the world to your classroom, and increasing access to a global education for students everywhere.
who is eligible to participate?
- English and Spanish teachers
- Must teach in a classroom setting
- Must teach students from ages 5-18 years old
- Any country in the Americas
- Acceptance based on a first come, first serve basis
- Runs from September 2025 to May 2026
- 50 Spots – 25 spots for teachers in Latin America, 25 spots for teachers in North America
application deadline: august 15, 2025
what are you most excited about?
- International Community: this is a community of educators across the Americas, not just one-off programs or activities. Teachers are amazing when they come together, and the cohort model provides the framework for solidarity, support, and peer learning.
- Free Resources: we provide accessible tools to build international exchange beyond actual travel. The free resources expand access to international education for more students by overcoming what teachers identify as the biggest barriers to travel – finances, knowledge, and support.
- Immediate Classroom Use: the goal is to make life as easy as possible for teachers. Teachers can immediately use the resources in their classrooms and we provide as much support as possible.
cultura connect cohort
Each year, we have an annual ‘Cultura Connect Cohort’ of 50 language teachers from across the Americas. It is free for classroom language teachers for students ages 5-18, and includes free access to the resources below designed to build intercultural connection, curiosity, or confidence.
virtual bulletin board
Use the virtual bulletin board to connect with other language teachers across the Americas – swap lesson plans, ask questions about another culture, learn new slang, and build cross-cultural connections to enrich classroom content.
1:1 Class links
Get paired up with another teacher in the Cohort for a 1:1 connection. Cultura Connect makes the connection based on preferences, introduces you, and you work together as a pair to create whatever type of exchange you’d like for your students from there!
Intercultural exchanges
Participate in monthly intercultural exchanges with community building activities like language exchange, cultural spotlights, and/or a resource reviews. Bonus: you’ll get an extra activity for your classroom from each exchange!
explorer resources
Each language teacher that participates in the cohort gets the 3 free ‘Explorer Series’ resources for the classroom to help students discover other countries. All resources will have: language choice (English or Spanish), student age group differentiation (primary, middle, or high school), and country selection (various countries across the Americas). Each resource is designed to build intercultural connection, curiosity, or confidence.
scavenger hunt: where in the world are we?
Your class follows clues to uncover a destination in another country. The clues lead students to the destination, with informational stops about the country and culture along the way. The scavenger hunt route stops at least 10 points of interest.
a day in their life: school edition
Learn what a normal school day looks like for a student in another country. Students start with a quiz to guess what is the same as their school day, and what is different. Finish by learning how close you were by seeing another student’s day with the big reveal!
travel gone wrong
Follow an international student traveler during their travel day. Students split into teams, see what goes wrong (ex: a missed flight, language trouble, passport control), and figure out how to solve the hiccups. The team that solves all the problems first, arrives at the destination, and wins the game!
ambassador resources
Each language teacher that participates in the cohort gets the 3 free ‘Ambassador Series’ resources for the classroom to help students share about their own country. All resources will have: language choice (English or Spanish), student age group differentiation (primary, middle, or high school), and country selection (various countries across the Americas). Each resource is designed to build intercultural connection, curiosity, or confidence.
photo challenge: a glimpse of my world
Students take a photo of one item that is unique or special about your country. The challenge is to find something that students in another country might not recognize, and that might spark curiosity about your culture (ex: a coffee plant, a snowman, a special treat). Students then explain it to the other students – in their own words.
my home, your adventure
Students become a hometown tour guide! Get a profile of a student in another country – and then build a trip for them! What would you take them to do in your hometown? What would you tell them to expect? What advice would you give them about the culture, people, and logistics?
tutorial: how to travel abroad
Students share about how to travel abroad. If you’ve already traveled, share what your experience was like. If you haven’t traveled yet, research what it might be like. Make a short video tutorial (ex: think social media video) for other students with 10 steps to take for a trip abroad.