Welcome to AmerXchange!
AmerXchange is an an initiative dedicated to cultivating and promoting innovative collaboration across urban/rural divides. Our country has become entrenched in polarized political positions and opposing identities, but the truth is that we all have unique strengths shaped by where and how we grew up. It is time to harness the power of those strengths.
Together we will craft a future in which young American leaders from every background are exchanging knowledge and creative ideas to empower both their own communities and the country overall.
Why Urban/Rural?
The next generation of American leaders are growing up more isolated and divided than ever before, never getting to experience the vast strengths and opportunities of the many communities that together form the United States.
Understanding and celebrating that life is very different for someone growing up in Manhattan versus rural Wyoming, while also recognizing that each of our unique stories and communities contain strengths that together can be utilized to creatively solve problems, is the first step towards healing polarization, frustration, fear, and anger.
What’s more, students today often graduate without the ability to succeed in a world where leadership increasingly demands collaboration skills and expanded networks. Learning to collaborate across divides will help students to excel within their own communities, as well as support one another in innovative, forward-thinking ways that will benefit America as a whole.
Learn more about Our Programs here, and then contact us to discuss how you can get involved!
NEW: Virtual LeadershipXchange
Our story as a country begins with our stories as individuals. Where and how each of us grew up, the communities and identities that shaped who we are and the strengths we each bring to the table. We come from backgrounds as vast as the country itself. Instead of allowing that reality to entrench us in polarized politics and opposed identities, it is time to celebrate our differences as an opportunity for collaborative, innovative leadership that can mutually benefit the communities we each hold dear.
In this very special 2021 LeadershipXchange each small group will be made up of 10-12 students from both urban and rural backgrounds. Together you will engage in a series of four 1 hour workshops to foster innovative collaboration between people from different geographic backgrounds and cultivate professional leadership skills. The program will take place virtually this year, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions.
If you are interested in participating, please fill out this very short survey: https://forms.gle/oJKCZ155i1SWg6em8