Making the world less…foreign?
I often ask our American student participants how they think the world perceives the U.S. Invariably, I get the same answers: ignorant, arrogant, close-minded…And when abroad, it’s not uncommon for me to overhear the following stereotypes: Americans don’t like to travel outside of their own country. They find it too risky, some say. Too dirty. Too…foreign.

Could this really be true? When I see the young people we work with (most of whom are American) I get the sense that they are, on the contrary, quite hungry to explore the world and its cultural diversity.

The fact remains that only about 20% of American citizens own a passport, and that most will never visit a foreign country in their lifetime. Compare that figure with, say, Canada (where more than 40% of the population owns a passport) and one begins to wonder...

This summer, this coming fall, I challenge you to help change things. Bring your family on an international adventure. Host an exchange student for a year. Sponsor one of GNG’s cross-cultural exchange programs! Wherever you are, wherever you come from, “export” everything that is good about your country. You’ll be that much closer to making the world less foreign.

Very best,

David Macquart, Director of Programs

Iraqi and Rwandan GNG program alumni to attend U.S. universities this September

Two of our most unforgettable alumni from two of our most powerful programs will be coming to school here in the United States this fall. Four years after our Project Voice videoconference program in Iraq, Sari, from Baghdad, will be attending Georgetown University. Three years after our Rwanda Alive program, genocide survivor Ingrid will be attending Stanford University, becoming the first-ever Rwandan student at that school. Both will begin pre-med coursework and return to their home countries to practice medicine. Chris Plutte was instrumental in helping these students reach their goals, mediating between them and university faculty throughout the application process. Sari became famous for his quick wit in Project Voice: “We don’t like to ride camels…I don’t have a bomb in my pocket. And you don’t look like cowboys who like to fire, Pow Pow!” Ingrid, orphaned by Rwanda’s genocide of 1994, told her story of survival and hope to Americans and became the voice of our documentary Rwanda Alive. We congratulate these students as they realize their dream of attending an American university.

Contribute to Sari’s Education GNG has established a university fund for Sari’s remaining expenses at Georgetown. After a $15,000 scholarship, he’s still $40,000 short for the upcoming school year. If you’d like to contribute to his fund, please contact Chris Plutte at chris@gng.org.