By Oudou Sanogo | Director, Virtual Exchange & Ed. Technology
Unite All Schools Virtual Exchange Upcoming Fall 2025
Unite All Schools is preparing for the 2025-2026 academic year. During the 2024-2025 academic year, United Planet connected over 300 students and teachers from 18 schools in 10 countries to engage in project-based experiential learning. The participating schools were predominantly of equity-deserving backgrounds. Teachers reported significant impact on their students with most consequential impact in the rural schools. We are delighted to share some impact stories from a few of our teachers below.
Impact Stories:
1. Michelle’s class from Eastern Middle School, Greentown, IN
Learning Through Action: Tackling Hunger and Poverty
Michelle’s students participated in a virtual exchange with George Mason Academy school in Ghana. They engaged in deep conversations and hands-on projects focused on community needs, particularly hunger and poverty. What began as classroom research quickly evolved into real-world service, where Michelle’s middle school classroom:
“We found out there are many programs and people nearby with a passion to help others and it was very inspiring.” Michelle reflected on the experience.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the program for students were the live Zoom sessions with the partner classrooms in Africa (Ghana). These virtual exchanges became windows into different cultures, lives, and perspectives.
“The best part of the program were the Zoom sessions when we could talk to our new friends overseas... After each session, there would be a lively discussion about what students learned the next day.” Michelle said with enthusiasm, recalling how those moments brought the experience to life.
For students who had never left the state of Indiana, hearing firsthand about life in different parts of the world was a powerful experience that sparked curiosity and empathy.
A Ripple Effect Beyond the Classroom
Michelle shared that the program didn’t just affect her students — it reached their families as well. Parents wrote in to express how their children were showing greater compassion and a growing desire to make a difference in the world.
“This program has been a life-changing experience for everyone,” said a supportive parent whose seventh grader participated in the Unite All Schools virtual exchange.
2. Karen’s class from Waterford Union High School, Waterford, WI
Karen’s senior Global Competency class in Waterford, Wisconsin, USA participated in United Planet’s Global Virtual Classroom Exchange Program last fall connecting with schools from India, Czech Republic, and Uganda. This exchange was not only Karen’s first time joining United Planet’s Virtual Exchange Program but also her first in running such a class focused on Global Competency. It was a unique, enriching experience for her students who “enthusiastically planned and executed projects on food waste, environmental education, language inclusivity, and public transportation. As we worked from week to week, my class was thrilled to chat with our international classroom partners, Karen said.
Students broadened their perspectives on global challenges and learned that their classes had more in common despite differential issues in their respective communities. Moreover, Karen shared that the program “inspired her students to open their minds to other cultures while simultaneously developing crucial “soft” skills: reaching out to community partners, speaking professionally, using self-awareness when on virtual calls, completing graphic design projects, educating their fellow classmates, honing leadership skills--all while understanding these global issues from multiple perspectives.”
During the end of the semester survey, Karen’s students reported that the Virtual exchange project and interactions with their peers from the other schools was “their favorite part of the entire class (even surpassing field trips and food days)!” Karen is thankful for having the opportunity to participate in the program which she finds to be a “unique, hands-on, and impactful experience for her students.
Challenges:
Many of the schools are unable to pay for the participation fee and heavily rely on sponsorships. About 90% of those schools, mostly equity-deserving schools, need funding (full or partial) to help cover their participation fee. Many of the teachers share the funding challenges that Karen, a teacher from Wisconsin, discussed in the video below. We are grateful for your generous donations to keep the program running and accessible to all equity-deserving schools. Thank you for your continued support in providing the schools with scholarships to help cover the participation fee.
A language teacher from Wisconsin calls for scholarship support: Watch Video
Links:
By Oudou Sanogo | Director, Virtual Exchange & Ed. Technology
By Oudou Sanogo | Virtual Exchange Program Director
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