Level Up Village (LUV) is a global STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) program that connects students in the United States with over 30 global partners in 23 different countries.

Today, it announced its latest endeavor to broaden the experiences and cultural awareness of U.S. students with its first Arabic language and cultural exchange program.

"Upper School students taking Arabic as their foreign language at Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey, are practicing their language and listening skills by exchanging video messages with Palestinian students at Pioneers Baccalaureate School in Nablus, West Bank,” LUV said in a statement.

The one-on-one collaboration is facilitated by LUV’s global communication platform, which has helped to connect over 100 U.S. schools to communities abroad.

"Over a five-week period, students at Delbarton School will exchange a series of video messages in Arabic with individual partner students in Nablus, West Bank. They will discuss topics such as sports, food, hobbies, travel, family life, school routines, career aspirations and daily life in their respective countries,” LUV said.

The Delbarton students currently participating in the program are in their second year studying Arabic and are using the experience to broaden both their language skills and their understanding of Arabic cultures.

The educators and administration at Delbarton School are nothing short of thrilled to be able to offer such an experience to its students.

“When we come to know one another as humans, yes, the concerns of the world become less black and white, but we also exercise our muscles for compassion, understanding and curiosity from the atrophy of our comfort zones,” said Dan Pieraccini, Director of Global Programs at Delbarton School.

LUV started its mission to provide global experiences to U.S. students in 2012; it has since rapidly become an in-demand enrichment program.

And not only is LUV sharing learning experiences, it’s sharing something else too. 

A portion of LUV's profits are used to sponsor the same course at one of its global partner organizations through the company's "Take a Class, Give a Class" model.

Each LUV course is a customized program that focuses on its partner schools' specific needs and curricular to determine the best enrichment option. A global partner is selected together and LUV then focuses on training the schools' teachers to use the program before fully integrating the course and its materials. If you're interested in offering a LUV course in your school, more information is as simple as a phone call or e-mail; a contact form is available here.

Read about LUV'S new Arabic exchange program here. 

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

1/20/2016