Swaliga understands the power of embracing new cultures. The connections between travel and learning are substantial and Swaliga is working to bring those opportunities to youth at a younger age.
Since participants in Swaliga’s Cultural Exchange program must be at least 14years of age, the Swaliga Digital Pen Pal program is a way for learners to connect with their peers and learn about other cultures before they are even old enough to travel with the organization.
Elementary and Middle schools are paired together, and at least 1 classroom from each school agrees to participate in the matching process. Learners are matched up individually and begin to share photos, pictures of handwritten letters and more with their peers. The first matches are schools in Washington, D.C. USA, and Kigali, Rwanda. Each month learners will be responsible for answering a question, ie. “What's your favorite food in your country?” by handwriting a letter and sharing a photo to be mailed. Each letter is photographed, documented and stored before letters are shipped out.
