The program is being conducted by PATHWAYS Institute for Negotiation Education, a non-profit organization focused on partnering with education systems and institutions to bring learning and practice of creative, problem-solving negotiation into education. The program is being run with support from the Stevens Initiative (see below for more details). 

The Stevens Initiative is an international effort to build global competence and career readiness skills for young people in the United States and the Middle East and North Africa by growing and enhancing the field of virtual exchange. Created in 2015 as a lasting tribute to Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, the Initiative is committed to helping to expand the virtual exchange field through three pillars of work: investing in promising programs, sharing knowledge and resources, and advocating for virtual exchange adoption. The Stevens Initiative has awarded 83 grants and, by summer 2023, will expand its reach to nearly 75,000 young people in 17 MENA countries and the Palestinian Territories, and in 47 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, one tribal community, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C.

The Stevens Initiative is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute. It is also supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.

In 2021, The Stevens Initiative announced support for 19 virtual exchange programs that will prepare young people to be leaders in our interconnected world. The 2021 Stevens Initiative Grantees will engage nearly 19,000 young people, middle school–aged to young professionals, in dynamic and innovative virtual exchange programs designed to promote connection and learning. Depending on the program, participants will learn about the UN Sustainable Development Goals, mental health, coding, COVID-19, and more through dialogue- and project-based activities.  

The Game Changers in Education program is open to enrollment by undergraduate education majors and pre-service teachers studying at partner universities and colleges. Universities must become official partners of the program for their students to be eligible to enroll. 

The program is currently covered by a grant from the Stevens Initiative. There is no cost to accepted partner institutions or students to participate. 

Through interactive exercises, role plays, and group work, students participating in the program will learn a problem-solving approach to negotiation developed at the Harvard Negotiation Project, which they can apply to their work in education. They will connect with peers from diverse backgrounds and build key professional and intercultural competencies. Students completing the program will receive certificates of completion and will be invited to enroll in the Department of State’s International Exchange Alumni Network and the Localized international professional development platform. Students will also receive invitations to additional learning, exchange, and networking opportunities from PATHWAYS and Empower Peace. 

Partner institutions in the U.S. recruit cohorts of students to participate in the program, create incentives for student participation, and supervise their students’ participation. Each partner school assigns one point person to help coordinate the program and students’ involvement. 

Through the program, partners will be able to provide their students with a unique, interactive, and rewarding virtual learning and international exchange experience – especially valuable during a time when international travel and exchange is limited.

Schools will be publicly recognized as partners of the Stevens Initiative and U.S. Department of State and gain visibility and access to additional exchange and networking opportunities.

We are currently seeking U.S. universities and colleges to join the program, with a focus on undergraduates in social sciences. Please complete the form below and we will be happy to discuss with you.

All MENA spots are currently filled for upcoming editions, but please contact us to express interest in participating in the future editions.

Each semester’s cycle opens with a week of asynchronous activities to get to know one another and to set our frame for “negotiation.” Participants share and comment on one another’s personal introduction videos and brief written assignments. 

Then, we bring participants together for 4 interactive workshop sessions on Zoom in cohorts of around 32 students. Cohorts meet twice a week for ~80 minute synchronous learning and exchange facilitated by Pathways facilitators.

The VE program ends with an asynchronous week of creating and exchanging final videos with individual reflections and ideas for application.

The following is an outline of the current curriculum model. Synchronous program sessions include interactive joint exercises and role plays, as well as facilitated intercultural exchanges and discussions between participants from different countries and schools. Asynchronous sessions focus on creative intercultural communication using video to open a two-way window into participants’ schools, communities and perspectives. 

• Opening: To begin to get to know one another, participants share creative personal introduction videos giving a glimpse into their schools, lives and interests. Participants reflect on real-life negotiation scenarios and core values. 
• Know your Game – We will get to know each other and then, through interactive exercises and a high-stakes role play, explore key choices in negotiation and identify how our assumptions influence our results.
• Creative Negotiation – We will discover and experiment with the seven elements framework developed at the Harvard Negotiation Project through interactive exercises and role plays.
• Preparing to Negotiate – We will practice using a methodical approach to preparing for negotiations using the seven elements framework. Students will work in groups to practice team-based preparation and then conduct negotiations in pairs.
• Constructive Communication – We will take a deeper look at applying communication tools for understanding and navigating different points of view and for engaging in principled and productive influence and joint problem-solving.
• Looking Ahead – What impact can we have with these tools in our lives and communities? We will exchange insights and intentions as future change-makers and leaders.
• Closing – All participants record and share a video in which they share reflections and insights from the program. At certain partner institutions, students write a brief reflection paper and  propose a teaching activity or educational initiative to bring to life values, concepts, and tools of the program in schools, communities, or the wider educational system. 

Many of our BSU students would love to travel abroad, but they are unable to afford it or fit it into their schedules. Game Changers has allowed our students to interact across cultures and gain negotiation skills virtually. After participating in the program, most students discussed how engaged they were in the program. They explained that the interactive and educational online activities were facilitated creatively; the students looked forward to joining the program every week. Game Changers is a learning experience that has a profound impact on students’ personal and professional lives. They have applied negotiation skills across contexts. For example, several students who work in Special Education explained how helpful the negotiation techniques have been in their meetings with students, parents and families. Professors have shared that integrating Game Changers in their courses enhanced their content and motivated students.

Emily Spitzman, Ph.D.
Bridgewater State University
Associate Professor, TESOL Department
Graduate Coordinator – Bilingual Education Certificate
International Initiatives Co-Fellow

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My students had an excellent experience in the program last semester. The feedback from every student who participated was extremely positive. They genuinely appreciated having the chance to participate in a cross cultural learning experience. Students commented on how they found the activities completed during the sessions to be informative, memorable and meaningful. I should add that students who completed the experience in Spring 2023 previous semester still talk to me about the positive impact of the course.

The information about the course assignments, attendance, participation, etc. that was provided by Chantay was helpful to me as a course instructor. Having this information enabled me to connect with students regularly about their progress in the course . By not having to track down assignments, I was able to spend additional time engaging with my students about the course material.

It is truly an honor to be part of this transformative learning experience for students.

Karen (DiGiovanni) DeAngelis, Ph.D
Fitchburg State University
Associate Professor
Undergraduate Program Coordinator in Special Education
Graduate Program Chair in Moderate and Severe Disabilities