American Exchange Project
Bring America Together
The American Exchange Project sends high school seniors on a free, week-long trip to a town very different from their own.
We want these trips to be as normal as senior prom. One exchange at a time, we can bring Americans together.
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The Problem: Americans Don't Know Each Other
Our country is more divided than ever. Americans live in different places. We don't often meet people who are different from us. This makes it hard to understand each other.
The main problem is simple: We don't know each other.
People in cities don't know people in rural areas. Rich communities don't know poor communities. Democrats don't know Republicans. When we don't know each other, it's easy to believe bad things about people who are different.
But there is good news. When people spend time together face-to-face, they start to understand each other. Living with someone is more powerful than just talking about issues.
How It Started: A Road Trip That Changed Everything
In 2016, David McCullough III was a college student at Yale. He borrowed his mom's car. He drove 7,100 miles across America. He visited Texas, South Dakota, and Ohio.
"I grew up with a lot of advantages," David says. "I wanted to see parts of the country I had never seen before."
🚗 The Journey
7,100 miles to towns very different from his Boston home
💡 What He Found
People welcomed him. Doors opened instead of closing.
❤️ What He Learned
We are divided because we don't know each other, not because we can't get along
🎯 The Big Idea
Give other young Americans the same life-changing experience
David worked with Paul Solman (a reporter from PBS NewsHour) and Robert R. Glauber (a professor at Harvard Business School). Together, they started the American Exchange Project in 2018.
Their dream: Make a week in a different town as normal as senior prom.
How AEP Works: Two Weeks That Change Lives
Every student who signs up does two things: Travel Week and Hometown Week. All high school seniors can join if their school is a partner school. The whole thing is free.
✈️ Travel Week
Spend one week in a different community. Stay with a host family.
🏡 Hometown Week
Welcome students from other parts of America to your town
🎓 All Year Program
Plan your exchange with classmates all school year
🎉 AEP Day
In March, find out where you will travel in the summer
Here's the timeline:
- October: Sign-ups open
- November 22: Sign-ups close
- Winter: Students plan their Hometown Week and make friends through their AEP Committee
- March (AEP Day): Students find out where they will travel
- Summer: One week traveling and one week hosting visitors
What you do during exchanges:
- Learn about local culture: Go to local events like rodeos or festivals. Try regional food.
- Meet the community: Talk to town leaders. Visit important places.
- Help out: Volunteer on local projects with community members
- Learn about jobs: Visit local businesses. Meet people in different careers.
What Makes AEP Different
Many groups help people with different views talk to each other. But AEP does something special:
🌍 You Actually Go There
You leave your hometown and live in a different community for a whole week
🏠 You Live With a Family
Stay with a local family. Eat meals together. Talk before bed.
💯 It's Totally Free
We pay for plane tickets, food, housing, and all activities
🤝 You Travel and Host
You learn about others and share your own community
🎯 We Pick Different Places
We match you with a town that is very different from yours
📚 It Lasts All Year
You work on your exchange all school year, not just in summer
We focus on connection, not arguments:
- We don't do political debates
- We focus on fun—the best pizza place, cool local spots
- We share stories about what we love and what's hard in our communities
- Everyone has something to learn and something to teach
- We help students feel good about themselves
Real Results: Changing Hearts and Minds
Research shows AEP creates real change:
- More friendships across differences: Students hang out with people who disagree with them more often after AEP
- More faith in Americans: Students trust their fellow Americans more and feel hopeful about the country
- Friendships that last: The first group of students still stay in touch years later
- Better mental health: 90% made a close friend. One student got more birthday texts from other towns than ever before.
- Bigger world view: 30% had never been on a plane. 50% had never been to another state.
- Better at working together: Students get better at listening, finding middle ground, and working with others
Harvard University is studying AEP: Researchers at Harvard are looking at how AEP changes students' views, relationships, and interest in helping their community.
How You Can Help
The Big Dream: A Trip for Every Senior
We want a week in a different town to be as normal as senior prom.
Imagine if every high school senior in America got to visit a town completely different from their own. They would meet new people. Experience different ways of living. Make friends that last a lifetime.
Why this matters:
- For our country: A more connected America is a stronger country where people respect each other
- For young people: Students learn empathy, see new things, and become better leaders
- For communities: Towns feel proud and make connections that help everyone
- For families: Host families say welcoming students makes their own lives better
- For America: Our country's differences make us strong when we know each other
About the Organization
📅 Started
2018 in Boston, Massachusetts
📍 Main Office
Boston, Massachusetts
⚖️ Type
Nonprofit organization (EIN: 84-2485684)
🏆 Awards
Forbes Under 30, CNN Champion for Change
Who runs it:
- David McCullough III — Co-Founder and CEO (went to Yale and Cambridge)
- Paul Solman — Co-Founder (works for PBS NewsHour)
- Robert R. Glauber — Co-Founder (professor at Harvard Business School)
Board members include:
- Akhil Reed Amar — Law professor at Yale
- Arlie Hochschild — Researcher at UC Berkeley
- Jonathan Fanton — Used to lead MacArthur Foundation and American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Who gives money to help:
- Carnegie Corporation of New York: $3 million to help us reach all 50 states
- MacArthur Foundation: Early support to get started
- Steven Spielberg's Hearthland Foundation: Big donations to help
- Harvard University: Studying how well the program works
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences: Recognition and support
In the news: CBS News, CNN, PBS NewsHour, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, and many other news outlets have shared AEP's story.
