Culturewise Youth
Youth united across cultures to create solutions for a better world!
There is a significant lag in global youth's preparedness to interact cross-culturally
The OECD (2018) Global Competence Framework study found that 47% of students in countries surveyed reported feeling unprepared to interact with people from different cultures. This suggests a significant gap in education systems worldwide, where global perspectives and cultural awareness are not sufficiently integrated into curricula.
Citation: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2018). Global Competence for an Inclusive World: Preparing our Youth for an Inclusive World. OECD Publishing.
OUR MISSION
We empower youth with educational resources and virtual cohorts that connect communities entering the digital landscape with global peers. We support cultural sensitivity, collaboration, and sustainable development through co-created local solutions, digital access, and global partnerships.
Get Merch!
All profits go towards youth programming and supporting sustainable development in our partner communities.
New paradigm education
To “teach” youth to lead and collaborate peacefully and innovatively tomorrow, they need to start today.
In a rapidly evolving world, top-down education is necessarily being transformed into liberated, self-directed, expertly facilitated learning for youth.
True agency and equality are achieved through collaborative, non-hierarchical interactions
Research shows that self-directed, real-world learning enhances critical thinking and empathy—essential skills for a peaceful future.
Culturewise Youth empowers young people by connecting them on projects they choose and develop, offering the facilitation and connections they need for success.
Current Initiatives
We are in a transitional phase of our organization.
As Culturewise Youth Association, registered in Lot, France; we are currently working to expand our grassroots work with partner villages in Dogon Country, Mali into our larger vision!
Towards this end we have a book that is currently available, we are creating community-based programs to share Dogon culture within a cultural sensitivity framework, and are creating our first cross-cultural cohort of Dogon and French students who will work to address a real-world need in Dogon Country.
We are seeking funding and support to help our partner villages' schools in Mali gain access to basic educational technology so that they may participate in our program. We are continuing to take donations which support education and women's initiatives in Dogon Country while working to expand beyond our donation-based paradigm.
We are also working on providing unity and cultural sensitivity programming in libraries, schools, and festivals. We are sharing our children's book and working with our partners in Dogon Country to help them share their beautiful culture and lifeway in the ways they desire.
Board of Directors
OFFICERS
ESTELLE BRACK, Secretary. Humanitarian NGO Leadership. France
RODRIGO CRESPO, Vice Chair. International Business Leadership. USA
SOUBA GIRIDHARN, Treasurer. Climate Risk, Sustainable Finance. India.
JACQUELINE KING-PRESANT, President, Alternative Education, Team Leadership. USA
DIRECTORS
JOSEPH BENKIRAN, Business Leadership/Entrepreneur. France
JEFF MATHERS, International Business. USA.
NAOMI MUCHIRI, International Marketing. Kenya/USA
Calling All Changemakers
Interested in applying to our Board of Directors or Advisory Board? Reach out to hello@culturewiseyouth.org!
Please join our mailing list and check out any events below!
We are aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals...
“We commit to ensuring that all people, especially young people, have access to quality education that fosters critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and respect for human rights, in order to contribute to a more just, equitable, and peaceful world.”— UN Summit of the Future, 2023 Declaration