YFU Symposium on Intercultural Exchange and Democratic Engagement
đź“… 26 October 2026 | đź“Ť ESCP Business School, Paris, France
Reframing International Education as Democratic Infrastructure
Across the globe, democratic societies are facing a growing crisis of social cohesion. Rising polarization, declining civic trust, and mounting pressure on multilateral institutions are weakening the foundations of democracy and international cooperation. Founded in 1951 to foster understanding and build bridges across divides, YFU's mission is more relevant today than ever.
To mark its 75th anniversary, YFU is bringing together educational leaders, policymakers, funders, practitioners, and alumni for a half-day symposium to explore a central proposition: international education and youth exchange are not simply educational opportunities - they are essential investments in democratic resilience and the future of multilateral cooperation. By reframing intercultural exchange as democratic infrastructure, the Symposium aims to strengthen its place in education policy and public investment.
Why This Matters Now
International education is often valued for promoting cultural understanding and personal growth. This Symposium argues that its significance goes much further. Democracy depends on citizens who can engage across differences with empathy, critical thinking, and dialogue - qualities cultivated through lived intercultural experience.
Young people who study abroad, and the families who welcome them, gain firsthand experience that different cultures, values, and ways of organizing society can coexist. They learn that disagreement need not lead to division, but can be navigated through mutual respect, dialogue, and democratic institutions.
By building relationships across borders, participants become advocates for cooperation not through ideology, but through lived experience. At a time when democracy, civil society, and the multilateral world order are under increasing strain, intercultural exchange is not a luxury or a soft-power tool; it is an essential investment in democratic resilience and a more cooperative future.
Core Themes
1. Democratic capacity building & literacy
Democracy depends on the ability to understand and engage with different perspectives. Yet in polarized societies, this capacity is often underdeveloped.
What this means: intercultural exchange builds the cognitive and emotional skills needed to navigate difference, hold multiple viewpoints, and find common ground without requiring consensus.
2. Multilateralism as practice, not ideology
Global cooperation is weakening not only as a policy framework, but as a shared belief. For many, it remains abstract and distant.
What this means: living, learning, and collaborating across borders makes multilateralism tangible, grounded in trust, relationships, and lived interdependence.
3. Systemic scaling & inclusive access
The benefits of international education have too often been limited to privileged groups, reinforcing rather than reducing inequality.
What this means: expanding access to youth exchange programs is a prerequisite for strengthening democracy globally.
Symposium Sessions
The Symposium is structured as a half-day strategic dialogue with four substantive sessions, each advancing engagement with the three imperatives outlined above.
Opening Keynote: International Education and Democratic Renewal in a Time of Geopolitical Fragmentation
The keynote will explore why youth exchange and intercultural education are essential infrastructure for democratic societies and international cooperation and not merely instruments of soft power or cultural diplomacy.
Session I: Democratic Competence and Civic Outcomes
This session moves from macro-level analysis to measurable impact. An academic expert will present research linking intercultural experience to democratic engagement. This will be followed by a panel of YFU alumni active in civic and educational life reflecting on how exchange shaped their understanding of democracy, their ability to engage across difference, and their commitment to intercultural understanding.
Session II: Scaling Impact Through Partnership and Policy
This session examines how to make the benefits of youth exchange systemic rather than exceptional. Panelists will discuss why governments differ in prioritizing international education, which policy frameworks enable or inhibit inclusive access, how public resources can leverage private investment, and the tradeoffs between expanding access and maintaining quality.
Closing: Youth Diplomacy and Strategic Vision
The closing brings together the day's themes in a forward-looking vision. A speaker will consider how youth exchange fits within the broader architecture of multilateral cooperation, followed by a moderated dialogue between YFU Global leadership and external panelists on The Future of Youth Diplomacy. The session concludes with reflections from a young YFU alum, highlighting generational continuity and the organization's long-term vision.
Our Panelists
Through keynote contributions and moderated discussions, the panelists and the audience will engage with both the strategic opportunities and the structural challenges of scaling international education for democratic impact.
We are proud to convene an excellent lineup of global thought leaders, practitioners, and policymakers (additional speakers will be announced soon):
• Olli-Pekka Heinonen – Director General of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB); Former Minister of Education and Science, Finland; YFU Alumni.
• Andreas Schleicher – Director for Education and Skills at the OECD; Initiator of PISA.
• Aydan Özoguz – Member of the German Parliament; Head of the Committee for Volunteering.
• Dr. Mamiko Reeves – former Assistant VP and Dean International Programs at Northwood University in Michigan, USA; YFU Alumni and member of the YFU International Board.
• Prof. Dr. Stefan Kammhuber – Head of the Institute for Communication and Intercultural Competence at Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences and Board Member of the International Academy of Intercultural Research
• Chris Arnold – Founder of Made Impact, a non-profit gathering data to nominate the international exchange industry for the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Dr. Kerry Anne Longhurst - Jean Monnet Professor at Civitas University in Warsaw and Head of the Institute for Political Science and International Relations.
Who is the Event for?
The Symposium will take place on the afternoon of 26 October, followed by an evening cocktail reception. We anticipate around 150 participants, including members of YFU’s International Board, leadership from YFU’s 45+ member organizations, and stakeholders from international institutions, embassies, civil society, and the private sector who are interested in the topic and look forward to engaging discussions. If you would like to enquire about the Symposium, please contact us at info@yfu.world.