The goal is for American exchanges to become a rite of passage for new graduates—as common as the senior prom.
COLUMBUS, OH, UNITED STATES, May 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Civic Futures Institute and America 250-Ohio will gather leaders at the Ohio Statehouse today to introduce American Exchange Project in Ohio. The organizations will announce a bold new vision and an ambitious investment in civic connection in up to 20 Ohio communities in 2027.
The partnership brings together Civic Futures Institute’s work to restore civic imagination, American Exchange Project’s national domestic exchange model, and America 250-Ohio’s statewide commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
American Exchange Project is the country’s first free domestic exchange program, founded in 2019 as a nonpartisan solution to the growing divisions in our country, and designed to create lasting connections between Americans from different backgrounds, foster empathy among neighbors, and give young adults the chance to see themselves and their country in new ways.
The summer after graduating, high school seniors spend one week immersing themselves in an American community completely different from their own, and another week showing students from across the country the best parts of their town. Both weeks are rooted in shared adventure, unlikely connections, and a love for our hometowns—from Alaska’s icy glaciers to L.A. ’s glittering coastline to Kansas’s rolling fields of golden wheat—and everything in between.
“At a time when Americans are often told how divided we are, this partnership starts from a different premise: that the country is still knowable to itself when people meet through real communities and shared experience,” said Lisa Duty, Ph.D., Founder of Civic Futures Institute. “This partnership invites Ohio communities to help shape the next chapter of the American story by investing in young people, hometowns, and the relationships that strengthen civic life.”
Cleveland City Schools and Bellefontaine Local Schools hosted exchanges in 2025. The May 13 reception will introduce civic, education, and elected leaders to the opportunity to participate in an expanded Ohio cohort. With partnership and new investment, the program will grow to reach an additional 20 communities, with the official announcement of the America 250 Ohio Commemorative Cohort planned for this fall.
“American Exchange Project is built on a simple but urgent idea: young Americans must have the chance to encounter their country and the people in it directly,” said David McCullough III, Cofounder & CEO of American Exchange Project. “We are proud to work with Civic Futures Institute and America 250-Ohio to bring this first-of-its-kind program to Ohio at a moment when the nation is both reflecting on its past and imagining its future.”
The Ohio initiative aligns with America 250-Ohio’s work to commemorate the United States’ 250th anniversary by engaging communities across the state in reflection, participation, and civic renewal. “America 250-Ohio is about more than commemoration; it is about participation,” said Todd Kleismit, Executive Director of America 250-Ohio. “This partnership helps carry the 250th forward into the places where civic life is actually formed: in hometowns, public spaces, and the relationships that remind Americans they belong to something larger than themselves.”
Early survey data from an independent university study shows that American Exchange Project participants became substantially less biased towards those who view the country through a different ideological lens, made an average of three new friends throughout the program, and grew more hopeful about the future of the United States.
The goal is for American exchanges to become a rite of passage for new graduates—as common as the senior prom.
Lisa Duty
Civic Futures Institute
lisa@civicfutures.us
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