World Learning

Founded in 1932 as The Experiment in International Living, the organization that would later become World Learning Inc. was inspired by Dr. Donald Watt’s simple idea to improve understanding across cultures and nations by sending US students abroad to expand their worldviews. Watt, a former personnel director at Syracuse University, believed that instead of seeing themselves and their foreign peers as belonging to separate “categories,” these young Americans could “walk across differences,” build friendships, and lead the way to mutual understanding and respect between cultures and countries. The first Experiment group departed New York City in June 1932 on a ship bound for Germany. After World War II, a need for the values, knowledge, and skills instilled in Experimenters became even more significant. When the Peace Corps was created in 1961 and Sargent Shriver was tapped by President Kennedy to serve as its first director, he drew upon his experience decades earlier as one of the first Experimenters. This fostered a special bond between the two organizations, and The Experiment soon began to apply its teaching methods to train Peace Corps volunteers prior to their deployments, emphasizing cultural nuances and culture shock preparedness. In 1964, The Experiment founded the School for International Training (now SIT Graduate Institute) to educate returning Peace Corps volunteers to channel their new knowledge, priorities, and skills in ways that would impact society and advance meaningful change around the world. After 60 years as The Experiment in International Living, the organization changed its name to World Learning in 1992, which reflected its growing leadership role in international development, language training, exchange, and higher education.