As everything began to shut down a year ago, a wave started to rise on social media with the hashtag #ExchangesMatter. It seemed as it became apparent that in-person exchanges were at least temporarily a thing of the past. Many became afraid that people would forget the importance of exchanges. Yet, 18 months later, we can still see the vital role exchanges play in people’s lives, even virtual ones. Our first virtual IYLEP, the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program, is a perfect example of this phenomenon.
During IYLEP 2021, the adult mentors of the program met with the Pensacola community to exchange stories and ideas. Everyone met over Zoom with coffee in hand to simply chat and ask questions about each other’s culture. Discussing everything from favorite foods to professions to hopes for the future, attendees learned something new about an unfamiliar culture and shared something about their own.
By the end, I had learned much more than I had ever known about Iraq in high school or university. Previously, the country had only been a headline I skimmed and moved past. Speaking with someone from Iraq brought it to life. I learned about the mentors’ struggles growing up and the challenges they are overcoming in their professions. I am now curious to try Iraqi food someday; in fact, I learned there are some Iraqi foods I already enjoy. Speaking with the mentors added humanity to a name I previously knew little about, and suddenly the country did not seem quite as far away.
At the end of the meeting, a Gulf Coast Diplomacy staff member asked everyone to share why they believe exchanges matter in the Zoom chat. Each person expressed their views differently, yet most seemed to be singing a similar tune. Many participants spoke of how these connections allow people from vastly different backgrounds to meet and better understand one another.
Exchanges create bridges that enable us to see our similarities and celebrate our differences. Through this greater understanding, other countries become something more than a headline or unfamiliar story; they become names and faces of people we care about and know. We have a greater incentive to try peaceful negotiations rather than jumping to something more harmful and violent. In effect, something as simple as exchange can make the world a more peaceful place, even to the point of acting as a helper in international security.
It is times like these that the power of exchange becomes evident. Over a dozen strangers met each other through an hour-long Zoom call and departed with mutual respect and admiration for each other. There is certainly no doubt about it: #ExchangesMatter.
-Katherine McCrackin
