This summer, I had the privilege of co-leading The Experiment in International Living’s Leadership Institute: Spanish Language & Community Engagement in Spain, a program that brought together 16 high school students from the U.S. and 18 from Spain for an unforgettable journey in Granada.

From the start, this program was built on four pillars: peer-to-peer exchange, language immersion, social change, and community service. In practice, that meant living together in a residencia during the week, staying with host families on weekends, sharing meals, navigating city streets, and constantly learning from one another — not only through organized activities, but through countless small moments of connection.

Building Connections Across Cultures

U.S. and Spanish high school students lived, learned, and led together — exploring each other’s cultures, building friendships, and practicing cross-cultural competency through real-life connections. The peer-to-peer aspect of the program was its heartbeat: informal conversations in the residencia, shared laughter during meals, and moments of mutual curiosity helped bridge languages and perspectives.

Language immersion came alive not only in the classroom but in the market, on walking tours, during late-night group conversations, and through family life in Granada. Students had to navigate both linguistic challenges and cultural nuances — gaining skills they’ll carry for a lifetime.

Dialogue as a Tool for Leadership

On our final full day together, we culminated in a youth-led round robin of dialogues. Six stations invited mixed U.S. and Spanish groups to explore:

• Youth Voice & Social Change

• Mental Health, Pressure & Coping

• Creativity, Identity & Expression

• Global Citizenship

• Cultural Missteps & What We Learn from Them

• Friendship & Connection Across Differences

It was inspiring to watch participants not only share their own perspectives but listen deeply to those of their peers. These conversations modeled the kind of engaged, respectful dialogue that is too often missing in our world — and reminded me that leadership can be built one conversation at a time.

Bringing It Home

The program doesn’t end in Spain. Each U.S. participant will now return home with ideas for Community-Based Initiatives — projects rooted in their local communities but informed by their time in Granada. Whether it’s starting a club, organizing an event, or launching a campaign, they’ll bring forward the empathy, global awareness, and problem-solving skills they cultivated here.

As for me — from the U.S. but living in Spain full-time — I am afforded a unique window into the cultural exchange happening between our students. I often told the group that we, as leaders, were also on our own Experiment exchange — learning alongside them and building bridges in real time.

Granada gave us more than a backdrop. It gave us a shared space to live out the ideals of The Experiment: connecting deeply, thinking critically, and leading with heart.