CIEE's Community Impact Initiative – September Update
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The CIEE Community Impact Initiative is a company-wide commitment to provide opportunities for students and staff to engage with their international neighbors through community service in every CIEE program.
Since 1947, CIEE’s mission has been to advance peace in our world through international exchange programs that promote mutual respect and understanding. Perhaps no other experience is more universal or impactful to that mission than serving others in need.
Below are highlights from CIEE’s Community Impact Initiative for spring and summer 2026.
CIEE College Study Abroad Community Impact Initiative
For CIEE College Study Abroad, the Community Impact Initiative includes three program planks – 1) introduction of all CIEE students to CIEE's 160 international community service partners to engage in service while studying abroad, 2) a twice-annual community impact week celebrated simultaneously in 49 CIEE study abroad locations, and 3) a community impact student poster competition.
CIEE’s Community Impact Initiative supported more than 350 students from U.S. colleges and universities who volunteered with one of CIEE's 160 international community service partners in 45 international cities.
CIEE’s Community Impact Week attracted 1,000 students and CIEE staff who worked alongside local organizations around the world to build bridges of mutual respect through community service.
CIEE’s Community Impact Student Poster Competition finalists were announced in July 2026. Spring semester study abroad students reflected on the connections they made, the lessons they learned, and the lasting impact of their community engagement. Seven finalists, selected from 36 student poster submissions, will compete to win a donation for their service partner organization at CIEE's 79th Annual Study Abroad Conference in Cape Town, South Africa.
Meet the extraordinary student leaders and learn more about their service projects here.
CIEE High School Study Abroad Community Impact Initiative
For CIEE’s High School Study Abroad, the Community Impact Initiative includes three types of study abroad programs – 1) leadership and service programs, 2) ecology/sustainability/wildlife programs, and 3) Good Neighbor community service programs.
CIEE’s High School Leadership & Service Programs engage students in service-based study abroad experiences around the world. This summer, more than 170 students earned 50 hours of service-learning credit in Youth Development and Leadership & Service in Public Health programs across seven programs in six different countries.
CIEE’s High School Ecology & Sustainability and Wildlife Conservation Programs provide additional opportunities for young students to engage in meaningful global service as they learn about ecology, sustainability, and wildlife. This summer, more than 400 students gained hands-on experience in preservation and sustainability through ten programs in eight different countries.
CIEE’s High School Good Neighbor Community Service Programs – Good Neighbor Kitchen and Good Neighbor Playlab – were launched in August 2026 in Mérida, Mexico, and Monteverde, Costa Rica. High school students from across America learned lifelong career skills in culinary arts and early childhood education, then applied those skills through community service projects with local service partners.
The CIEE Good Neighbor program is fully funded by CIEE to help break down barriers to study abroad for all high school students. Our goal is to build on the success of the 2026 pilot program that funded 60 rising high school sophomores and is designed to grow to 1,000 students each year by 2029.
CIEE BridgeUSA International Exchange Visitor Program Community Impact Initiative
For CIEE’s BridgeUSA, the Community Impact Initiative includes three program planks – 1) CIEE’s One World Café™, 2) CIEE’s Young Civic Leadership Summit, and 3) CIEE’s BridgeUSA American Directory of Community Service Partners.
CIEE’s One World Café™ made its debut in Falmouth/Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in July 2026, providing Cape Cod with a BridgeUSA community support office that will bring together BridgeUSA participants, Cape Cod host employers, Cape Cod community organizations, members of Congress, and Cape Cod residents through cultural programs, volunteer opportunities, community meals, and other shared experiences.
The second CIEE One World Café™ opened in Galveston, Texas, in August 2026, bringing together CIEE senior leadership and local business and community leaders, including representatives from the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce, to celebrate the new community resource. Future One World Cafés are planned for Wisconsin Dells, WI, Mackinac Island, MI, Big Sky, MT, Ocean City, MD, and Boston, MA.
CIEE’s Young Civic Leadership Summit brought 50 of the most promising young BridgeUSA international exchange visitors from 26 countries to Wisconsin Dells in August for three days of leadership training, changemaking projects, and community service activities.
CIEE’s BridgeUSA American Directory of Community Service Partners will be released in January 2027.
As the summer winds down and the fall semester approaches, we look forward to another season of building bridges through the power of community. Look for #CIEECommunityImpact on CIEE's LinkedIn page to see more.