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A sophisticated do-it-yourself strategy
for education with choice & autonomy
Shared Mindspace takes Student Exchange into the 21st century:
it is the most democratic and direct way for bright young people
to exchange knowledge and gain access to international experience.
Shared Mindspace is an ecosystem of interaction between two families.
…………….Two kids trade places and swap families.
…………………………..Their parents actively communicate and participate.
…………… …………………………..So do their peers, school classes, teachers, schools.
What sharing mindspace does: it lets kids dive straight into global education and international horizons, individually directed by their interests and talents.
And: it has cool solutions for budget considerations and emotional barriers.
How? We introduce the kids and their families to the right partners: to each other.
And they help each other. Because one has what the other needs. And vice versa.
Shared Mindspace is Student Exchange going all the way.
If old-style student exchange were just the stone, Shared Mindspace is the peach:
Bright kids want the whole fruit.
Shared Mindspace, SMS for short, is Student Exchange taken quite literally.
It does what student exchange would have done for decades already, had it
been possible. Well, now it is and the internet is our dynamic catalyst.
SMS exchanges two students. They trade places in life, in their family, in class.
They trade their rooms, their place at the family table, their desk in school.
Perhaps for a term, maybe for a whole year. And quite likely not just once.
Before they take the big step, they spend some time finding the right match and
invest more time in getting to know each other well. There is intensive dialogue between the parents, very frequently also between their teachers and ideally there are some
vacations spent together.
SMS gets kids to go global in body and mind, aiming for places that are new and exciting and yet already familiar, meeting new challenges backed by friendly hosts & mentors.
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More and more families acknowledge that in future it will not be sufficient to spend a few weeks in a language summer camp or even one term in a school abroad, they realize that an international orientation in education calls for more involvement. Here is a solution: for every kid who’s keen to know more and to look the world in the eye there is a peer with a curious mind who is ready to share. In fact, there are many; but let’s take it step by step …
Here are partners who have what you need
and who need what you have.
The Shared Mindspace philosophy offers a wholehearted and very personal way to exchange and maximize mutual benefit. And it’s a smashing way to minimize heartache (like homesickness) and financial considerations alike – it works by trading places.
The essence in telegram style:
find out what you’re truly interested in, which languages you have a talent for and which cultures you find particularly attractive – work on your “WANT-profile”
consider how much you know about your own country, history, culture and language; analyze your own home and family to find a clear definition of your “HAVE-profile”
discuss both in-depth with your parents and the rest of the family
based on this assessment start a range of dialogues with potential partners – an ideal way is via the ParentalPal.Org interface but it’s by no means limited to it: the world and the web have a lot to offer
once you think you have found one or more potential partners who seem to be a good match introduce them to your folks and vice versa – if your hearts and minds correlate
the next step is:
arrange for mutual visits, ideally by planning your family vacations to suit both sides!
once you have come to a mutual agreement make sure you show each other not an idealized picture but the real thing – give and get an honest (neither too modest nor too idealistic) impression of people, environment, culture, climate and – quite an important point !!! – of the school you attend …
if, what you see and learn from your visit, from your entire communication and from your gut feeling confirms your reason and common sense decision, then go ahead:
go to your class teacher and to your headmaster and introduce them to the Shared Mindspace scheme, tell them what you intend to do, refer them to all the information offered online (including the growing Case Studies collection) and ask them if they’re game for an experiment to truly and sustainably benefit all sides involved
finally turn their favours in your direction by introducing them to the Parental Pals’ support service for teachers and schools - then change your life!
Take your partner’s place in life and vice versa, trade places and swap all that goes with it: your place in your class, your bed and your place at the family table. Dive deeply into your pal’s culture, get to know the food, the music, the climate, the countryside, the sense of humour, the siblings and the parents – everything that makes a life – with the same intensity and with the same loving attention and empathy that your family back home is giving your exchange partner !
you will have the assurance that you’re with folks who treat you well, who understand that you need a little time to settle in and that you may not end up liking everything – their child is in the same situation in your place back home!
once you’re settled in: take the initiative, ask your new teachers to be your mentors and partners, tell your new class about your own background and about all the things that you think may be eye openers to them, present different perspectives to tickle their imagination and give comparisons to show what you have in common, be ready to talk to other classes too and feel the privilege to be an ambassador for your country – you will find that the wheel soon goes all the way back to yourself and you’re in the middle of an inspiring training camp for finding your own identity …
The adrenalin of global education: new thinking from different perspectives, creative minds to share and exchange ideas with, diversity in the company you mix with and unorthodox theories to tackle both new and established knowledge. It’s getting the”Kick of Getting It”.
Sharing Mindspaces with others will drastically change your horizon. It will make your world more colourful, will sharpen your intellect, deepen your understanding and give your future life a big quality bonus. Try and see for yourself.
The world is yours, you will never look back.
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