Now, more than ever... the world needs you and Road Scholar
Making connections. Bridging cultures. Sharing ideas. Understanding differences. Developing friendships.
Now, more than ever, the world needs you and Road Scholar. Why now? Because you and I can make a difference in the world. Together, we can reach out to and connect with people across America and around the globe, hand in hand, face to face, eye to eye. Connecting with others, we learn firsthand about their beliefs, hopes and dreams. Learning leads to friendship, friendship leads to understanding, and understanding leads to a better and more peaceful world for everyone. You and your fellow Road Scholars see the world as a place of infinite discovery and Road Scholar embodies the principle that learning together is a powerful and life-affirming way to bond with others. Together, we embrace the world with open arms, open minds and open hearts. We know that together we are stronger than our differences — and that has always been education’s great promise and strength, and the source of our infinite charm as students of and ambassadors to the world.
There’s no better time than now. We are living in a unique time in history. A time when technology has unleashed a world of knowledge at our fingertips, but distanced us from the simple warmth of a smile and a “good morning” for someone we encounter every day on the sidewalk or in the local coffee shop. A time when the institutions on which society has stood firm for centuries are being questioned and shaken. A time when people must work together and compromise, rather than staking intractable positions in opposite corners. It is a time when people across the world are unsettled, anxious and unsure about the future.
The world needs you and Road Scholar. Road Scholar provides the opportunity for each of us to make connections with people of different nationalities, cultures, races and creeds – understanding our shared values rather than dwelling on our differences. Learning together, we demonstrate the importance of celebrating difference, of joining hands across arbitrary divides. Learning about other cultures creates bridges of understanding and trust between people.
Sharing ideas is a powerful way to open our minds to worlds we could never discover on our own. Understanding differences in customs and beliefs is the first step toward loving our neighbors who may seem very different from us on the outside. Developing new friendships is the key to living life to its fullest all the days of our lives on this earth.