Within the confines of the library classroom, Poly students developed skills of empathy and communication through a Narrative 4 initiated story exchange. On Dec. 5 and Jan. 8, two story exchanges with GIP took place. Director of Global Partnerships & Programming and Global Initiatives Program (GIP) Co-Director Ann Diederich described how this program began at Poly: “During the pandemic, we found that people could not get perspectives. Colleagues of mine in New York invited me and students to Different Ships Same Storm, an art and photo exchange with various countries around the world.”

After speaking with Lee Keylock and Ishmael Beah, leaders of the Narrative 4 (N4) program, Diederich helped train 36 Poly students to facilitate an inaugural school-wide exchange — which became a regular event.

“I have been participating in N4 since I was in ninth grade, and my experiences abroad have helped me connect with people around the world, helping practice and complement my foreign language studies,” stated senior Gaia Drago. “I want to help develop and foster the connections I felt N4 allowed me to develop through the years.”

The event started at six in the afternoon, kicking off with presentations from students who had traveled abroad with GIP.

Students then met up with their randomly assigned partners and shared stories about being immersed in an unfamiliar community or encountering a cultural misunderstanding. In groups of ten, each participant recounted their partner’s stories in the first-person. When the exchange ended, the facilitator asked about their hopes for their partners.

Sophomore Warren Peng, a facilitator, described the connection these exchanges create: “The students hear other people’s stories that they probably won’t personally experience. So, these stories give you another perspective in life, broadening your understanding of the world.”