ABSTRACT
This chapter contains six sections, beginning with an overview of the promises and challenges of educational exchange programs. One of the oldest exchange organizations is The Experiment in International Living (EIL), founded in 1932, which developed into an international federation of member countries that has provided exchange programs for nearly nine decades. Federation EIL approved a plan to conduct longitudinal research to ascertain the nature of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) and its components, and to determine the extent to which participants develop ICC during their sojourn, as well as the impact such experiences have upon their lives years later. Indeed, given globalizing trends in today’s world, ICCs are needed for all: the ability to transcend one’s original worldview and to see the world anew from another perspective. To this end, the nexus between language, culture, and worldview is examined as well as fundamental concepts relevant to support ICC development and the value of intercultural experiences. An argument is made to promote bilingualism-biculturalism and a discussion of the role of language educators and interculturalists in promoting these abilities follows. In the end, a common goal is the development of intercultural communicative abilities for all.
