GLI brings people together across borders of all kinds to better understand the world’s interconnected challenges.
In 2007, GLI’s founder, Jamie Van Leeuwen, took his first trip to Uganda and Rwanda to learn from East Africans about how they were addressing complex issues in the region —
During his time in East Africa, GLI’s founder noticed that many foreigners were focused on imposing solutions rather than learning from the local communities and understanding the complexities of their challenges.
In 2009, he founded GLI to bring young people from the U.S. to East Africa with the aim of transforming how we approach international development: by listening and thinking before acting.
As the world has evolved, so has GLI. Today, it facilitates dialogue between young people from the U.S. and Africa, encouraging them to engage with critical global issues and inequalities. By fostering cross-cultural conversations and learning, GLI empowers the next generation of leaders to act with empathy and understanding.
Despite the increasing interconnectivity of our world and the growing importance of the African continent in an evolving global landscape, less than 4% of U.S. study abroad students go to Africa each year. GLI’s global classroom programs bring U.S. learners to Africa to maintain critical global connections, broaden perspectives, and enable collaborative problem-solving around shared challenges.
Our Team
Board of Directors
GLI Values