NEWS & BLOG
This archive includes Learning Life news, spotlights about our participants and volunteers, and blog posts from Learning Life’s founder, Paul Lachelier.
June 25, 2025: Become of a Friend of Family Diplomacy
June 2, 2025: Sponsor Students for the Youth Summit on Youth Policymaking
June 1, 2025: Join Learning Life’s Fundraising Team
May 29, 2025: Become a Friend of the DMV Democracy Festival
May 6, 2025: New Photo Collage Celebrates 50th Democracy Dinner
April 28, 2025: Sign Up Opens for DMV Youth Assembly on Youth Policymaking
April 7, 2025: Founder’s Blog: Learning Communities for a More 3C World
March 9, 2025: Spotlight: Spring 2025 Learning Life Interns
February 24, 2025: 2025 Family Diplomacy Dialogues Launch March 1
February 18, 2025: New Format for Democracy Dinners in 2025
January 5, 2025: Founder’s Blog: Origin Story: The Roots of Learning Life
December 19, 2024: Stakeholder Spotlight: Cindy Mah
November 21, 2024: Spotlight: Fall 2024 Learning Life Interns
November 1, 2024: Report on the First Democracy Festival in the U.S. Capital Region
October 28, 2024: Sign Up for the DMV Democracy Dispatch
October 21, 2024: Sat, Oct 26 at DemFest: No Sense of Decency
September 27, 2024: Sat, Oct 26 at DemFest: Comedy Show for Democracy!
September 3, 2024: Take Part in the Youth Assembly on Mental Health
August 6, 2024: Spotlight: Summer 2024 Learning Life Interns
July 24, 2024: Six Easy Ways You Can Support DemFest
July 3, 2024: Update on DMV DemFest 2024 Fundraising
June 25, 2024: Participate in Visioning the DMV Democracy Learning Community
June 10, 2024: Take Part in Family Diplomacy Issue Presentations
June 1, 2024: Learning Life Launches $50k DemFest Fundraiser
May 20, 2024: Partner with Learning Life
April 22, 2024: Call for Democracy Festival Liaisons
April 13, 2024: Spotlight: Spring 2024 Learning Life Interns
March 29, 2024: New Posters: Visioning CDI and the DLC
February 27, 2024: Stakeholder Spotlight: Trey Webb
February 23, 2024: New Poster: Six Reasons to Tithe
February 19, 2024: Founder’s Blog: The Case for Democracy Markets
February 1, 2024: Four International Dialogues on Family Security
January 29, 2024: New Poster: 10 Reasons to Support DemFest
December 29, 2023: Report: 2023 Family Diplomacy Training Impact
December 26, 2023: Founder’s Blog: How Business Can Help Strengthen Democracy
December 18, 2023: Founder’s Blog: Five Reasons to Support Democracy Festivals
December 3, 2023: You’re Invited: Family Diplomacy Sweets & Stories
December 1, 2023: Spotlight: Fall 2023 Learning Life Interns
November 26, 2023: We’ve Reached 31% of our $45,000 Goal for Dec 31
November 9, 2023: Stakeholder Spotlight: Gustavo Carvajal Villalobos
October 29, 2023: Three New Program Photo Collages
October 14, 2023: Stakeholder Spotlight: Denise & Bethany
October 6, 2023: Family Diplomacy Stories October 15 & 22
September 24, 2023: Panel Discusses Civility, Philanthropy & Citizen Assemblies
September 6, 2023: Citizen Diplomacy Int’l Mtg #19: Democratizing Int’l Relations
September 2, 2023: Founder’s Blog: Democracy, Education & the Trump Voter
August 29, 2023: Sept 21: Panel Discussion: Democratize America
August 23, 2023: Founder’s Blog: Toward Localizing International Relations
August 14, 2023: Support Learning Life: Host a Democracy Dessert
July 31, 2023: Spotlight: Summer 2023 Learning Life Interns
July 3, 2023: New Video about Learning Life Released
June 25, 2023: Help the Daughters of a Deceased Learning Life Participant
June 12, 2023: Learning Life Establishes an Advisory Council
June 6, 2023: Citizen Diplomacy Int’l Mtg #18: City Diplomacy
May 11, 2023: Toward a DC Democracy Festival
April 27, 2023: First Animated Family Stories!
April 9, 2023: Family Diplomacy Facebook Group Reaches 15k Members Worldwide
March 8, 2023: Citizen Diplomacy Int’l Mtg #17: Health Diplomacy
March 2, 2023: Spotlight: Spring 2023 Learning Life Interns
February 17, 2023: World Family Stories Now on Youtube
February 1, 2023: Family Storytelling Workshops Lead to Animated Prize
January 17, 2023: Democracy Dinners Return In-Person
January 4, 2023: Call to Families: Become International Family Diplomats
January 2, 2023: Call for Family Diplomacy Ambassadors
December 31, 2022: What Happened in 2022, and What’s Coming in 2023
December 19, 2022: Report: 2022 Family Diplomacy Training Impact
December 11, 2022: Our Outstanding Volunteers & Family Diplomats of 2022
December 6, 2022: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #16
November 23, 2022: December 11: Democracy & Diplomacy for a More Caring World
November 4, 2022: Democracy & Diplomacy Community to Offer CD International
October 24, 2022: Spotlight: Fall 2022 Learning Life Interns
October 15, 2022: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #15
September 28, 2022: Founder’s Blog: Three Threats to American Democracy
September 19, 2022: Polarization Event Launches Democracy & Diplomacy Community
September 6, 2022: American Polarization: A Conversation (DDC Event)
August 28, 2022: International Family Storytelling Launches
August 16, 2022: Stakeholder Spotlight: Nick Burton
August 9, 2022: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #14
July 28, 2022: Spotlight: Summer 2022 Learning Life Interns
July 25, 2022: Join Learning Life’s Fundraising Team
July 10, 2022: Phase 2 of Family Diplomacy Initiative Begins
July 1, 2022: First Animated Video about Family Diplomacy
June 21, 2022: Join Learning Life’s Advisory Council
June 8, 2022: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #13
June 6, 2022: Join 1,000 Strong for Family Diplomacy
May 24, 2022: Learning Life Finalist for National “Civvys” Award
May 9, 2022: Stakeholder Spotlight: William Schneider
April 25, 2022: Seeking Family Storytelling Judges
April 20, 2022: Train to Become an International Family Diplomat
April 13, 2022: Spotlight: Spring 2022 Learning Life Interns
April 5, 2022: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #12
March 20, 2022: What is Family Diplomacy, & How Do I Become A Family Diplomat?
March 11, 2022: Stakeholder Spotlight: Sherry Mueller
February 25, 2022: Democracy Learning Community Planning Starts!
February 22, 2022: Joe Toles Joins Board of Directors
February 15, 2022: Call for DMV Democracy Fellows
February 9, 2022: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #11
January 18, 2022: Stakeholder Spotlight: Marvin Fan
January 10, 2022: Join the Democracy & Diplomacy Community
December 31, 2021: What Happened in 2021, and What’s Coming in 2022
December 12, 2021: Spotlight: Fall 2021 Learning Life Interns
December 8, 2021: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #10
November 18, 2021: Sixth 2021 Int’l Family Dialogue Focuses on Education & Leisure
November 15, 2021: New Report: Growth, Milestones, Awards & More!
October 25, 2021: Democracy & Diplomacy Event Draws Participants from 18 Countries
October 15, 2021: Learning Life Milestones since 2016
October 10, 2021: Fifth 2021 International Family Dialogue Focuses on Politics
October 5, 2021: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #9
September 24, 2021: Enter to Win an International Prize
September 19, 2021: This Fall, Help Launch Learning Life
August 30, 2021: Sponsor “Democracy & Diplomacy for a More Caring World” Event
August 24, 2021: Founder’s Blog: America Needs Democracy Learning Communities
August 18, 2021: Third 2021 Int’l Family Dialogue Focuses on Work & Economics
August 13, 2021: Spotlight: Summer 2021 Learning Life Interns
August 4, 2021: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #8
July 26, 2021: Second 2021 International Family Dialogue Focuses on Health Care
July 6, 2021: First 2021 International Family Dialogue Focuses on Global Family Trends
June 23, 2021: Mark Your Calendars! A Taste of Democracy & Diplomacy
June 8, 2021: Seeking Experts & Families for 2021 Live International Family Dialogues!
June 8, 2021: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #7
May 3, 2021: Meet Our Family Diplomacy Ambassadors
April 19, 2021: Founder’s Blog: The Model Family Diplomat
April 6, 2021: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #6
March 31, 2021: Learning Life Marks 20th Democracy Dinner
March 17, 2021: Spotlight: Spring 2021 Learning Life Interns
February 22, 2021: Introducing Learning Life’s New Board of Advisors
February 3, 2021: Introducing Learning Life’s New Board of Directors
February 3, 2021: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #5
January 25, 2021: Profile: Agi-Otto Family (Nigeria)
January 4, 2021: What Happened in 2020, and What’s Coming in 2021
December 31, 2020: Free e-Books on World Food Cultures & Families!
December 30, 2020: 2020 Food Project Impact Report
December 10, 2020: Profile: Cao Family (China)
December 1, 2020: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #4
November 29, 2020: What Does Holiday Food Look Like Worldwide?
November 16, 2020: World Food Talk Draws Participants from 9 Nations
November 11, 2020: This Sunday: Join Our Family World Food Talk Live!
November 10, 2020: Spotlight: Fall 2020 Learning Life Interns
October 29, 2020: Profile: Constanza Family (El Salvador)
October 28, 2020: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #3
October 1, 2020: What Does ‘Comfort Food’ Look Like Worldwide?
September 23, 2020: Help Build a More Caring, Connected World: Join a LL Board
September 12, 2020: Founder’s Blog: Family Diplomacy for a More Caring World
September 8, 2020: What is Family Diplomacy?
August 31, 2020: New Video Silent Stories Feature a Global Cast
August 25, 2020: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #2
August 3, 2020: Introducing the “We Are Family Diplomats” Poster Series
July 27, 2020: Interview with LL Founder on Inequality, Education & Diplomacy
July 10, 2020: Interview with Learning Life Founder on Democracy & Education
July 3, 2020: Founder’s Blog: Toward a Contextual Ethics of Diplomacy
June 23, 2020: Citizen Diplomacy International Meeting #1
June 17, 2020: Interested in Citizen Diplomacy? Join the CDRG
June 8, 2020: Citizen Diplomacy for a More Caring World
May 13, 2020: Become a Learning Life Virtual Tour Guide!
May 3, 2020: Profile: Wang Family (China)
April 20, 2020: Profile: Spring 2020 Interns
April 2, 2020: Profile: Gupta Family (India)
March 25, 2020: Founder’s Blog: Five Steps toward Distance Mentoring & Educational Equity during the Pandemic
March 13, 2020: Profile: Mayo Family (USA)
February 28, 2020: Profile: Pandeya Family (Nepal)
February 3, 2020: Seeking Families Worldwide to Answer 6 Questions on Fb in 2020
January 7, 2020: Seeking Metro DC Professionals for Learning Life Board
December 29, 2019: What Happened in 2019, and What’s Coming in 2020
December 2, 2019: Learning Life Partners with DC International Student House
November 8, 2019: Intern Spotlight: Lexie Hill
October 26, 2019: Founder’s Blog: Open Letter to Learning Life Families
October 11, 2019: Intern Spotlight: Sehar Jamal
October 6, 2019: Intern Spotlight: Amber Spalek
September 30, 2019: Founder’s Blog: 5 Reasons Why Diplomacy Should Involve Families
September 1, 2019: CDI Is Now FDI
August 27, 2019: The Coming International Community of Families
August 1, 2019: Democracy Dinners Begin
July 1, 2019: Food Culture Project Results Are In!
June 17, 2019: Intern Spotlight: José Castellón Gutiérrez
June 2, 2019: Mid-Year Potluck Connects Mentors & Families
May 6, 2019: Mentor-Mentee Spotlight: Baileigh & Suzanne
April 28, 2019: Food Culture Project Complete!
April 3, 2019: Mentor-Mentee Spotlight: Jadyn & Denis
March 26, 2019: Founder’s Blog: Seven Ways of Being in the World
March 18, 2019: Family Spotlight: The Saunders Family
March 4, 2019: Intern Spotlight: Quanchao Fan
February 15, 2019: Learning Life Partners with CPDC
February 12, 2019: Guide to Fundays 2.0
February 11, 2019: Learning Life Launches Fundays 2.0
January 15, 2019: Founder’s Blog: Families: A New Voice for a More Caring World
January 14, 2019: Family Spotlight: Curtis-Winslow Family
December 30, 2018: What Happened in 2018 & What’s Coming in 2019
December 12, 2018: First Global Storytelling Challenge a Success!
December 18, 2018: First International Silent Story Videos Are Out!
December 4, 2018: Intern Spotlight: Yaxeni Valero
November 26, 2018: Founder’s Blog: Globalization, Inequality & Opportunity
November 12, 2018: Intern Spotlight: Lynnette Kitcher
October 24, 2018: Follow-Up Study Compares Family Food Culture in Three Countries
October 22, 2018: Pilot Global Storytelling Challenge Launches
September 20, 2018: Introducing “Cook, Eat & Learn Sessions” (CELS)
September 14, 2018: Founder’s Blog: Toward Good Health, Local to Global
August 27, 2018: CDI Is Two Years Old! Here’s Where We Are
August 3, 2018: Intern Spotlight: Zainab Mahdi
July 26, 2018: Intern Spotlight: Thalia Navia
July 18, 2018: Today Marks Our 100th CDI Activity
July 5, 2018: Intern Spotlight: Anudeep Alberts
June 29, 2018: Intern Spotlight: Yesica Sorto-Argueta
May 2, 2018: Cross-National Food Culture Research Goes Public
April 4, 2018: DC Rich and Poor: A Tale of Two Wards
March 22, 2018: Founder’s Blog: Food and Health in Senegal vs. the USA
March 15, 2018: Intern Spotlight: Vanessa Rincon
February 26, 2018: Intern Spotlight: FZ Kassidi
February 12, 2018: Seeking CDI Youth Mentors
January 22, 2018: Let’s Build a World Affairs Pipeline for Youth in DC
January 8, 2018: Int’l Project Comparing Family Food Cultures Launches
December 27, 2017: Results of our Int’l Community Photo Project Are in!
December 15, 2017: Founder’s Blog: Democratize Diplomacy!
November 26, 2017: Support Learning Life: Host a Diplomacy Dessert
November 20, 2017: Intern Spotlight: Kelly Cruz
November 14, 2017: yPIE Interviews Founder Paul Lachelier
November 4, 2017: The Eight Families in Our First International Project
October 16, 2017: Intern Spotlight: Sara Edgar
October 4, 2017: Number of e-News Subscribers Surpasses 1,000!
September 13, 2017: New Fundays Get DC Kids Learning about the World
August 27, 2017: Founder’s Blog: Today is the First Anniversary of CDI!
August 18, 2017: Volunteer Spotlight: Melissa Ordoñez
August 15, 2017: International Potlucks for a More Peaceful & Tasty World
August 4, 2017: Intern Spotlight: Claudia Merlos
July 14, 2017: Intern Spotlight: Temilola Afolabi
June 27, 2017: Seeking Fluent Arabic Volunteers for International Dialogues
June 13, 2017: Watch: Third Citizen Diplomacy Initiative Video!
May 22, 2017: Watch: Second Citizen Diplomacy Initiative Video!
May 15, 2017: Get Notice of DC Live International Virtual Exchange Meetings
May 2, 2017: How Do We Build Peace in a Divided World?
April 22, 2017: Intern Spotlight: Jo Moley
April 18, 2017: Founder’s Blog: A Neighborhood Approach to International Diplomacy
April 14, 2017: New Facebook Group Connects CDI Families Worldwide
March 30, 2017: Watch: First Citizen Diplomacy Initiative Video!
March 12, 2017: Learning Life Holds First Live Middle East Dialogue
February 22, 2017: Anacostia Int’l Inaugural Meal Features Senegalese Feast
February 8, 2017: Intern Spotlight: Erin Birmingham
December 30, 2016: Learning Life’s 2016 Work, and Plans for 2017
December 19, 2016: Seeking Research Collaborators
December 12, 2016: Founder’s Blog: Inspirations for LL’s Citizen Diplomacy Initiative
December 9, 2016: Volunteer Spotlight: Steve Lainez
November 15, 2016: Founder’s Blog: 3 Deeper Take-Aways from Trump’s Ascendance
October 13, 2016: Two New U.S. Families Join Citizen Diplomacy Initiative
October 7, 2016: About Our Photovoice Project
September 26, 2016: Seeking Metro DC Students to Research & Lead Int’l Dialogues
September 19, 2016: U.S. Families Connect with a New Family in Senegal
September 7, 2016: U.S.-El Salvador Live Dialogue Leads to Dance
September 5, 2016: Internship: Help Organize Live International Dialogues
August 27, 2016: Our First, Live, International, Family-to-Family Dialogue
August 7, 2016: Intern Spotlight: Omar Batterjee
July 28, 2016: Founder’s Blog: What’s Your Position in the World?
July 6, 2016: Volunteer Spotlight: Britany Gatewood
June 12, 2016: Founder’s Blog: A F.A.C.T. Approach to Citizen Diplomacy
May 17, 2016: New Content for Our Globalizing World
April 4, 2016: Intern Spotlight: Maria Luevano
March 25, 2016: Founder’s Blog: Global Citizens for Our Global Age
March 8, 2016: Intern Spotlight: Carolyn Rider
February 9, 2016: Seeking International Dialogue Organizers