HEADER

Our Goals:

Culture of Conversation is a socially conscious venture that aims to provide the space for global student interaction to increase education around the world. It is our belief that a global dialog can create an empathic world. We believe that local communities can thrive globally because of technology.

History:

In 2005, Will Brehm noticed a problem on Lehigh University’s campus. Students just didn't understand each other, creating unnecessary tension and unfriendly interactions. If only students could express their own ideas without being lampooned or chastised by other students, then Lehigh could have a more compassionate campus. Brehm thought to create a new club on campus entitled “Lehigh Bloggers.” Brehm says, ”I wanted to give a voice to all the students at Lehigh University. Blogging, in my opinion, was that one step to greater understanding.” Lehigh Bloggers, however, failed. Basically, Lehigh saw too many legal liabilities in creating a blogging community. Like all great failures, Brehm continued his journey to create empathy within local communities.

Then Brehm went to Taipei, Taiwan to teach English. He realized the same “Lehigh Blogger” idea could work in his classroom half-way around the world from where it was conceived on Lehigh's campus. The web, Brehm discovered, allows local communities to form and interact with one another on a global scale. Lehigh Bloggers turned into something entirely larger: a new world culture dedicated to conversation. After teaching in Taiwan for the past 3 summers, Brehm enlarged his local idea to a potential global idea. The idea is simple: an international blogging community where users can "fly" around the world, interacting and discussing ideas of interest with each other. Ideally, a new global culture would form around conversations. “Think about it,” Brehm says, “empathy can thrive in a world of constant global conversations.”

Bio:

Will Brehm, a recent graduate of Lehigh University with a B.A. in International Relations, is actively involved in social justice issues on campus through his work in two student organizations. Aside from his work on campus, Brehm teaches a summer English literature course in Taipei, Taiwan, writes a blog at willbrehm.com, and starts an internship at the United Nations in August working for Youth Challenge (Singapore). He plans to attend Lehigh University in the fall to work on a Masters degree in Comparative and International Education.