About us

The Initiative for Intercultural Learning (IFIL) is an independent,   non-partisan, non-profit organisation run by students and young professionals which offers intercultural study trips and projects.

Participants of an IFIL study trip gain a differentiated and lasting understanding of a country and its culture. We understand culture in a broad way incorporating societal, economical and political factors. In order to ensure genuine and lasting intercultural learning we apply a “hearts and minds” or top-down and bottom-up approach: Every study trip thus consists of meetings with leaders in the fields of politics, society, culture and economy as well as encounters, exchanges and workshops with local youth. Local peers get a unique chance to get to know people from another part of the planet and to deepen their understanding of other cultures as well.

IFIL is inclusive. Everybody, the study trip organizers and the executive committee, works as a volunteer. The aim is to be able to offer the study trips as low priced as possible in order to allow everybody to participate.

IFIL is unique. To our best knowledge IFIL is currently the only platform for intercultural study trips.

Intercultural study trip organizers are provided by IFIL with training and coaching, a legal framework, coordinated marketing efforts, seed money as well as technical and administrative support. This way we ensure the high quality of the intercultural study trips and projects. IFIL pursues its goals in strict political and ideological independence and is run entirely by volunteers. The Initiative is based in Switzerland.