Round Square Zoom Postcards

To thrive in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, today’s students must become confident global navigators, able to appreciate and celebrate diversity of culture and ideas, and equipped to collaborate on an international scale. Recognizing this need, Round Square created the Zoom Postcards programme —an innovative online initiative that brings global learning to life in real time. The aim is simple yet profound: to connect young people from different countries in honest, respectful dialogue, and empower them to learn with and from one another.

We know from decades of Round Square student Conferences that global mindedness is a skillset best developed through experience, by connecting with the wider world, and by testing out ideas and philosophies on global platforms, against different viewpoints and perspectives. But the challenge for many schools is how to enable this for all students regularly enough for learning to build in a way that is cost-effective and doesn’t require regular international travel.

This challenge led to the creation of Round Square’s Zoom Postcards, in which students come together online once a week with their peers from around the world to tackle interesting, sometimes challenging, and often fun, topics. Discussion is open and honest, with students encouraged to share their views, and listen to the ideas and opinions of others, respectfully and without judgement.

At the heart of each Zoom Postcard is the belief that students learn best when they lead. From choosing the topic and designing the discussion format to moderating the call and inviting engagement, the host students are fully in charge—supported by a teacher and guided by Round Square’s support and logistical team.

So how does it work? Each week students in a RS school somewhere in the world send out a “Postcard” invitation to their peers, inviting them to join a Zoom call. Whilst the promotion, registration, logistics and safeguarding are managed by Round Square, the call content is planned and led by students from the host school, supported by their teacher.

Topics are chosen by student hosts, and often require brave conversations. Topics tackled in recent months have included supporting mental health, urban design, University admissions, freedom of expression, responsible use of AI at school, servant leadership, and neurodivergence and inclusion. At the other extreme, we’ve had RS Postcards on music, sport, anime, films, hobbies, pets, cookery, yoga, and wellness and wellbeing.

Since the program’s launch in May 2021, over 4,200 students from 132 schools across the five regions have participated in more than 300 sessions. The average session sees around 90 students joining from 15 schools, with some calls drawing as many as 170 participants. This weekly rhythm of connection has fostered a sense of global community that many students describe as both inspiring and transformative.

The multicultural profile of participants is one of the key success factors in RS Postcards, and is driven by the broad geography of the Round Square network. Themes have been impressively diverse, spanning more than 30 unique areas such as environmental activism, artificial intelligence in education, democracy, creative expression, breaking stereotypes, gender equality, and global wellbeing. This thematic variety reflects the voices and values of a global student body eager to grapple with real-world issues and share personal stories.

One standout moment came when students from Scarsdale High School in the United States hosted a Zoom Postcard on civil discourse and freedom of expression in the modern age. The conversation brought together 90 students from 17 different schools across countries including Argentina, Colombia, India, Namibia, Pakistan, and the UAE. Each participant contributed personal insights into their country’s policies and challenges, transforming the session into a deeply human exploration of what it truly means to have one’s voice heard. As one student reflected, “After listening to the different contributions, I feel—no, I strongly believe—that social media doesn’t just reflect our thoughts, it also shapes them. The more we accept what is shown to us without questioning it, the less control we have over our opinions. After all, true freedom of speech is not only about speaking—it’s about being able to think freely too.”

For students at Queen Anne’s School in the UK, who hosted a session on the theme “How can schools promote unity in an increasingly divisive world?”, the experience proved both eye-opening and empowering. “Thank you for giving our students the opportunity to engage with their peers on a subject they are truly passionate about, while also developing invaluable skills,” said teacher Victoria Kay-Barreiro. “They had a great time and were all reluctant to go back to lessons – they wanted to continue the conversation!”

The power of the program lies not only in its content but in its reach. As it continues to grow, so does its impact. What began as a solution to the challenge of international learning without travel has evolved into a global movement—one Zoom call at a time. Through shared conversations, student leadership, and authentic intercultural exchange, the Zoom Postcards program is redefining what it means to be a global learner in the 21st century.