Creating School-to-School Exchanges

International School Exchanges Need Not Be Expensive

By Pamela S. Turner

International school exchanges don't have to involve expensive tour packages, only a little goodwill between communities and individuals.

Once you know you have the full support of local school and community leaders, you need to identify an appropriate community in another country. Look for a town that is similar to yours in some respect. Does your town already have a sister city relationship? Does someone in your community have personal contacts that might lead to an exchange arrangement? In our case, a young woman from our town, Orinda, California, was teaching English in Asuke, Japan. Her Japanese principal asked if her hometown would agree to host Asuke middle school students for a 1-week exchange.

The two schools then need to work out the basic outlines of the exchange. Orinda and Asuke students spend approximately a week in the host country, with five days devoted to a homestay and a few days for visiting nearby cultural and historical sites.

Student participants can be chosen by lottery, by academic achievement, by teacher recommendation, or by some combination of the above. However, because students will likely miss some schoolwork, it is wise to consider both academic standing as well as how well they will represent their country when choosing participants. (In Orinda, 40 students applied for the exchange with Asuke. The final 10 students were selected after writing an essay and personal interviews with the principal and several teachers. The selection committee looked for students with strong academic and citizenship skills and outgoing, adaptable personalities.)

Local government, parent-teacher organizations, local businesses, foundations, parents, and students can all be part of the fundraising mix. Host schools can keep the cost of an exchange down not only by arranging for stays with host families, but by soliciting volunteer tour guides and private transportation and finding low-cost travel alternatives. Orinda's funds come from parent contributions, business donations, and student fundraising efforts.

A series of classes or informal meetings can help prepare students to live with a family in another country or to host a student. Foreign language teachers, parents, and community members can all be tapped to answer questions about local customs, food, language, history, and culture. Students should be encouraged to get to know their host families in advance through letters or email.

PAMELA S. TURNER, a freelance writer who lives in Orinda, CA, participated in the Univ. of California Education Abroad Program in Nairobi, Kenya as a college student. She has since lived and worked in South Africa, Micronesia, Haiti, the Philippines, and Japan.