A student goes to Spain and learns an entirely new way of life from her host family. Another student goes to Japan, and his host family demonstrates the values of respect in their culture.
Cultural exchange programs open up a whole new world for participants.
No matter where they travel, students who participate in exchange or intercultural programs experience immersive education about new cultures.
However, this education comes at a heavy cost.
Amigos de las Américas (Amigos), an organization that hosts volunteer and leadership programs in Latin America, costs up to $6,275 for an eight-week program.
AFS, a nonprofit organization, offers intercultural learning experiences through immersive exchange trips that cost up to $16,000 for a semester.
For some, the experience of these trips is not worth the extensive costs.
Artie Hazelton, a senior who participated in an AFS semester program in France, said, “For now, I don’t think the cost correlated with the worth of the trip. I think maybe I will begin to appreciate my experience more later on.”
Many students hope get their money’s worth by committing to only the perfect trip.
Carlmont alumnus Kara Sun said, “I considered doing Amigos; I was even fully signed up and starting to plan my trip, but I changed my mind after looking at the cost and talking to others about the specifics of the trip. I realized that the structure of the program wasn’t exactly what I wanted — instead of me helping the community, the program required that we asked them to help us with our project. For a price that high, I needed to go on the trip I wanted. I eventually decided on another program, called Soccer Without Borders, which was less expensive and more directly helped the community. This year, I have gone on trips to Latin America with programs called Young Dreamers and Up Close Bolivia.”
Although cultural education programs can be costly, many participants believe that the trips are worth the costs if they are approached with an open mindset. Through opportunities abroad, students are able to form connections, learn a new language, and gain knowledge that they cannot get in school.
Angela Grundig, a senior who went on an Amigos trip, said, “It’s hard to explain, but the connections with people in my host country and the impact that they had on me are things that money and school can’t give you. It’s an exchange, meaning that you’ll learn from the people you exchange with just as much as they learn from you, and an open mindset is the biggest thing to help with that.”
Even some who doubt the worth of their trip when compared to the cost see the value of the opportunities that they were given; friendships made on these trips can last a lifetime and can be useful for students as they enter the workforce.
“I am not too upset about the price of these exchange trips because you can meet a lot of valuable contacts. Becoming friends with kids of the host country is something to appreciate, but I also made a lot of close friends with other exchange students because they were the only people who understood my exact situation,” Hazelton said. “The friends I made are people I will be connected to for the rest of my life.”
Many exchange programs rely on recommendations from past participants based on these experiences and life-long connections in order to convince potential exchange students to participate in their trips.
On its official website, Amigos advertises its programs as experiences that “give you the opportunity to gain essential education and life experience, leadership training, and an entirely new network of friends by living and working in amazing communities throughout Central and South America.”
AFS also advertises the unique experiences and explains the benefit of “learning from the locals” on their official website: “From living with a host family to being supported by experienced volunteers, your journey will be led by people in the local community who value authentic experiences with your health and safety as the top priority.”
For some, the promise of new opportunities and education abroad is enough to overlook the cost of the trip.
Others, however, find that they are unable to afford the whole cost of participation despite their interests in the program. In order to make their trips more affordable for these potential participants, many exchange programs encourage the use of financial supplements.
Amigos holds fundraising events for students to participate in, such as selling chocolate bars to friends and family and asking for donations from the organization's contact list.
“I did a lot of fundraising,” Grundig said. “More than half of my trip was paid for by fundraising and donations. It was a lot of work to get so many people to contribute, but it was well worth it in my opinion because the money helped to pay for an amazing experience.”
AFS offers financial help in a different way; participants can earn financial aid scholarships through application. These scholarships are both need- and merit-based and can pay for partial or full trips.
Although fundraisers and scholarships ease the weight of trip costs, it is important for participants to know exactly what their money, scholarships, or donations are going towards. They need to be sure that the large sums of money paid for their trips will get them what they want, whether that is community service, cultural education, or language skills.
“I think it is pretty easy for programs to give you a description or itinerary for your trip and ask for an amount without actually telling you how the money goes to each thing, like food, accommodations, traveling, or excursions. Most programs are about money-making, so they will ask for more than it would be if you are just traveling on your own; if they won’t tell you specifically where your money goes or if you don’t ask, it’s a lot easier for them to do that,” Sun said.
Whether they pay for the trip themselves or ask for donations and scholarships, the cost of an exchange program is a heavy burden for many to take on. If students do decide to go on the trip, it is important to make the most of their experience.
Sun said, “In terms of finding a satisfactory trip, you just need to do your research. I would definitely suggest talking to people who have done it and trying to see if you can find out how your money is used. Once you’ve picked a trip, you need to make the most of the experience because it is expensive no matter how you pay for it, and wasting time wishing something was different will only create a negative experience for yourself.”
The Highlander, April 2018
Cultural exchange programs open up a whole new world for participants.
No matter where they travel, students who participate in exchange or intercultural programs experience immersive education about new cultures.
However, this education comes at a heavy cost.
Amigos de las Américas (Amigos), an organization that hosts volunteer and leadership programs in Latin America, costs up to $6,275 for an eight-week program.
AFS, a nonprofit organization, offers intercultural learning experiences through immersive exchange trips that cost up to $16,000 for a semester.
For some, the experience of these trips is not worth the extensive costs.
Artie Hazelton, a senior who participated in an AFS semester program in France, said, “For now, I don’t think the cost correlated with the worth of the trip. I think maybe I will begin to appreciate my experience more later on.”
Many students hope get their money’s worth by committing to only the perfect trip.
Carlmont alumnus Kara Sun said, “I considered doing Amigos; I was even fully signed up and starting to plan my trip, but I changed my mind after looking at the cost and talking to others about the specifics of the trip. I realized that the structure of the program wasn’t exactly what I wanted — instead of me helping the community, the program required that we asked them to help us with our project. For a price that high, I needed to go on the trip I wanted. I eventually decided on another program, called Soccer Without Borders, which was less expensive and more directly helped the community. This year, I have gone on trips to Latin America with programs called Young Dreamers and Up Close Bolivia.”
Although cultural education programs can be costly, many participants believe that the trips are worth the costs if they are approached with an open mindset. Through opportunities abroad, students are able to form connections, learn a new language, and gain knowledge that they cannot get in school.
Angela Grundig, a senior who went on an Amigos trip, said, “It’s hard to explain, but the connections with people in my host country and the impact that they had on me are things that money and school can’t give you. It’s an exchange, meaning that you’ll learn from the people you exchange with just as much as they learn from you, and an open mindset is the biggest thing to help with that.”
Even some who doubt the worth of their trip when compared to the cost see the value of the opportunities that they were given; friendships made on these trips can last a lifetime and can be useful for students as they enter the workforce.
“I am not too upset about the price of these exchange trips because you can meet a lot of valuable contacts. Becoming friends with kids of the host country is something to appreciate, but I also made a lot of close friends with other exchange students because they were the only people who understood my exact situation,” Hazelton said. “The friends I made are people I will be connected to for the rest of my life.”
Many exchange programs rely on recommendations from past participants based on these experiences and life-long connections in order to convince potential exchange students to participate in their trips.
On its official website, Amigos advertises its programs as experiences that “give you the opportunity to gain essential education and life experience, leadership training, and an entirely new network of friends by living and working in amazing communities throughout Central and South America.”
AFS also advertises the unique experiences and explains the benefit of “learning from the locals” on their official website: “From living with a host family to being supported by experienced volunteers, your journey will be led by people in the local community who value authentic experiences with your health and safety as the top priority.”
For some, the promise of new opportunities and education abroad is enough to overlook the cost of the trip.
Others, however, find that they are unable to afford the whole cost of participation despite their interests in the program. In order to make their trips more affordable for these potential participants, many exchange programs encourage the use of financial supplements.
Amigos holds fundraising events for students to participate in, such as selling chocolate bars to friends and family and asking for donations from the organization's contact list.
“I did a lot of fundraising,” Grundig said. “More than half of my trip was paid for by fundraising and donations. It was a lot of work to get so many people to contribute, but it was well worth it in my opinion because the money helped to pay for an amazing experience.”
AFS offers financial help in a different way; participants can earn financial aid scholarships through application. These scholarships are both need- and merit-based and can pay for partial or full trips.
Although fundraisers and scholarships ease the weight of trip costs, it is important for participants to know exactly what their money, scholarships, or donations are going towards. They need to be sure that the large sums of money paid for their trips will get them what they want, whether that is community service, cultural education, or language skills.
“I think it is pretty easy for programs to give you a description or itinerary for your trip and ask for an amount without actually telling you how the money goes to each thing, like food, accommodations, traveling, or excursions. Most programs are about money-making, so they will ask for more than it would be if you are just traveling on your own; if they won’t tell you specifically where your money goes or if you don’t ask, it’s a lot easier for them to do that,” Sun said.
Whether they pay for the trip themselves or ask for donations and scholarships, the cost of an exchange program is a heavy burden for many to take on. If students do decide to go on the trip, it is important to make the most of their experience.
Sun said, “In terms of finding a satisfactory trip, you just need to do your research. I would definitely suggest talking to people who have done it and trying to see if you can find out how your money is used. Once you’ve picked a trip, you need to make the most of the experience because it is expensive no matter how you pay for it, and wasting time wishing something was different will only create a negative experience for yourself.”
The Highlander, April 2018