Student Exchange Programs Leading To World Peace - And You Can Too!

Intercultural exchange programs are the key to world peace and are not only changing the lives of students, but also touching many lives of those who interact with those students. 

Exchange programs, such as the American Field Service (AFS), work toward a more just and peaceful world by providing international and intercultural learning experiences to individuals, families, schools, and communities through a global volunteer partnership. Students live with host families all over the world and learn how to live with people from completely different cultures. 

New Languages

Elements of living on exchange include learning a new language. Knowledge of the language can help students avoid misinterpretations of songs, cultural references, and nuances. Throughout the year abroad, students can begin to appreciate things that are usually only meaningful in that particular language. Soon throughout the program, students become more able to understand what people are saying, speak in conversation, and even sing along to traditional songs in that language. Therefore, building a stronger, more meaningful connection between the student and the country’s culture. They soon see the country slowly becoming their second home. 

New Customs

Another element of living in a new country is the number of customs students have the opportunity to experience and even bring back to their home country after the end of the program. The exchange of traditions and education of the differences across cultures changes the worldly perspectives of students and the people with which they share the customs. Host families get the opportunity to teach students about their own culture and learn about the culture from which the students come. 

Alina Schilcher, a student from Germany who spent a year living in the US, described her experience at the end of the year, “through the exchange program I gained self-confidence and learned how to be more independent. I had the chance to learn more about what I want to do in the future.” Schilcher interacted with many students from countries all over the world who had come to the US. She discovered her passion for learning about other cultures and realized that she strives to continue to travel and learn about others in years to come. 

Personal Growth

Complete immersion into another culture can allow students to learn more about themselves and how they interact with others. As a returned exchange student who went to Belgium for a year, I understand many of the struggles that come with living in a new country. I lived with a host family in Belgium and went to school with Belgian students. The necessity of communication made learning the language a significant part of my experience. Of course, once I had learned the basics of Dutch in school, I would then come home to my host family who spoke the strongest dialect in Belgium, West Flemish, at the dinner table. Finding a way to communicate with my peers at school and also community members of the town in which I was living, was a challenge in the beginning and continued to remind me throughout my exchange to be more aware of the people and languages all around me. 

I came back to the US after living a year in Belgium with a better understanding of what the rest of the world thinks of the US and a newfound acceptance of myself and my identity. I got to learn Dutch customs and share with Belgians personal traditions all of which I brought from my home in the US. My friends from school in Belgium showed me around the cities of Brugge and Brussels and also introduced me to traditional Belgian foods such as waffles, chocolate, and beer. I even learned how to ride a bike, as that was the primary source of transportation all over the country. My peers often informed me that there were even more bikes than people in Belgium! 

Pick a Program That Is Best for You

There are many types of exchange programs that are available to students all over the world. The plethora of choices also includes variations of program lengths such as year-long, semester-long academic programs, and short-term summer community service programs. Some programs include immersion language classes for students who are serious about becoming fluent in the language by the end of the program. There are even global high school programs during which students live and study in a different country each semester and therefore experience more than one foreign lifestyle. 

Since there are so many different exchange programs available, it can be challenging to decide which program is the best for each student. If you are currently trying to plan a gap year between high school and college, The Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) is a program that offers a comprehensive lineup of exchange programs and services available. Organizations like CIEE are beneficial in finding the perfect fit experience for you! 

Positive Attitude

Though the type of exchange program you choose is important to finding the best fit for you, it is not the only important factor in gaining the best possible experience when living abroad. A ‘make it or break it’ element in an exchange is the attitude of the student going abroad. Many students start counting down the days as soon as they arrive in the host country, which is a negative way to begin the experience, while others who began with a more positive attitude end up wanting to never return home. 

Say YES!

The most valuable parts of exchanges are the relationships students can make with their host family and friends, and bringing the cultural traditions that they experienced back to their home country. Begin saying yes to as much as you feel comfortable with! Believe me, you will regret not trying things when it is time to return to your home country and you feel like you didn’t take advantage of all the opportunities you had while you were there. 

An American student, Simran Sall, lived for seven weeks in Indore and described her experience as life-changing. “I liked the full immersion aspect of the exchange program, as it allowed me to experience everyday life in India through a daily routine. From going to school during the day, to dance classes with my host mom in the evenings, I had the best seven weeks studying in Indore!” said Sall. 

Intercultural exchange experiences such as the ones I have described here are breaking stereotypes, shifting perspectives and building connections between people from all over the world. Peace is in the making through more exchanges today and through future generations. You could be making a significant step into the future!