Sister Cities of Nashville

Student Ambassador Exchange Program

High School Exchange and Home Stay

Sister Cities of Nashville, Inc., founded in 1990, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of global understanding through educational, professional and cultural exchanges. Originally founded by the Nashville Mayor’s office, Sister Cities of Nashville was incorporated as a 501(C) not-for-profit corporation in December 1990 by a dedicated group of Nashville business people, teachers and volunteers. SCN is a membership organization led by a community board of directors with Mayor Megan Barry as the Honorary Chairman.

SCN Student Exchange objectives:

•  Intercultural knowledge and relationship building

•  Global awareness

•  Personal values and language skills

•  Focus on communities, service and commitment

  By participating in the SCN Student exchange program, students will:

•  become an international ambassador for Nashville in your chosen Sister City,

•  learn about your host country, its people, culture and language,

•  develop skills to deal with future challenges, independence and self-awareness,

•  expand your interests and experiences

•  build friendships that last a lifetime

•  respect the customs, economic differences, lifestyle and daily routine of the host

  country and family

  SCN Student Exchange Program includes:

•  Placement in a carefully selected host family, room and board included

•  Pre-departure orientation information

•  Travel and on-site chaperone-liaison

•  Support of a local representative

•  Airport ground transfers to and from host family residence

•  Supervision during the exchange program abroad

What SCN’s Program does not include:

•  International and domestic airfare to and from the host country/city (limited financial aid may available – contact claire@scnashville.org)

•  SCN student exchange application fee of $300.00

•  Public transportation to student selected activities and entertainment

•  Entertainment and incidental costs incurred by the student

•  Long distance telephone (Students can use Skype, email and other apps to communicate for free.)

•  Weekend excursions outside the destination city are offered on some of our exchanges. Additional cost ranges from $200.00 - $500.00.

  What is expected of the Student as a member of the host family:

•  Act as a student ambassador for the city of Nashville respecting the culture, customs and habits of host family members

•  2 years of host country foreign language preferred (1 year may be permitted with teacher’s recommendation). There is no foreign language requirement for students traveling to either Germany, China, Northern Ireland or Australia.

•  Participate in family activities, dinners, and outings with host family

•  Help with household chores with host family

•  Share culture, language and life experiences with household members

•  Abide by host family rules, local laws and customs and those of your country of residence, which includes use of alcohol and driving.

•  Attend host country high school classes

  SCN STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM FEES AND REQUIREMENTS

  Students must submit an online SCN Student Exchange Application Form, and letter of recommendation from a teacher, by March 1, 2020.

  Students must pay the $300.00 Student Application Fee at the time they submit the Application Form. The Fee covers SCN administrative processing and includes a family membership to Sister Cities of Nashville for one year.

  The Application Fee and Teacher Recommendation letter can be mailed to Sister Cities of Nashville, P.O Box 120555, Nashville, TN 37212. The Application Fee is refundable until March 1, 2020; however, after March 1, the Application Fee is non-refundable. If a trip is cancelled due to insufficient student applicants, the Application Fee will be refunded, unless a student desires to apply for another SCN trip in the same calendar year.

  It is the sole responsibility of the students (and their parents) who are traveling on an exchange with SCN to ensure they have current and appropriate travel documents for their destination country.

Payment schedule for Student Ambassadors traveling on summer exchanges:

Application fee of $300 due with application

**Application is not considered complete until application fee and teacher recommendation are submitted

January 31 - $500.00
February 28 - $1,000.00
March 30 – Balance due (if any)

Sister Cities purchases the plane tickets in order to ensure all are traveling together. The payments outlined in the schedule reflect reimbursement to SCN for airfare and any other expenses necessary to pay prior to the trip.

Financial Aid application can be downloaded from the Sister Cities of Nashville website: http://www.scnashville.org/student-ambassador-experience.html

If students submit an application after January 31 or February 28 payment deadlines, the total amount owed should be submitted with the application. Checks, money orders or cash are accepted. If a check bounces, a late fee of $10 will be assessed. If a payment is not received within two weeks of due date, the student will forfeit his/her participation in the trip and all previously made payments, depending on the costs incurred by SCN. All monies will be refunded if by March 7, there are not enough students signed up to participate on the program. SCN accepts all major credit cards but will assess a 3.6% service fee to the payment if a family wishes to use a credit card.

Trip costs will depend primarily on cost of flight. Though this could vary a lot, for your information, the total trip cost for the students in 2019, including the application fee and special excursions were:

Caen and Paris, France = $1,900
Magdeburg and Berlin, Germany =*Did not run in 2019 and will not run in 2020
Mendoza, Argentina = $1,500
Tamworth and Sydney, Australia = $2,600 (in 2018, did not run in 2019)
Beijing and Taiyuan, China = $2,700 (also includes $240 for visa)

On average, the students spent $100-150 on incidentals – souvenirs, snacks, etc.

In even the most compatible family situations, the daily requirements of sharing and cooperating can be difficult. Cultural differences can add to this difficulty. Please answer the following questions to aid in your host family placement.

I, _________________________ give my permission for ________________ (student name) to participate in the Sister Cities of Nashville Student Ambassador Exchange Program. I have read and understand the description of the program and the rules and requirements for my student’s participation.

As the parent or legal guardian of the participating student, I understand and agree that I am financially responsible for all expenses related to the SCN Student Ambassador Exchange Program, including, but not limited to, the Application Fee, international and domestic airfare, ground transportation, and special excursion fees. Additionally if the group incurs additional costs due to behavior on my child's part (i.e. a lost passport that causes the group to miss a flight or activity) I understand that I am responsible for the additional cost to the group because of my child's actions.