MCIV BLOG
EDITORIAL: CULTURAL DIVERSITY IS NOT SO FAR FROM HOME
Editorial originally published in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle
February 16, 2012
Local foreign exchange student programs are looking for volunteers and host families for the next school year. That news is just one reminder of all the opportunities the people of the Bozeman area have to interact with visitors from around the world.
AFS Intercultural Programs and International Cultural Exchange Services are seeking housing for students for the 2012-13 school year as well as volunteers for the programs. Host families must have a spare room for the student and provide meals and transportation. In exchange, they get a chance to interact with a student from another part of the world.
And this week students at Bozeman High School had a chance to meet some 21 visiting teachers from Kazakhstan, El Salvador, Egypt, Pakistan and Poland through the U.S. State Department’s Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program.
Add to that the fact that Montana Center for International Visitors is based here in Bozeman. The MCIV offers memberships at a very reasonable rate. And members get opportunities to rub shoulders with visiting officials from all over the world. The MCIV also offers opportunities for member families to host visitors in their homes for short visits.
Let’s face it: Montana is not exactly a fountain of diversity. And there are many parts of the state that see little to no firsthand exposure to international cultures. This is a tremendous loss – especially for young people who spend their entire upbringing with little chance to appreciate the fact that people from other lands are just people – and well worth taking the time to get to know.
We are very fortunate to have many of those kinds of opportunities here.
Those interested in hosting a foreign exchange student or volunteering with one of the foreign exchange student programs may contact Nancy Jochem at 587-0530 (email: njochem@live.com) or Sierra Wolff at 570-2218.
Or learn more about the MCIV at montanaciv.org.
These are extraordinary opportunities to enrich our lives and our children’s lives. Don’t take them for granted. Get involved.
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION WEEK: 11/14-11/18
This week, November 14-18, marks the 12th annual International Education Week (IEW) – an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of the U.S. Government’s effort to promote programs in the United States and overseas that prepare Americans for a global environment and that attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.
The latest Open Doors report reaffirms the United States as the destination of preference for international students and cites international student enrollments in U.S. higher education institutions are at the highest levels ever with 723,277 international students studying in the United States during the 2010-2011 academic year. Additionally, Open Doors shows U.S. students who study abroad are choosing increasingly diverse locations overseas; 270,604 U.S. students studied abroad for academic credit during academic year 2009-2010.
The IEW 2011 website includes messages from U.S. and international leaders, as well as promotional materials, interactive features, and opportunities to post and view planned events celebrating international educational exchanges around the world. We encourage the participation of all people and institutions interested in international education — schools, colleges and universities, embassies, international organizations, businesses, associations, and community organizations. Please be sure to visit the IEW site and submit your events.