Trip to the Wisconsin Dells
To celebrate Exchange Day, Spirit representative Katherine experienced the cultural exchange in Wisconsin during her visit, where International Residence Hall hosted an Exchange Day party for participants!
Exchange Day is a worldwide celebration international exchange. Launched in 2014 by Alliance for International Exchange members, Exchange Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about exchange programs and to spread the word about the ways in which people and communities benefit from people-to-people diplomacy.
Local volunteers as well as sponsor representatives from AAG, Intrax, and Interexchange all partnered to serve participants food, guide them in service projects, and cheer on those brave enough to try the dunk tank! It was a hot day, so many participants were eager to take their turn cooling off. Exchange visitors enjoyed lots of food, much of it donated from local businesses who support the BridgeUSA program.
Katherine had a great time meeting and chatting with Spirit participants about how they were enjoying their programs and what they hoped to see during their travels. While participants were excited to return home to see their families and eat some of their favorite foods, they were sad to leave behind their new friends.
During her time experiencing cultural exchange in Wisconsin, Katherine was also able to meet with many of Spirit’s Host Employers and participants in the areas. She enjoyed seeing participants while they worked and hearing what they were excited to do on their travels. Many participants are looking forward to visiting New York, Chicago, Miami, and California before they return home.
Katherine had a great time celebrating Exchange Day with participants, Host Employers, housing providers, and fellow sponsors!
Trip to Grand Geneva
Additionally, in celebration and support of Exchange Day, Michelle and Suzanne traveled to Lake Geneva, WI to celebrate with three area host employers and three sponsors. Grand Geneva Resort hosted the event at their beautiful ski chalet at the base of their ski slope.
Grand Geneva provided a delicious barbecue for all attendees and sponsors added to the feast.
Participants from at least 21 different countries came together to celebrate cultural exchange in Wisconsin and were so excited to take pictures with flags from their home countries with the beautiful backdrop of the Wisconsin slopes.
After a delicious barbecue, participants played traditional American yard games like giant Jenga, giant Connect 4 and Cornhole. They also stuffed Build a Buddy stuffed animals to donate to Treehouse for Kids.
Suzanne enjoyed meeting Spirit participants and learning about their exchange experiences, while Michelle toured the fantastic participant housing built for all their J-1 staff.
It was wonderful to witness people from 22 different countries happily join together to eat, play and give back! Thanks to our amazing host, Grand Geneva Resort.