1. Synopsis
A student exchange program is designed to encourage students to live in another country for generally a full school year. This report will cover the history of exchange programs, the benefits of undertaking study abroad in terms of the personal, cultural, educational, and employment benefits. It will also outline reasons why thousands of students around the world chose to leave their home country and study abroad. The key findings in this report show the substantial advantages that come from experiencing life in a foreign country by immersion in the culture and language. The conclusions drawn in this report have been based on various news articles, personal accounts and literature provided by a variety of exchange providers. The writer has also shared her personal experience and knowledge, having undertaken a year long exchange to France in 2008.
2. Table of Contents
3. Introduction 4. Findings 5.1 major institutions 5.2 reasons why students seek an exchange 5.3 why families agree to host students 5.4 case studies: students 5.5 case studies: host families
5. Conclusion 6. References
3. Introduction
After World War 2 and in the spirit of the United Nations founding principles, a number of institutions established exchange programs to build and promote relationships between nations. They wanted to increase tolerance and understanding of other cultures and promote the acquisition of language. These programs have provided wonderful opportunities for cross cultural understanding and broken down global barriers. However, with the accessibility of global travel today the appeal of a student exchange is decreasing as more and more people travel internationally, independently and at an earlier age.
4.1 Major Institutions
There are hundreds for profit and not-for-profit companies who offer specifically tailored
References: 1. Corprate Author: Student Exchange Australia New Zealand Ltd. Article: Why Choose US, paragraph 2 Retrived : 10/3/2013, http://studentexchange.org.au/about-us/why-choose/Why Choose Us 2. Picture: Rotary Youth Exchange Australia official website N.d http://rotaryyouthexchange.org.au/index.htm 3. Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Agency, November 2011 Title: The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages Retrieved: 10/3/2013 http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Languages_-_Shape_of_the_Australian_Curriculum.pdf