When it comes to learning opportunities, the world is one of the best classrooms in which to be a student. Many people overlook travel as a way to learn due to the cost and the potential time missed in a traditional classroom. Cultural exchange programs offer students the opportunity to be a part of a global learning environment that, in conjunction with classroom training, is a great investment in your education and life.
Participation in a student exchange program can become one of the richest experiences in life, providing the participant with learning and life experiences that could never be enjoyed within the confines of a traditional classroom. Here are a few of the benefits you can experience during participation in a student exchange program:
- Cultural Exchange Experience – Experiencing a foreign culture firsthand provides a range of learning opportunities you cannot get from a book or movie. Since you’ll be immersed in a different language and cultural environment your life will become infused with the customs of the people in that culture. The joys and challenges faced while living in another land ultimately enrich your knowledge-base like no other mode of learning can.
- Community Service Involvement – Community service is a wonderful aspect of exchange programs which presents the opportunity to do something for the local people without the expectation for receiving something in return. This aspect of an exchange program often presents students with their first opportunity to participate in community service. The rich experience of giving selflessly can lead to continued efforts in the homeland, as well as around the world.
- Adventure Travel – During an exchange program, participants have an opportunity to see things they may have only read about in books or seen in movies. The opportunity to walk in the footsteps of famous people from the past and see firsthand the buildings and structures learned about in history class is life changing. Adventure travel experiences often require participants to step beyond their comfort zones but, in the end, the process of doing so prepares them to work through challenges they will face throughout life.
Being part of cultural exchange programs presents once-in-a-lifetime experiences that can impact the participant for his or her entire life. The experience provides a broader view of the world, leading to a mindset that’s more global than local, resulting in the feeling of being a world citizen. Expanding your thinking with great experiences like these not only has a huge impact on your life but on the lives of those around you, from the exchange program participants and their families as well as your friends and family when you return.
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