December 13, 2023

During this season of giving and gathering with loved ones, we wanted to share one more reason to be joyful with our AEP Family: there are just six months left until our first summer exchange travel day!

At a time when our country seems so divided, it can easily feel like the problem of polarization is too vast and complex for any one person to make a difference. But at the American Exchange Project, we believe every single American can – and should – get involved to bring our country back together.

To kick off the six month countdown to AEP Summer 2024, we are sharing six things you can do today to help the American Exchange Project reunite our country:

SHARE

Help us spread the word about AEP! Share our posts on social media, or forward this message to anyone you think might be interested in AEP’s mission and encourage them to subscribe to follow our journey. We are always looking for new partner communities, and each of our communities relies on a team of Exchange Managers, Community Leaders, and Host Family Coordinators to facilitate this once-in-a-lifetime experience for our students. We also encourage our partner schools to get creative and find ways to invite the entire community to get involved in their local Exchange.

AEP has a place for everyone to pitch in and bring our country back together, so please share our mission and help expand our reach.

CONNECT

AEP is on a mission to unite our country by creating strong connections within and between communities all across the nation. One way you can get involved is by connecting AEP to people in your community who can help us provide the best possible exchange experience to all students who want to participate.

For example, if you live near an AEP Partner School, you might connect AEP with a service project opportunity that would give visiting students a chance to learn about an issue unique to your area. Or maybe you know businesses that would sponsor a meal or activity at their local exchange. If AEP isn’t in your town yet, perhaps you can introduce us to school administrators or local officials who can help us locate a new partner school.

If you want to connect AEP to new opportunities in your town, contact us today.

HOST

The host family is the core unit of the AEP experience and often where we see the most impact on our students. Through our host family model, students get to experience day-to-day life in the community they are visiting, and families get to know someone from a completely different part of the country. Host family stipends are provided to help offset the costs of meals and transportation.

Visit our website to learn more about the AEP host family experience and sign up to host a student today.

GIVE

Right now, the Exchange Manager, Community Leaders, and students in each AEP town are working hard to put together a fun itinerary that showcases the true spirit of their hometown and provides the opportunity for meaningful shared experiences. Each AEP itinerary requires a lot of resources to feed, transport, and entertain the entire group of local and visiting AEPers throughout the week. Donations of van rentals, meals, guided tours, and more help each dollar go further so that we can serve more students.

If you or your organization are able to provide a resource to help your community welcome its visitors, please consider making a gift-in-kind donation today.

LEAD

A successful AEP exchange relies on an entire team of community members who are passionate about AEP’s mission and supporting our nation’s young people. AEP Exchange Managers are educators or administrators who recruit students, prepare them for travel, and run their local exchange. AEP Community Leaders volunteer their time and resources to coordinate activities for students when they come to their town. AEP Host Family Coordinators are local volunteers who recruit and manage host families for visiting AEP students.

If you want to take a more active role in stitching our country back together, sign up to be a Community Leader or Host Family Coordinator today.

SPONSOR

AEP trips are completely free for student participants because we believe nothing should get in the way of a young person who wants to learn more about their country and their fellow citizens. From first plane rides to lifelong friendships, an AEP experience has a profound and lasting impact on each of our participants and we are grateful to the hundreds of generous donors who have made this program possible.

If you’re able to give this holiday season, please consider making a donation to cover the cost of a meal or community event—or even give one student the best graduation gift ever by sponsoring their entire AEP experience.

As our ‘23 student Sierra shared in her reflection on her travels from Arvada, Colorado, to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, "I'm grateful for the experiences you get to have with other people and the new people you get to meet from all around the country", all of us here at the American Exchange Project are grateful to share this great adventure with you.