July 16, 2018
Travel Opportunities for 2019
Kansas partners with States’ 4-H International Exchange Programs (States’ 4-H) to conduct 1-2 month exchanges in the summer. The confirmed country destinations for 2019 are Costa Rica, Finland, Japan, and South Korea. Others may be added. The exchange to Japan is open to youth 12-18 and can be either one month or two. The other exchanges require teens to be between 15 and 18 at the time of the exchange next summer and are for one month. Teens travel to and from the host country as a group with a chaperone but are placed individually with host families for home stays approved by the partner organizations in the host countries.
The IFYE program is for young adults 19-25. Kansas partners with IFYE Association of the USA to conduct the IFYE exchange which is tailored to the applicant’s interests. IFYE negotiates exchanges for 3 and 6 months on several continents. The exchanges are individualized and outbounds travel alone or in small groups going to the same country. The host organization arranges the program for the individuals in their country.
Adults at least 25 may apply to chaperone States’ 4-H groups. Selection is made at the national level by States’ 4-H. Individuals with experience in 4-H and volunteering with exchange programs as well as those with language skills to communicate in the host country are encouraged to apply.
Applications and information for 2019 will be available on the Kansas 4-H website: http://www.kansas4-h.org/events-activities/global-citizenship/kansas-4-h-international-exchanges/ by the end of September 2018. Interested person can peruse the 2018 information in the meantime. The application date for 2019 is November 1, 2018. Plans are underway to hold Kansas interviews and first orientation on Sunday, November 18, 2018. Contact Mary Kay Munson, Kansas 4-H International Exchange Coordinator for information at 785-238-3631 or munson@ksbroadband.net.