July 15, 2020
Four Kansas 4-H Families Still Waiting for Decision on 2020 AYP Exchanges
The ability to secure visas and limited travel availability, in addition to the persisting Covid-19 threat, are causing changes in 4-H’s Academic Year Programs for 2020-2021. Two exchange partners, Korea 4-H and Labo have decided not to conduct exchanges for the coming school year. Kansas hosts were not planning to host members of these exchanges. U. S. government-sponsored exchanges (FLEX and YES) that 4-H has participated in has cancelled exchanges for fall semester. We are waiting as of this writing to find out if they will offer exchanges for second semester or postpone for a year. This affects the Paul and Becky Meiwes family in Allen County who have been planning to host FLEX student Maksym from the Ukraine. BFE in Korea and LEX in Japan have members hoping to come to Kansas.
States’ 4-H (and other high school exchanges) are waiting for the U.S. Department of State to announce that Visa’s can be issued by programs that have that authority. When this happens the John and Crissy Payne family in Ness County hopes they can still host Korean BFE member Seorin. LEX in Japan hopes to send Ayano to Kansas to be hosted by the Clint and Erin Forward family in Stevens County and Sayo to be hosted by the Matt and Stephanie Magill family in Shawnee County. We are all waiting for decisions outside our control to know if we will have AYP exchanges this year, which ones and when students will arrive.