Foreign Exchange Highschoolers

Benevolent Families hosting foreign students offers valuable Experience.

In my previous post, we touched upon Gap Year, in this post I would like to build on the concept of 'Foreign Exchange Student'. A service quiet popular amongst High Schoolers, often European students. 

Again when googling 'Foreign Exchange Student' one can see loads of advertisements, reflecting how mature this service is, and how many organizations are in the business of facilitating these processes. Most of these organizations emphasize on 'Experiential Learning' and 'Practical Development'. 

Some of my personal interactions with Host Families here in state of Arizona, have helped me learn how happy these Families are in welcoming a young stranger from other part of the world and take care of them as their own children.

This again is a cultural aspect of America, where underlying feeling of volunteerism, benevolence, and community play a critical role in establishment of such organization and their services. Being an Indian living in US, comparison with Indian community living in America comes naturally. 

Indian community and their surge is a recent phenomenon, partly attributed due to surge in IT corporations of India and partly due to increasing number of students coming for Masters especially in STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) fields. Which have boosted number of Indians working in IT jobs especially in America. Majority of this community are from southern parts of India. 

Since they have arrived recently to America over last decade or two, they have often been busy holding on to their Jobs and job sponsored H1B visas. Often working diligently in the hope they may receive Green Card one day and finally realize their American Dream, for themselves and their children.  

Often Indians do imbibe cultural values of Americans such as volunteering, though the extent remains quiet variable towards the lower side, especially in regards to hosting 'Exchange Students'. Would they be interested if they knew more?

That depends, since many of them have not experienced such a program back home in India and they may not be aware what they are getting into. Also to be a host, requires committing your time towards taking care of teen from a foreign country. 

When we consider the extent of such programs Globally, we can strikingly see that India is not on the list. Is it because Indians don't like travelling to Foreign Country? Or is it because there are some fundamental gaps, culture wise, knowledge wise and institution wise? 

Can GIFT city become a hub for such innovative organizations who are dedicated in creating links of People to People Diplomacy. For India's large population especially in rural India, needs younger generations with global view. For skills acquired during their academic year abroad is far more valuable then their high school experience in nearest town. 

But the challenge is that many of the children and their parents living in rural India, want their children to learn English and have a better life. But often the parents may not be aware of such opportunities, for their children to study abroad, nor would they be having resources to fund this endeavor. 

The biggest challenge is often cultural, since there are no organizations in rural India today who are pioneering in establishing such connections and spreading the values of overseas experience. Can this be addressed by intermediary organizations financing the trip, which the children or their family can pay back in installments. 

But then the question arise why would the parents want children to take on a loan to travel and study abroad. What value will this bring to them, their family and their village. For a high school student trained in America can surely develop a world view and be able to relate with people living in America. 

Will this attribute help these rural youth become entrepreneurs, being able to attract investments and continued technical support. For many of the village youth today have a very limited world view which often hampers in growth of their personality and also diminishes availability of talent in rural India.

GIFT city based organization if they do leverage the potential that is bestowed in Knowledge and Cultural exchange, then organizations based in GIFT city can truly harness untapped rural talent pool and thus creating wealth by attracting strategic investments, that not only make the villages better, but also the villagers with global outlook.