Encouraging Your Exchange Student to Give Before They Go

As the exchange year ends, you might reflect on the incredible journey you have shared with your exchange student. You have watched them grow and adapt to their new school and community and shared special moments like watching them attend their first homecoming dance. The bond you have formed over the past year can make the weeks before their departure emotionally challenging for you and your exchange student.

Although they are excited to be reunited with their friends and family in their home countries, they are also experiencing the grief of saying goodbye to the people who have made their exchange year meaningful. As their departure approaches, you can help them create a meaningful sense of closure by encouraging them to give back to the community that welcomed them. Giving back will leave them with a deeper sense of gratitude and allow them to reflect on their growth over the past year.

Write Thank You Letters

Encourage your student to write thank-you notes to teachers, friends, host family members, and others who made their exchange year special. A handwritten note is a touching way for your student to show those around them how much they value the relationships they have formed during their exchange year. 

Share their Culture

Encourage your student to host a cultural presentation for their classmates, teachers, or local community groups. They can share traditional foods, dances, music, or stories from their home country. This is an excellent way for them to share their culture with their community while celebrating cultural differences. 

If this feels overwhelming, they can also create a presentation with highlights from their exchange year and share it with the people who made it special. This will encourage them to reflect on their growth over the past year and share what it has meant to them.

Create a Memory Project

Have your student create a scrapbook, video diary, or photo collage that captures their exchange experience. They can leave a copy with their host school or family as a keepsake of their exchange year. For inspiration, check out these exchange year scrapbook ideas on TikTok.

Volunteer in the Community

Encourage your exchange student to volunteer in their local community before they head home. They can volunteer at local food banks, animal shelters, nursing homes, or community centers. Even volunteering for a few hours on weekends or low-commitment options like participating in a community clean-up or planting something in their community garden make a difference!

While your exchange student might be hesitant to take on more during their final weeks, emphasize that their “giving” project is not about a grand gesture but about showing those around them what their exchange has meant for them. It is about appreciating the community they have learned to call home and ending their exchange year with a sense of closure. Let them decide what matters most to them as their exchange year comes to an end.

By giving back to their community before they return home, your exchange student will learn that cultural exchange is not just about experiencing another culture but also about giving back to their local community.