By Dawn Scotland
The Truth Reporter
American Cultural Exchange Services (ACES) hosted their new exchange students with an orientation and welcoming celebration at the Kent Branch Library Oct 12. Thirteen students were welcomed to their home stays in America for the school year. The event included gift bags, food and refreshments for the students and host families. Speakers focused the students and host families on the opportunities and challenges this academic year will present.
Students were represented from all over the globe on Saturday, including Libya, Egypt, Mozambique, Mali, Cameroon, Seirra Leone, Hungary, Thailand, Indonesia and Pakistan.
The 13 students will be exposed to American life via enhancement activities related to education, culture and volunteerism while attending area high schools.
“We do those activities throughout the year, “remarked Tracee Ellis, regional director of ACES. “From shadowing City Council to University of Toledo visits, to going to the museum.”
“We have Global Youth Service Day where they focus on service projects and International Education Week where they will be doing presentations in their school. We also visit elementary schools so that kids can learn about international students on the elementary age level,” she said.
Students not only meet Americans while in the program, they also form bonds with their fellow international students. The diversity of the exchange students varies ethnically, culturally and economically. “We have students from middle class backgrounds in their countries and we have students that don’t have running water,” Ellis added.
“It’s so vitally important that we have these international relationships and that our children are globally competent,” she continued, “They are learning about global relationships and why they are so important. How we’re interconnected and how we’re inter-dependent on one another… We are citizens of the world.”
While there are many returning host families this year for ACES there are also some families that are embarking on a new experience for themselves as well. Awny and Maha Malik are Egyptian immigrants who live in Toledo and are serving for their first time as a host family. They will be hosting John, who also from Egypt.
“We’re very excited for him to be introduced into the new culture and new places,” said Awny Malik. John will be attending Waite High School. He stated he’s most excited to experience the food and culture of America.
“It’s nice to help kids from other countries and expose them to American culture,” remarked Maha Malik. “We are immigrants from Egypt and we’ve benefited from being in the United States. It’s nice for other kids to have this kind of experience even if it’s just for one school year.”
The host families and students played trivia, fellowshipped with the other exchange students and families and were given gift bags upon departing. Some students were heading to their first homecoming dance that evening – one of the many new experiences they have this year!
ACES – American Cultural Exchange Service was founded in 1995 in Little Rock, Arkansas, with the support of a group of professionals including lawyers, accountants, university professors, business and community leaders who believe in the value of international exchange in the pursuit of world peace. ACES is a non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to international cultural and educational exchange.
With the national office located near Seattle, WA, ACES maintains a network of dedicated and trained Local Coordinators in communities throughout the United States who provide program services at the local level to participants, host families, and schools. Local Coordinators and the national office are committed to providing the best possible exchange experience to participants, host families, and schools.
Since its founding, ACES has developed partnerships in more than 50 countries around the world and with hundreds of high schools throughout the United States. ACES has served thousands of program participants, including elementary and high school students, teachers, athletes, coaches and performing artists. ACES is a well-established and respected international exchange organization and will continue to offer outstanding exchange programs for people from around the world. (Source: ExploreTheWorld.org)
To learn more about the program or to apply to be a host family visit ExploreTheWorld.org
