Reminder: Two Informational Sessions Remaining for Sister Cities Summer Student Exchange Program

Parents and teens interested in learning about the annual summer Sister Cities High School Exchange program are invited to attend one of two  informational sessions hosted by Columbia Association (CA).

The sessions will take place at CA Headquarters, located at 10221 Wincopin Circle in downtown Columbia, on Monday, Dec. 9, and Thursday, Jan. 16. The sessions are scheduled to be held from 7 to 8 p.m. The sessions will include teen and parent alumni of the program — who will answer questions about their experiences — as well as a presentation about the month-long program by Laura Smit, program manager for CA’s International Exchange and Multicultural Programs.

Teen participants will experience approximately two weeks of cultural and linguistic immersion during the summer in one of Columbia’s European sister cities: Cergy-Pontoise in France or Tres Cantos in Spain. During this time, they are hosted by the family of a French or Spanish student. After returning to the United States, students will then host their French/Spanish counterparts for another two weeks. Throughout the trip, there will be organized group activities for the participants, both abroad and in the U.S.

The program fee is $700 for Columbia residents and $850 for non-Columbia residents, excluding airline tickets. Airline tickets in 2014 will range from $1,200 to $1,500 per participant. Applicants must be high school students residing in Howard County and must have completed high school level three of French or Spanish by the end of the current academic year or have the equivalent language fluency.

There are excellent scholarships available for Columbia residents who qualify. The application deadline is Feb. 21. For an application, please visitColumbiaAssociation.org/TeenExchange or contact Laura Smit at 410-715-3162 or International@ColumbiaAssociation.org.

CA’s International Exchange & Multicultural Programs foster international understanding and celebrate the diverse cultures of Columbia. The goals of the International Exchange Program include developing new exchanges with Columbia’s three sister cities, and creating new sister city relationships in other cities and nations. CA also develops multicultural programs for the community such as the World Languages Café, Culture Fests and the International Book Club. For more information, go to ColumbiaAssociation.org/Multicultural or call 410-715-3162.

About Columbia Association

Columbia Association (CA) is a nonprofit service corporation that manages Columbia, MD, a planned community that is home to approximately 100,000 people and several thousand businesses. Additional information about CA is available at ColumbiaAssociation.org.