<p>All 6 kids from our area had to go to the Spanish Consulate about 12 hours drive. You don't forget a trip like that! All the kids even had to take proof of good grades.</p>
<p>Possibly it may be different for Italy and China. France may not require the visa for short -2 weeks-or less trips that are primarily religious retreats. They may allow the school to get them.But for SYA Spain you must go in person with a lot of docs.</p>
<p>suze: You can confirm my info. by calling SYA in Massachusetts. SYA was started by Andover and quickly joined by SPS and Exeter. Those three are the charter members. Now SYA has,I think, about 100 member schools, but students from non-member schools can also apply and attend.</p>
<p>suze: I believe that you are incorrect about Andover running SYA. There are separate offices near Boston. The Director is selected by the Board of Directors which includes all three charter member schools and several Board members from other member schools on a rotating basis.</p>
<p>SYA was,however, founded by Andover in the 1970's I think,and joined the next year or two later by Exeter and SPS. But SYA is basically a semi-autonomous entity run by a board of directors from the member schools.</p>
<p>"France may not require the visa for short -2 weeks-or less trips that are primarily religious retreats."</p>
<p>totally lost on this -- what are referring to? SYA is a 9-10 month program.</p>
<p>Also -- I know several families that I spoke with that sent kids to different SYA programs coming from midwest states -- where there is no consulate. SYA did handle all visa application procedures for them. I can't say this is true for all -- just for they people I spoke with.</p>
<p>just wondering -- why did all the kids from your area apply for SYA Spain and not another country? Do you have a child studying Spanish?</p>
<p>The two week religious retreat is another program that I am familiar with.</p>
<p>In response to shelley, quite a few students I talked to felt "out of it" when they returned to the US...After all, the student has changed a LOT over their year abroad, but their old friends probably have not...or are only concerned about regular high school drama, and so on. Also, the old friends may not understand how much the exchange student has really experienced, and that it wasn't just a 'vacation.' Senior year after an exchange could be a hard year, so keep your daughter aware of the possibility. Reverse culture shock is a real problem/issue that your daughter will have to deal with.</p>
<p>hsmomstef-
After SYA, you are a better leader, better able to adapt, and have access to extracurricular activities you would not ever have in the US, as long as you bother to go find them.</p>
<p>True, there is a kind of "reverse adaptation", as in: "Gee, why is all the food in America so heavy on the salt, sugar, and preservatives?" Or: "Why is there so much space between these huge cars on the highway?" but seriously, ask anyone who's ever done SYA and they'll tell you, you'd have to be crazy to miss such an opportunity. You can't completely put it into words. A lot of people use the phrase "the best year of my life". As for me, this was true until the year after, which was also really good. And I've had some pretty awesome years after that too, but you don't grow as fast at any other time. Having to think in another language, navigate a totally new landscape, and adapt to a new set of values all at the same time makes you to grow in ways you don't even have time to realize until you have returned to the States and see your reflection in others' eyes. When you take yourself completely out of your normal frame of reference, you get perspective on what your life, and America as a whole, means. And mind you, I already had moved from country to country, town to town as a kid, but this went far beyond that "regular" kind of adaptation.</p>
<p>montrose,
"And mind you, I already had moved from country to country, town to town as a kid, but this went far beyond that "regular" kind of adaptation"</p>
<p>-- good point. SYA is an altogether different experience. There's nothing like being thrown into a different language, different culture, different expectations -- on your own. I've known kids who DIDN'T have a particularly good experience during SYA - and didn't regret it for one minute. It's that life-altering.</p>
<p>Hello:</p>
<p>I have a nephew, 14 years old, who is in middle of his class at a respectable Christian high school in a small city in a rural state. Based on what I know, he's keeping a solid college prep pace and getting As and Bs at a school where the standards are higher. While he has traveled to Africa and parts of the states and is planning to go to Costa Rica this summer on a church mission, I have been dubious that he has the self-possession to be able to spend a year abroad on his own. He is introverted, not outgoing, and likes to have things a certain way, so is not that flexible.</p>
<p>On the other hand, he told me he thought spending a year abroad would be a great thing. And next year he's going to be taking Spanish in school, during his sophomore year.</p>
<p>Questions:</p>
<p>1) Would one year Spanish be enough if he went to a Spanish speaking country?</p>
<p>2) He's a bit of a country bumpkin (though he's gotten out of dodge), not a worldly type at all. He's a real straight/naive kid. Good kid. He might be bewildered if he were in an atmosphere where there was drinking, sex, drugs. I don't think, though, that he would be pulled into the behavior. Are their programs he should avoid, with his profile? </p>
<p>3) He has said he's really interested. How do I harness this interest and get him applied to the right programs? How do I enhance his candidacy?</p>
<p>4) What are the right programs?</p>
<p>Thanks for whatever guidance you can give me. My nephew's not a world-beater type. But there's something that tells me that getting away from his little brother for a year (who is a more charismatic, outgoing, competitive life of the party type) could really help my nephew blossom.</p>
<p>Any and all guidance appreciated....</p>
<p>I do agree that an experience like SYA is 'life changing'. What concerns me is how fitting back into your high school in your senior year would be. I am sure there are adjustments and for some that might be tough!</p>
<p>For Avuncular, I can't name a particular program but I'll offer this parallel, based on what you've described and your concerns.
We sent our son to a program in Israel that was run by our movement of reform Judaism, because we'd share many values with the program leadership. (Eisendrath International Exchange, run by the Union for Reform Judaism).
There was still plenty new for him to see, but he had a common frame of reference and adults that represented values he also respected. He of course saw things that surprised him, but here's how it played out re: substances.
At the beginning of the program, even before they left the airport, they were repeating the rules: you may not walk the streets of Jerusalem alone, you may not leave the group while on tour, and you may not ever, not ever consume alcohol or drugs. Regarding drugs, the kids seemed to internalize that the US government couldn't help them if they violate another country's drug laws, but the kids seemed to wink about alcohol.
Sure enough, the first week a few kids left the dorms together and went to a bar on a main street in Jerusalem for their first "free time." The teachers anticipated this, walked in with sunglasses, and reported every kid they recognized to the dean. Those kids were confined to the dorm and one garden for the next 4 weeks, while all the others could fully enjoy "freetimes" so there was no recurrance of problems group-wide for the rest of the term. It worked. (BTW, had anyone been caught with drugs or violated alcohol policy a second time, they'd be sent home immediately, without refund, no questions asked and no possible return).
The point is, there was responsible leadership (as I define responsibility).
Another interesting comment, as I notice you call your nephew "country." Don't overlook the good side of that. My son, raised in a small-town environment with close ties within the synagogue, EXPECTED that everybody would be watching everybody. He was only surprised that the suburban-raised kids imagined they could sit in a bar and NOT be recognized/noticed.
After all, where he grew up, if he had a mild argument with his sister on the way walking to school, I got three phone calls from neighbors asking what was wrong, before they arrived home from school that same day...
So he was truly equipped for life in another country.</p>
<p>Avuncular,</p>
<p>1) Would one year Spanish be enough if he went to a Spanish speaking country?
Answer: Most programs require 2 years. And even with 2 years, he'll find living in a Spanish-speaking country bewildering and difficult at first. But that shouldn't stop him from applying or you from encouraging it. </p>
<p>2) Are their programs he should avoid, with his profile?
Answer - I can't think of any he should avoid - but he should make his preferences well known to the organization that would place him. You should prepare him, however, for the fact that odds are he'll end up in a far more liberal (drinking, going out, no curfew) atmosphere than at home. That may be especially the case in Spain. </p>
<p>3) How do I enhance his candidacy?
Answer - if he has the grades, recommendations & the money - his candidacy will be accepted :) </p>
<p>4) What are the right programs?
Answer - search for this topic on Parents Forum, it's been discussed often. Look into Rotary Club programs, they're affordable and well-regarded. Also, use google or <a href="http://www.goabroad.com%5B/url%5D">www.goabroad.com</a> search engines. You'll be amazed at the quantity of programs and the price range. That's what I did, when D wanted to spend a semester in a Spanish-speaking country. I ended up sending her to Argentina on a Buenos Aires-based program that cost half of what comparable programs in the US cost.</p>
<p>Avuncular -- it's not clear to me what kind of program your nephew is looking for. The parents above me seem to be describing organized group programs for students. My personal preference (and experience) is for high school foreign exchanges -- especially for the "middle of the class" type of kid -- the kind that place the student by himself with a local family, and have him attend a local school. It is total immersion and I don't think they generally require language fluency for high schoolers coming in; with a year long program he will definitely have fluency coming out. Academic expectations are generally low -- a B average is enough to get into the program, and the local school he attends will probably treat him as more of a guest/visitor than a real student. The purpose is cultural exchange, not education. However, he will end up making friends with the locals, and if he is lucky will have host brothers or sisters to hang around with. </p>
<p>Supervision is close to non-existent -- it depends on the host family, but you have to assume the family will be permissive -- though prepare the kid for the possibility that they will be strict -- because the foreign exchange outfits don't tell the parents they recruit what kind of rules to impose. And in Europe, a 15 or 16 year old kid can drink if they want. The foreign exchange outfits give the kids the usual warnings about drug use and they are very strict about prohibiting kids from driving cars in their host countries (absolute no-no) - but alcohol use is not strictly forbidden -- the rule is to follow the laws of the host country. My daughter spent a semester in Russia at age 16 and consumed a lot of vodka, much of it served to her by her host parents. Her host sisters were college-age, so she did end up hanging out a lot with kids in the 19-22 age range, even though she attended school with 16 & 17 year olds. </p>
<p>On the other hand, since my d. was on her own in her host community, rather than being housed with a group of American kids-- I don't think the drinking ever involved the group hijinks or adventure-seeking that are often reported with American student tour groups. She did what was normal & typical for kids her age in her host country -- in most European countries, drinking is not that big of a deal. (Certainly not the forbidden fruit that it is here).</p>
<p>The most well-known outfits for high school foreign exchanges are Rotary, AFS & YFU - though there are others as well. Rotary is the least expensive; but the student must apply early. AFS & YFU will probably each cost close to $10,000 for a full year program, and there probably is not much in the way of financial aid available for study in Spain, Mexico or central/south America. </p>
<p>When my daughter decided that she wanted to go to Russia, I told her that I would finance her stay and do whatever the agency required of me, but she had to handle everything else to do with the application (mailing in forms, arranging interviews, etc.) on her own. I did that because I felt that handling the paperwork without my support was the first step toward demonstrating her self-sufficiency. </p>
<p>I don't think you should sell your nephew short in terms of his ability to handle this sort of thing, as long as it is truly something he wants and is not being suggested or urged by adult family members. In other words -- your nephew will do fine, but I feel that a foreign exchange is of those things where it is not really appropriate for adults to give much help with setting up, though an offer of a monetary gift to help with financing will be much appreciated. The kid will essentially be on his own every step of the way in the foreign country, so it is not too much to expect him to be able to navigate the application process (in English) on his own.</p>
<p>im pretty sure its been mentioned on this thread before, but <a href="http://www.cultures-shocked.org/forum%5B/url%5D">www.cultures-shocked.org/forum</a> is really helpful</p>
<p>This is great! And, I hadn't seen it before. Thanks!</p>
<p>All: Thanks so much for your input. Calmom: I like your suggestion about letting him figure out the application process and all the rest. On the other hand, I am the only one who will even float this kind of idea by him, let alone prod him to get organized about it -- and he's not a terribly organized guy. So I do think there might be some balancing to take place there. </p>
<p>My sister and her husband don't think in these terms -- counseling for the future -- and his grandmother tends to just want him to do religious stuff. Note: I am not against religious stuff, though I am not religious. He told me, for instance, of his vague plans to go to Costa Rica with his church this summer. I jumped on that, since he seemed interested but also seemed all too ready to let the opportunity pass him by, and told him to get it done. Now he's going.</p>
<p>This whole line of discussion occurred when I was having a long talk with him about his college plans, in a very not dictatorial manner. I asked him about what he wanted to do. One question I asked was whether he'd like to study abroad and his face lit up with a big smile; he thought that would be great, he said. So I jumped on it. I do happen to have an affinity with an international outlook, since I have lived and worked in many countries, speak a few languages, etc. But as I have said to him about all his future stuff: "I don't care what you do, but I want you to be happy. And I think you'll find that planning it out makes it more likely you'll be happy." I received very little of this help growing up (don't get me wrong, I wasn't deprived in other ways), and I just don't want him missing opportunities.</p>
<p>Personally, to the extent that it would not incur the wrath of his grandmother or my sister, I would not mind him being in a more permissive environment, so he gets out from being sheltered a bit. I don't think he'd abuse it or lose control.</p>
<p>
[quote]
, I am the only one who will even float this kind of idea by him, let alone prod him to get organized about it -- and he's not a terribly organized guy. So I do think there might be some balancing to take place there.
[/quote]
You miss my point -- if he needs prodding or outside help with organizing, then he is NOT READY for year-long exchange during high school. You might suggest it as a gap year, after he graduates, instead. </p>
<p>It is a massive organizational undertaking to figure out class scheduling in the US to make room for a year away and still get all required courses for graduation, so it is not a task for the organizationally challenged. It's great that he is enthused -- but if he goes abroad with an exchange program, he will be entirely on his own in a country where he does not speak the language. Yes, he will have a host family to look after him, and many of the families are really great -- but sometimes the family placement doesn't work so well... so you have to make the plans with the assumption that he may run into serious problems that he will need to negotiate on his own. </p>
<p>Maybe the organized group teen things are different -- perhaps then you get a group of kids all together on the same flight and the same bus with an adult to escort them and guide them every step of the way. But a foreign exchange is different -- it is for independent-minded, self-sufficient kids. They don't have to be great students, but they do have to be resilient and self-reliant.</p>