Exchange Day is a worldwide celebration of the power of international exchange. Exchange Day is also an opportunity to raise awareness of these programs and to spread the word about the many ways in which people and communities benefit from people-to-people diplomacy. Exchange Day, as J Day, was piloted in the summer of 2014 by three Alliance members: Cenet, Greenheart International, and Spirit Cultural Exchange.

This year, Exchange Day is August 1, 2022. We are excited that exchange program sponsors and supporters may be hosting traditional in person Exchange Day events this year, while some will choose to celebrate online. Through these events, we are looking forward to sharing the positive impact of international exchange with local communities around the U.S. and abroad.

Please stay tuned for more information on Exchange Day 2022.

Thank you to all who participated in the most successful Exchange Day yet! For Exchange Day 2019, Alliance members and partners hosted a total of 127 events across 38 states and the District of Columbia, including three international Exchange Day events in Hungary, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

Click the button below to see the events which took place.

J Day 2018 was a huge success!  Thank you to all members who participated, either by hosting events or engaging via social media.

To see all the cool events that took place, click on the button below.

Thanks to all who participated in J Day 2017, either by hosting events or engaging via social media.

If you want to relive 2017’s event, click on the button below.

We are thrilled to share with you a video from Acting Assistant Secretary Matt Lussenhop marking Exchange Day.

How does Exchange Day work?

All Exchange Day events in all locations will happen on the same day:

  • Each participating sponsor picks a location where it has a significant number of exchange participants. Sponsors are encouraged to collaborate on events and include Alliance partners, host employers, local citizens and officials, etc., where suitable.
  • Everyone participating in Exchange Day should tweet about it (prior to, during, and after the event) using the hash tags #CelebrateExchangeDay and #eatplaygive. Social media guidelines with sample tweets are available here.
  • Everyone participating in Exchange Day will use the same tag line: “Eat. Play. Give.”
  • Everyone participating in Exchange Day will use the same Exchange Day branding/logo, download here.
  • Participating sponsors are responsible for ordering and purchasing Exchange Day t-shirts for all participants joining their events.
  • Exchange Day is a great opportunity to educate elected officials about the power and benefits of
    international exchange. Learn more here.