Opinion Articles

The HuffPost  recently published, “Au Pairs Come To The U.S. Seeking Cultural Exchange, But The State Department Often Fails To Protect Them.” Unfortunately, this article does not accurately depict the au pair cultural exchange program satisfaction rates by...

Program Fellow Gabrielle Cascio shares her experience as an international educator in Romania, as part of the celebration of International Education Week.How did you decide to go abroad initially?Ever since I can remember, I have known that I wanted to...

As published in the Daily Progress on September 15, 2019. At age 7, I attended summer camp for the first time. I don’t remember much else, but I vividly remember the camp counselors. They seemed impressively mature and exceedingly cool. To add to their impact, my...

As the summer comes to a close, international camp counselors, who shape the experience of so many American campers, will be crossing over land and sea to return to their homes abroad. Not only does their experience infuse American camps with diverse cultures from...

Dear Editor: Rachel Micah-Jones’ opinion article, “U.S. summer work visa exploits foreigners,” (August 6) neglects to mention the strong evidence that the Summer Work Travel program (SWT) is both protecting participants and serving our national security interests....

Dear Editor: Legrain’s article, “Foreign students hired for summer jobs … ” (July 30) unfortunately disparages the U.S.’ Summer Work Travel (SWT) exchange program without an opportunity for supporters of the program to comment. The article’s focus is a poorly sourced...

As published on the American Foreign Service Association's website in January 2019. By Marie Royce Economic diplomacy works because of people. And the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is in the people business. We are making the...

As published on the StudyTravel Magazine of EnglishUSA on December 5, 2018. This week, we interview Ilir Zherka of the Alliance for International Exchange about the group's activities, useful resources for agents, and how it marked its 25th anniversary. Firstly, can...

As published on the Global Ties U.S. website on October 29, 2018. By Sue Yang, Senior Director for External Relations, Alliance for International Exchange Advocacy is at the nexus of policy, people, and exchanges. If you've ever wondered how policymakers decide on...

The International Labor Recruitment Working Group (“ILR”) recently issued a report entitled, “Shortchanged: The Big Business Behind the Low Wage J-1 Au Pair Program” (the “Report”). The Report is replete with unfounded allegations and inaccuracies. It ignores the...