Join this prerecorded session to learn about criminal background checks and IntelliCorp innovations.

Speakers: Evelyn Holmes, National Senior Sales Representative, IntelliCorp Records

Homestay is one of the three pillars of an outstanding student experience, along with academics and making friends. Therefore, it’s vital to have homestay staff who are well-trained and prepared to help everyone deal with the challenges of cross-cultural living.
In this session, we’ll discuss ways homestay staff can ensure that both hosts and students are safe and have an enjoyable time. Here are the key topics that we will be covering:

• Tips for recruiting outstanding hosts
• How to screen out hosts who may be unsuitable
• Matching students and hosts to support a lasting homestay
• Prepare students and hosts in advance by setting and managing expectations
• Helping hosts and students to resolve conflict
• Procedures for moving a student if the homestay breaks down
  

We’ll discuss various professional development resources available to homestay staff so that they are ready for whatever comes their way.

Speaker: Doug Ronson, Senior Consultant, ESQ Educational Services

This presentation gives an introduction to ELTiS, a standardized test that measures the listening and reading comprehension skills of high school age English language learners. Ballard & Tighe developed the ELTiS test in collaboration with CSIET member organizations in order to serve the needs of J1/F1 exchange programs. As ELTiS clients, CSIET members and sending partners collaborate with Ballard & Tighe to administer the tests flexibly and securely. ELTiS is currently in version 2.0, which is a fully online assessment system. The presentation describes how the ELTiS test system works and discusses its features, including in-person and remote testing, test security, score verification and accountability, and compliance with privacy laws.

Speaker: Sari Luoma, VP, Assessment & Curriculum, Ballard & Tighe, Publishers

Academic Language Solutions and iTEP (International Test of English Proficiency) have developed a new test to help assess English skills of prospective High School Exchange Students in the United States and Canada. In this session you will learn about the test structure and scoring (It measures grammar, listening and reading); and includes a speaking sample section in which the student answers a series of questions explaining why they want to be a high school exchange student. We want your input on the Speaking Sample questions. These are being constantly updated with input from educators, and we would like to use this session to get your input, your ideas on what are the best questions to choose from in assessing the qualities you want in an exchange student. What are the questions you would ask in an interview? The session will be a combination of presentation and discussion with participants.

Speakers: Randy LeGrant, President, iTEP-Academic Language Solutions; Kevin Morgan, Chairman, iTEP-Academic Language Solutions

Exchange programs face compounding challenges when it comes to retaining volunteers and attracting participants.  In today’s attention-deficit age – rattled by a global pandemic — how can you both shore up confidence among your closest audiences and demonstrate the exchange programs are once again a prudent, positive (and safe!) choice of building global citizens and competency? Together, we will first explore the current media – and media-consumer – landscape to reset our expectations on how storytelling can be used to influence and motivate audiences.  Through a series of live, audience poll questions, we’ll dissect what makes a good story in today’s distracted, disjointed, disinterested society, and define the elements that make our stories ultimately stand out.

Speaker: Chris Lukach, President, AKCG – Public Relations Counselors

This is a Local Coordinator focused session on placement challenges and ways to strengthen practices going forward. In this session, a panel of program operators will:

• Address common challenges shared by the community per survey feedback.
• Offer approaches to support programs during an anticipated community rebound. The panel will provide links to relevant CSIET resources.
• Take questions/comments from session participants.
• Share program successes from 2020-2021.

CSIET will use feedback from this session to structure and provide additional resources for local coordinators.

Speakers: Molly Forrest, Volunteer Programs Manager, Youth For Understanding USA, Kari Owens, International Cultural Exchange Services (ICES), Chris Page, Executive Director, CSIET

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Virtual Booths Open

Visit CSIET’s Virtual Tradeshow to meet with vendors that offer important services to the international student programming community. Enter their virtual booth like you are walking up to an exhibiting table and meet face-to-face over video with company representatives. Take time to chat with these experienced professionals and learn more about what they have to offer!

Membership Council Meeting

Invite-only (CSIET Members): A meeting of CSIET Membership. Board Chair, Kerwin Urhahn, representing the NFHS, delivers the CSIET Annual Report. Nominating Committee Chair Amy Ballard, YFU shares the results of the FY 2021 election of the Board of Directors. Treasurer Paul McLaughlin, Educatius, delivers his report on CSIET finances, and Executive Director Chris Page discusses CSIET initiatives going forward.

Representatives from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Private Sector Exchange will discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Offices of Private Sector Exchange Designation and Private Sector Exchange Program Administration, as well as updates and best practices in the Secondary School Student Program. Topics will include the management review; health, safety, and welfare; expectations for sponsors; reminders about annual reports; and more.

Speakers: Gia Crawford, Program Analyst, Office of Private Sector Exchange, U.S. Department of State; Lale Kuyumcu, Branch Chief, Office of Private Sector Exchange, U.S. Department of State

Medical and travel insurance is an important part of ensuring safe and valuable international student programming- and is also an essential CSIET Standard!

Join a panel of experienced insurance professionals who will discuss their work with the programming community, including common questions that providers receive and topics that have arisen over the past year. What do plans typically cover and how are claims managed? What support is available pre-departure? What does insurance look like when it comes to COVID testing? How are medical evacuations handled, specifically for mental health cases? 

Come prepared with questions of your own during a learning experience that will help you navigate the world of student insurance.

Moderator: Alix Nathan, President, Education Travel & Culture

Speakers: Santiago Asian, Sales Manager for Education Market, AVI International; Ted Cenatiempo, Senior Account Executive, Cultural Insurance Services International, CISI/CareMed Travel Insurance; Edward Lane, VP Sales, Global Secutive, LLC

Join a panel of speakers from CSIET member organizations who are utilizing virtual exchange as part of their student programming. Learn from their experiences as they present the structure they have in place and share their practices when it comes to virtual exchange. Panelists will discuss a series of topics including:

• How virtual exchange has benefited their program
• Obstacles and lessons learned going virtual
• Data Privacy
• Platforms & Pilot Programs
• Tools provided to students and teachers to help with their virtual experiences

Come with questions of your own and learn from program panelists!

Moderator: Luiz Marzulo, Vice President, International Cultural Exchange Services (ICES)

Panelists: Sean Higuchi, Director of Sales, International Cultural Exchange Services (ICES); Madeline Keating, FLEX Program Specialist, AFS-USA; Molly Rowland, Executive Director, German American Partnership Program (GAPP)

A view from Washington, D.C., focusing on current policies affecting U.S. Department of State educational and cultural exchange programs; An update on congressional and administration actions impacting educational and cultural exchanges; The Alliance’s advocacy efforts to promote and strengthen exchange programming.

Speaker: Ilir Zherka, Executive Director, Alliance for International Exchange

Ilir Zherka is the Executive Director of the Alliance for International Exchange. The Alliance serves as the collective public policy voice for the exchange community. In addition to congressional advocacy, the Alliance organizes program impact reports, conducts media outreach, develops best practice workshops, and hosts an annual public policy conference. Ilir has served as the head of three other organizations. He gained policy and political experience working on Capitol Hill, on presidential campaigns, and as a political appointee. He is the author of Winning the Inside Game: The Handbook of Advocacy Strategies. Ilir is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Virginia School of Law.

A representative from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Student and Exchange Visitor Program will provide an overview of relevant topics affecting international student programs at the high school level. Following a brief presentation, SEVP will answer audience questions.

Speakers: Representatives from the Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP), Department of Homeland Security

Many practitioners seek ways to expand equity and opportunity by increasing the diversity of their international education offerings. Recruiting and supporting youth with disabilities is an excellent way to accomplish this objective. In this session, a panel of international education professionals from American Councils, World Learning and Mobility International USA will share best practices for recruiting and supporting young adults with disabilities in international education programs.

Speakers: Justin Harford, Program Coordinator, National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange | Lisa M. George, Youth Programs Manager, World Learning | Rebecca Berman, Program Officer, American Councils for International Education

Justin (he/him/his) is a Program Coordinator with the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange, working to increase the participation of people with disabilities in international exchange by providing information and resources to both individuals with disabilities and international professionals.  Previously, Justin worked for two years in disability community organizing and policy in the foothills of Northern California. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Latin American History and Spanish Literature from University of California, Berkeley. He studied abroad at the Pontifical Catholic University in Santiago Chile, where he researched and wrote a thesis on the history of the blind in Chilean society. In 2008, he spent 10 weeks immersing himself in the culture and language of Michoacan, Mexico.

Lisa (she/her/hers) is a youth development professional, with fourteen years of experience in international exchange programs and training. As a Youth Programs Manager at World Learning, she plays a vital role in the oversight, acquisition, management and design of international programs for youth and adult participants funded by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Embassies worldwide. Her responsibilities include grant oversight and program management of the World Learning Youth Team Portfolio; development of program and team standardizations, procedures, and policies; leading an international team based in the United States, Iraq and Latin America; and staff supervision, coaching and management. A 2017 Alliance for International Exchange McCarry Leadership Award Recipient, she holds a M.A. in International Education, with focuses on service learning and youth programs.

Rebecca Berman is a Program Officer at American Councils for International Education. She works on the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program. NSLI-Y is a program of the U.S. Department of State, which promotes critical language learning among American youth. She has previously worked for other exchange programs such as the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), as well as with organizations in the U.S. and overseas focusing on disability rights. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Smith College and a Master of Arts in International Training and Education from American University, focusing on disability in international development.

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