34th Annual Conference
Date: October 17-29, 2018
Location: Alexandria, VA
The 34th Annual Conference brought over 160 representatives from J-1, F-1 and Outbound programs at the secondary level, as well as vendors offering services to these vetted organizations. With the theme ‘Mindful Steps for International Student Exchange’, CSIET created a space where attendees engaged with one another in furthering the development and education of our young ambassadors. Conference speakers discussed prevalent topics that are important to our community, including but not limited to:
Cross Cultural Training – Preferred Practices – Advocacy – J-1 and F-1 Visa Regulation – English Language Testing – Crisis Communication – Mental Health – Abuse Prevention – CSIET Certification and the Listing Process
The artwork featured for the 34th Annual Conference Banner was created by Mary DeStefano, Artist, www.mabelartanddesign.com
2018 Keynote Speaker
Miao Wang (director, producer, and editor) is a Beijing-born New York-based filmmaker. Her award-winning documentary features Maineland and Beijing Taxi, and short Yellow Ox Mountain have screened at over 100 international festivals and institutions such as SXSW and the Guggenheim Museum, with US theatrical release, broadcast nation-wide, and digitally released globally on multiple platforms. She directed Made by China in America, a documentary short in Morgan Spurlock’s acclaimed We the Economy series. She also direct, produce, and edit award-winning branded content and shorts for agencies and clients such as Ogilvy, DuPont, Philips, Microsoft Design, Guggenheim Museum, and Vice Media. Wang is a recipient of grants and fellowship from the Sundance Institute, the Jerome Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, the Tribeca Film Institute, Tribeca All Access, IFP Filmmaker’s Lab, Independent Film Week, Women Make Movies, and the Flaherty Film Seminar. Her second feature Maineland recently took home the Special Jury Award at SXSW and the Independent Film Festival of Boston, and an Audience Choice Award at the New Hampshire Film Festival. In collaboration with Abramorama, Maineland completed its U.S. Theatrical Release in 2017.
Conference Presentations are now available online in our Member Center. To access the presentations, login to your CSIET Account. Click ‘Member Center’, then ‘Member Resources’, then ‘Conference Archive’.
We truly appreciate those who attended and supported this year’s conference. Because we want to make our sessions worth every minute of your time, if you have not already done so and were an attendee this year, please share your feedback with us by contacting anna@csiet.org.
2018 Conference Planning Committee:
Special thanks to the Conference Planning Committee for all their work!
- Vanessa Chang, United Studies
- Christian Sandberg, Educatius
- Debbie Damesvitz, Newcomb Central School District,
- Kelli Jones, ERDT/SHARE
- Amy Ballard, YFU
- Alka Bhaskar, Cambridge Network
2018 Conference Agenda
Wednesday, October 17
| 1:30-6 pm | Registration Open |
| 2-5:45 pm | Pre-conference Sessions |
| 2-2:45 pm | Ballard & Tighe, Publishers: Introduction to ELTiS (English Language Test for International Students)* |
| 3-3:45 pm | Innovation in Background Screening* |
| 4-4:45 pm | Crisis Communication Basics*: AKCG- Public Relations Counselors |
| 5-5:45 pm | The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation: GDPR Background, Affects on Programs, and Compliance* |
| 6:30 – 8 pm | Maineland Film Screening |
| 8- 9 pm | Exhibitor-Sponsored Welcome Reception |
| 9 am-3 pm | CSIET Board Meeting |
Thursday,October 18
| 8- 9 am |
Continental Breakfast Sponsored by GEBG |
| 9- 10:15 am | Membership Council Meeting |
| 10:15-10:30 am |
Coffee Break Sponsored by AKCG-Public Relations Counselors |
| 10:30- 11:45 am | CSIET Evaluation of Non US Based Student Recruitment Agencies |
| 10:30- 11:30 am | Round Table Discussions |
| 12- 1 pm |
Keynote Lunch: Presenting Award-winning Film Director Miao Wang Sponsored by NFHS |
| 1:15- 2:30 pm | U.S. Department of State: News & Updates on the J-1 Exchange Secondary School Program |
| 1:15- 2:30 pm | Taking the First Steps: CSIET Membership* |
| 2:45- 4 pm | The Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and F-1 Compliance* |
| 2:45- 4 pm | J-1 Visa Advocacy: The Alliance for International Exchange |
| 4-4:15 pm |
Refreshment Break Sponsored by Cambridge Network |
| 4:15- 5:30 pm | Hot-Button Lightning Round: 5 Sensitive Communications Topics (AKCG – Public Relations Counselors)* |
| 6:30-8:30 pm | Thursday Evening Boat Reception Sponsored by IntelliCorp and ICES |
Friday, October 19
| 7:30-8:30 am |
Continental Networking Breakfast Sponsored by Student Sims |
| 8:30-9:45 am | Five Strategies for Preventing Sexual Abuse* |
| 10-11:15 am | Promoting and Navigating the LGBTQ+ Exchange Experience* |
| 11:15-11:30 am |
Coffee Break Sponsored by Ballard & Tighe |
| 11:30-12:45 pm | Understanding the School Perspective: What’s on the Mind of Educators who Support International Students at Schools |
| 11:30-12:45 pm | Next Steps: The F-1 Evaluation Process* |
| 1-2 pm |
Student Panel Lunch Sponsored by Educatius |
| 2:15-3:30 pm | Typical or Troubled? Discussing Mental Health and International Students with the American Psychiatric Association (APA)* |
