Greenheart Exchange has been a sponsor of the J-1 Exchange Visitor visa since 1985. In our first year, we helped seven Spanish students find host families and attend high school in the U.S. on the J-1 visa. Now, we welcome over 2,000 participants each year who live with American families, participate in group activities and/or study in high schools across America. We have trained support staff in every corner of the country, dedicated to student success, promoting cultural understanding and engaging participants to ensure that they have the most impactful experience possible on each of our high school programs.
J-1 High School Program (cultural exchange program) is an academic semester or academic year program for exchange students to live in and learn American culture. Students attend a public school in one of many locations across the U.S. while living with a volunteer American host family.
Participants improve their English ability, make friends, attend local schools, participate in activities, volunteer and gain leadership skills, all while serving as an ambassador of their culture.
Group Homestay Programs are an ideal way for students aged 13 to 17 to discover American culture and create memories with their peers. Each program can be specially designed to meet the needs of your organization or school group, and can be arranged for any time throughout the year. Typical group sizes are 10-20 participants for a minimum of ten days up to three weeks.
What’s not included?
Partners can choose a region for the program, and we will do our best to accommodate the request. With enough advanced notice (4-5 months) we are more likely to be able to accommodate very specific geographical requests. Popular destinations include (but not limited to) suburbs of: Boston area, Upstate New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia area, Chicago, Portland (Oregon), Atlanta, Denver, Texas (including Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas), Seattle, Phoenix, and Orlando.
While each program has its own unique schedule, check out an example of the schedule.
Sample destination packets:
The Individual Homestay Program (IHP) is ideal for participants interested in a program that focuses exclusively on American culture and home life, while greatly improving English language skills.
Individual teens and adults (15 and older) become members of an American family and get to know U.S. culture firsthand through a true immersion experience. Participants are placed with a carefully screened, volunteer host family that provides a safe environment. This program is suitable for mature participants who are comfortable traveling to the host community on their own and having unstructured time throughout their stay. Programs may be two to eight weeks in length.
High School Visit
Sample the American high school experience! Three to five days per week, participants observe classes at a school in their host community. This program is not available in Alaska, California, or Hawaii, and is for a maximum of four weeks, between September and May.
Language Buddy
Share your own culture and language with your host family! During the program, international participants will set aside three to five hours each week to tutor a host family member in their native language. Participants must be at least 18 years old for this program and can also extend the program for up to 12 weeks.
Volunteer
Make a difference while practicing your English and making American friends! Participate in a volunteer experience with environmental, humanitarian, or educational organizations while living with an American host family.
Our Independent Homestay program is available throughout the U.S., and participants are placed in one of three regions of their choice. Request fulfillment is based on availability.For an additional fee, participants may choose just one destination region, or the guarantee of a placement in a home with a teenager (for teen participants only).
Participants may select their top three regions from our regional map.
The Teach USA program promotes interaction and enhances mutual understanding between U.S. and international teachers. Participating teachers are placed in a K-12 host school for 1-3 years and teach a wide range of subjects. During this program, teachers can expect to sharpen their professional skills and take part in cross-cultural activities within their schools and local communities.
The best time to contact us regarding new partnership would be between September and December. We are however always available to connect and answer any questions, and we are always happy to discuss partnership opportunities.
Please complete the Partner Inquiry for more information!
Greenheart Exchange offers programs for high school-aged participants varying from 2-8 weeks on our short-term programs, and for 5 to 10 months on our J1 programs.
It varies based on the program!
All participants receive health insurance coverage for the duration of their program. They will have access to an online claims and service center, with native language phone assistance 24 hours/day. Greenheart Exchange is also happy to help participants with claims processing and submission during and after their programs
Greenheart Exchange Host families are flexible, open minded, and represent the diversity of American Culture. Our families are of varied economic, religious, and racial backgrounds and include working parents, empty nesters, singles, and single parents. Greenheart Exchange does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious, or political beliefs. Because of this, all of our families are as unique as the participants they are hosting!
Participant safety is our number one priority. We thoroughly vet each host family prior to approval so our participants know that they meet not only US Department of State Regulations to host high school students, but also adhere to additional checks by Greenheart Exchange. Our host families are engaged with the mission of cultural exchange and are committed to providing the best possible experience for our participants
Please complete a Partner Inquiry and indicate the program(s) you are interested in working with us on. From there we can start to discuss pricing and other aspects of Greenheart Exchange’s programs.
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