First cultural exchange summit leads to founding of alumni group

Participants at the First Cultural Exchange Summit at SMX Convention Center. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

More than a hundred guests attended the Philippines’ First Cultural Exchange Summit on June 27 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Guests at the summit hosted by First Place Inc. included officials of the US embassy in the Philippines, visa sponsors visiting from the US, school presidents, academic partners from all over the country and alumni participants of overseas programs.

Representatives from both the US and Philippine academe exchanged ideas, observations regarding the current state of student travel and experiences, and heard feedback from cultural exchange program alumni.

Open dialogues established a list of best practices in the field of student cultural exchange programs. Additionally, the student alumni participants led the founding of the Philippines’ Cultural Exchange Alumni Association, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

Former J1 students, Work and Travel participants,Internship and Career Training participants and veterans of the U.S. State Department’s other overseas programs all met during the summit.

The alumni association was formed to work with First Place Inc.’s embassy partners for the continuous improvement of program procedures and enrichment of future participants.

First Place Inc. is a fully Filipino-owned cultural exchange and career training organization. Founded in 1997, it aims to promote cultural exchange with the USA, Australia, UK and other developed countries through official channels, such as the US State Department’s Work and Travel program and the Internship and Career Training program for Filipino graduates.

FPI can be reached for inquiries at (02) 9279731, or throughinquiry@firstplaceinc.org.

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