The Work and Travel Program allows international university students to spend their summer break in the United States working with seasonal businesses and traveling for up to one month after the season ends. They gain valuable work experience and improve their English. They also grow their understanding of American culture as well as share their own culture with co-workers and the communities where they work and travel. Host businesses across the USA welcome our Work and Travel participants and consistently tell us how much they appreciate these students’ enthusiasm and motivation. Greenheart values our host businesses, partners, and participants and we work hard to make our Work Travel program the best experience for everyone.
Greenheart’s Work Travel Conference shares knowledge and inspires
Since 2008, Greenheart has brought together our stakeholders annually to discuss trends and developments in the BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel Program with the goal of continually improving the program for everyone. This year’s conference included 70 attendees over three days in Chicago.
Taylor Kay, Senior Director of Greenheart’s Work Travel Program, shares his favorite parts of this year’s event.
Under the theme “Global Connections: Empowering Exchange Through Engagement and Education”, Greenheart brought together host employers, sending partners, and community leaders to network, learn from each other, and to receive important updates from the U.S. Department of State. Two speakers, Dr. Barrett Haga and Ms. Gia Crawford addressed the group, sharing their personal experiences with BridgeUSA programs, important participant trends, and ways that sponsors and other stakeholders can further protect participants’ safety and welfare. The group also heard from a current participant and an alumna on how the Work Travel program shaped their lives.
The Most Valuable Part of Greenheart’s Work Travel Conference? Sharing Best Practices!
For me, the breakout sessions with host employers and with Greenheart sending partners were the most valuable part. We exchanged best practices and discussed solutions to various challenges, like hosting participants in seasonal communities. While there are many differences between Brooklyn and Estes Park, Colorado, and the path participants from Mongolia or Argentina take, there are also many commonalities. These include acclimating to a U.S. work environment, sourcing suitable and affordable housing, and connecting participants to community resources.
Giving Back to the Community
Because Greenheart believes in the power of volunteerism, the Work Travel Conference included time to volunteer at non-profit, Cradles to Crayons. In their brightly–lit warehouse, our volunteers sorted donated clothing by size,/type, conducted quality control, and repackaged items into outfits for Chicagoland children in need. It was fun and rewarding to learn about their mission.
Showing Off Beautiful Chicagoland!
We also took the opportunity to show off Greenheart’s home city, sending attendees on a scavenger hunt around Chicago. We visited the top of the John Hancock Building and did some Karaoke with a live band. The cooperative weather matched attendees’ outlook and we left Chicago feeling inspired by our Greenheart community.
Thanks to everyone who attended!
If you are a seasonal business interested in hosting international seasonal staff, visit HirewithGreenheart.org to learn more.