By Taylor Kay, Senior Director, Work and Travel Program
The BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel (SWT) program relies on the involvement of six key players: the U.S. Department of State (DOS), the visa sponsor (like Greenheart), the host employer, the international sending partner, of course the exchange visitor, and the welcoming American community. Coordinated community support can make a tremendous difference in the participants’ experiences and in advancing the mission of this cultural exchange program. That’s where Community Support Groups come in.
In many places, the formal establishment of a Community Support Group supplements host business and individual efforts in order to create a safety net for participants. Since 2016, Community Support Groups have put on an annual summit to discuss best practice and to learn from each other’s experiences. Three Greenheart staff attended the 2024 Community Support Group Summit, held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in November 2024.
Community Support Group Summit 2024!
This was the first in-person summit since 2019 in Branson, Missouri. (Events were conducted virtually during the pandemic.) The turnout and engagement were high: over 100 attendees from SWT communities across the U.S.! We shared stories about the struggles faced related to the seasonal flows of tourists, residents, and SWT exchange visitors. These include:
- finding and improving seasonal housing options
- understanding the role of public safety officers
- developing safe, reliable and affordable transportation options
- connecting exchange visitors to the community
- confronting and overcoming culture shock and loneliness
Community Support Group discussion focused on common challenges
Attendees learned that communities face many similar challenges, despite differences in geography, host employer base, and the availability of government services. This commonality sparked discussion, and attendees shared innovative solutions and examples that brought their community together. Myrtle Beach’s Community Support Group served as an excellent example of how to identify and tackle challenges. We heard from many local representatives: the mayor, the chief of police and the mental health unit of the police department, the Chamber of Commerce, the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Attorney, a county legislator, and volunteers from local civic and religious organizations. Each talked about how important the Summer Work Travel program is to their community and shared their part in working to improve housing availability, local transportation, and to provide training on bike and pedestrian safety, water safety, and crime avoidance.
At the close of the summit, we visited the All Nations Café sponsored by Midtown Vineyard Church. Besides a welcoming atmosphere, this facility serves as the hub of support for local SWT participants. It offers weekly orientations, meals, seasonal bicycle rentals, café and game nights, as well as English tutoring and mock job interviews. They estimate that participants from 53 countries lived in Myrtle Beach last summer and took part in these services.
The U.S. Department of State and Community Support Groups
The U.S. Department of State provided important program updates and showed a strong commitment to supporting and establishing new Community Support Groups across the country. That included:
- Data on the number of participants around the country
- The frequency and types of incidents reported by sponsors and exchange visitors themselves
- Updates on visa processes and improving interview timelines for SWT exchange visitors
The U.S. Department of State monitoring surveys show that the most reported issue nationally is about housing–it does not meet participant expectations. Secondly, exchange visitors report insufficient work hours and challenges with local transportation. We believe that the establishment and nourishment of more Community Support Groups can help alleviate some of these problems.
Interested in joining a Community Support Group in your community?
Check the U.S. Department of State’s directory. If you don’t see one listed, then perhaps it’s time to start one! Remember! You can always Contact Greenheart for help. Existing Community Support Groups are also very happy to share their knowledge. They’re happy to coordinate conversations among groups in each community, such as law enforcement or public transit. In fact, it’s this kind of collaboration that was key to the establishment of this Myrtle Beach Community Support Group in 2014.