Sister Cities of Nashville’s Student and Academic Ambassadors will depart for summer exchanges on Saturday, June 1. This year, the group includes thirty-five students and six chaperones from thirteen area schools traveling to three of Nashville’s Sister Cities: Caen, France; Magdeburg, Germany; and Mendoza, Argentina. They will officially represent Nashville abroad as student ambassadors after having been sworn into service on May 13, 2024 by Nashville Vice Mayor Angie Henderson in the Metro Council Chamber at the Historic Courthouse & City Hall.
“I was thrilled to swear in this year’s group of student ambassadors,” said Vice Mayor Henderson. “Nashville should be proud to have such an impressive and diverse group of ambassadors coming from so many neighborhoods, schools, and backgrounds. I am confident they will share the best of Nashville while abroad and these exchanges will shine a positive light on our city.”
Each year, high school students can apply through Sister Cities of Nashville to participate in reciprocal exchanges with at least three of Nashville’s partner cities. The students travel in a group and stay in their host country for two weeks, each living with individual families, attending school with a host sibling, communicating in the local language, eating the local food, and immersing themselves in the local culture. They also experience a major city or attraction during their stay in an effort to see different parts of their host country. This year, we are excited to announce that the city of Caen, France is planning to include our students in the celebrations surrounding the 80th Anniversary of D-Day.
“The opportunity to participate in an immersive cultural exchange is the most valuable and transformative experience we can offer to the citizens of Nashville,” said Sister Cities of Nashville Board President Mina Johnson. “By building cross-cultural friendships, we become more accepting and understanding of others, we improve our own self-awareness and adaptability, we expand our social and professional networks, and we learn to thrive in any situation. When we enrich ourselves through cultural exchange, we enrich our entire community by helping to create a more peaceful and productive world.”
This year, students represent schools from all over Davidson County including Hunters Lane, Glencliff, Antioch, MLK, Hume Fogg, Hillsboro, Nashville School of the Arts, USN, Harpeth Hall, MBA, Ensworth, Brentwood Academy, and Father Ryan High Schools. Five students are traveling on full scholarships and two on partial scholarships.
Nashville hosts students from our partner cities in September, October, and April of each year for a reciprocal two-week exchange with students staying with families and visiting schools, landmarks, and cultural attractions. Local families can connect with Sister Cities to participate as hosts or volunteers during exchanges.
The Metropolitan Council is the legislative authority of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, the nation’s first, fully consolidated city-county government, established in 1963. The Vice Mayor serves as the president of the Council, which is comprised of 35 district members and five members serving at-large. Metropolitan Council Office.
Sister Cities of Nashville connects the people of Nashville to the people of the world through a variety of virtual events and exchanges with their 10 Sister Cities including Belfast, N. Ireland; Caen, France; Chengdu, China; Edmonton, Canada; Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq; Kamakura, Japan; Magdeburg, Germany; Mendoza, Argentina; Tamworth, Australia; and Taiyuan, China. For more information about Nashville’s 10 Sister Cities, or to find out how to participate in Sister Cities of Nashville’s events, student exchanges, adult exchanges, and other opportunities, please visit www.scnashville.org.