Italian Exchange

Each year students of Year 8 and 9 are offered the opportunity of hosting visiting Italian students in September and participating in a reciprocal study tour of Italy during the following April.  Proposed travel dates to Italy will include school holiday time. The tour will include an extension trip to Rome and Florence.

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The purpose of the tour is to:

  • Provide cultural and life experience opportunities not currently available to students.

  • Provide foreign language development opportunities not currently available to students.

The Italian Exchange program will also:

  • Provide authentic links to curriculum (eg language, history, geography, science and environmental education)
  • Develop cultural understandings and relationships between people of different countries.
Destinations visited will include Padova, Venice, Rome and Florence (Tuscany).  The duration of the visit will be approximately 20 days.
Participation:
Generally speaking the exchange is limited to 15 students per year. Students will need to have exhibited a satisfactory behaviour record and be deemed as of suitable maturity to participate in the exchange. Suitability for participation in the exchange is based on a range of criteria. A wait list will be established for those who express interest in participating but make deposit payment after the required date. Preference for participation will be given to students able to participate in the reciprocal study tour to Italy during the following April. However, if the Evans River student only wishes to host (and not travel to Italy), such students are still able to express interest, indicating ‘hosting only’.
Payment for Participation:
Payment for participation is made in accordance with a published schedule usually over a period of 12-13 months. This arrangement has enabled many students to work part time and pay for the experience themselves, or with minimal financial commitment from their family.
Fund Raising:

Our students are also involved in fund raising for the students they will be hosting.

It is the practice on such exchanges that the host school community meet the costs of the incoming students while they are in-country resulting in the only costs for the visiting students essentially amounting to travel cost and spending money.  This makes participation in the exchange an affordable experience for our students.