Exchange during the holidays
Youths visit each other during the holidays and spend one to two weeks with the families of their peer in another language region of Switzerland. Not only do they learn the language, they also form lasting friendships – free of charge.
Overview
For whom
- Youths aged between 11 and 18 who are residents in Switzerland
Duration
- 1 or 2 weeks with both exchange partners
Where
- In another language region of Switzerland
What we fund
- Finding exchange partners in another language region
What to do
- The parents or interested youths submit an online application, and we do the matching with a suitable exchange partner.
Deadlines
- January 31 for the spring holidays, April 30 for the summer holidays and August 31 for the fall holidays
In detail
The best way to learn a foreign language is when being immersed in real-life situations. During a holiday exchange, youths spend their holidays with peers in another language region of Switzerland. They live with the family of the exchange partner for one to two weeks. Not only do they practise the foreign language during their holidays, but they also make new friends and get to know the customs of the region. Free of charge!
Added value
- The youths practise a language they have learned at school and get a boost for their motivation to improve it.
- They discover the culture and language of another region of Switzerland.
- They get to know youths of the same age and make new friends.
- They become more independent and broaden their horizons.
- They receive a certificate of participation for this enriching experience.
Requirements
- The youths are aged between 11 and 18 years old.
- The exchange is reciprocal: Both families take turns in hosting the exchange partners.
- A visit lasts for one to two weeks, both visits last the same amount of time.
- The language spoken during the exchange is one of the Swiss national languages (English, French, Italian or Romansh).
- We advise against hosting several exchange partners at the same time.
- Holiday exchanges usually take place during the school holidays. If all parties involved agree (participants, parents or guardians, schools, teachers), an exchange can also take place during the school term.
Procedure
Youths aged between 16 and 18 years old can register independently and create a profile to search for an exchange partner. However, they must first make sure that their parents agree to their participation in a holiday exchange. Younger youths complete the application together with their parents.
This is how you can proceed:
-
1
1. Create a profile
- You must register once on our platform.
- You then create a profile. This includes a photo, information on your age, gender, hobbies and family situation.
- You can also specify when an exchange is possible for you. Enter as many dates as possible to increase the chances of an exchange actually taking place. Find out about the dates of the school holidays in other cantons.
- Based on this information we look for a suitable exchange partner.
- The protection of data privacy is guaranteed on our tool.
-
2
2. Find an exchange partner
- Once we have found a suitable exchange partner for you, you will receive an e-mail from us no later than two weeks after the deadlines, i.e. on 15 february, 15 may or 15 september. In this e-mail, we will present you the exchange partner.
- We only suggest one exchange partner at a time. There is no obligation to do the holiday exchange with this person. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to offer you another suitable exchange partner.
- If we cannot match you with a suitable exchange partner, you can choose whether you want to participate again at a later stage or whether you want to withdraw your application.
-
3
3. Contact partner family and fix timing
- Once the two youths have been successfully matched, contact the partner family as soon as possible and determine the exact duration and the timing of the two visits.
- If the holiday dates or periods specified by the partner family do not exactly match those of your family, contact them anyway. Solutions can usually be found.
- If you cannot find dates suitable for both or if the exchange cannot take place for any other reason, please contact us as soon as possible. We will try to find a new exchange partner for you.
-
4
4. Organize Holiday exchange
- We strongly recommend that families meet the partner family at least once before the holiday exchange takes place. This allows the exchange partners and the families to get to know each other and talk about details of family life, such as eating habits, cell phone use, pocket money, etc. A physical meeting is ideal for sharing expectations and allowing the youths to get to know each other.
- The following tips will help you prepare (only in German):
- There are also helpful documents for youths (only in German):
- Before the holiday exchange, discuss within possible challenges of an exchange with your family, such as dealing with family idiosynchrasies and cultural differences.
-
5
5. Certificate
- After the exchange all participants can request a confirmation of participation. Such a certificate can be useful for an application for an apprenticeship, for example. To request a certificate, fill in a short feedback form.
- Your answers will help us to improve and promote the holiday exchange funding opportunity.
Q & A
Do youths have to be at least 11 years old when they register?
No, the decisive factor is the age at the time of the exchange.
Does registration guarantee that the youths will have a partner?
We cannot guarantee a successful matching as this depends on the youths registered, their age and their exchange plans. If a matching is not possible, you can choose to remain registered for the matchmaking process for the next date.
We have received the dossier of an exchange partner, but our holiday periods do not match, what should we do?
We recommend that you contact the other family anyway. It is often possible to find a solution to organise the exchange by discussing alternative options. If there are no options at all, we can look for a new exchange partner.