2024 Kildare - Lexington Student Exchange Programme
Opportunity Knocks: Kildare - Lexington Student Exchange Programme returns for 2024
County Kildare has been twinned with Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A. since 1984. Lexington is a charming city of about 300,000 population. One of the most successful aspects of Kildare’s twinning with Lexington has been the annual student exchange, which affords Kildare students the opportunity to spend time in Lexington and to welcome a student into their home in return.
Kildare County Council’s successful student exchange programme will take place again in 2024, and we are now inviting parents/guardians of interested students to apply.
Programme Details
The purpose of the Lexington-County Kildare Exchange Programme is to provide a genuine cultural and family experience in another country for second level students from County Kildare and those from Lexington, Kentucky USA.
The County Kildare student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) must be willing and able to receive a USA student in their home for approximately the same length of time as the Irish student is in America, but not simultaneously. The Irish and the American student should be together for both parts of the exchange. Students should exhibit maturity, flexibility, and an interest in Irish and American culture.
The exchange will be during the summer and the proposed dates are as follows;
Irish Students
Departing from Dublin airport on Friday, 28 June 2024
Returning to Dublin airport on Monday, 8 July 2024
USA Students
Arriving to Dublin airport on Friday, 12 July 2024
Departing from Dublin airport on Monday, 22 July 2024
Please note the proposed dates may be subject to change depending on flights and times available when booking.
The students will travel as a group with an adult chaperone. You should be prepared to incur an expense of approximately €750 in transportation costs (Additional costs above this are met by grant funding from Kildare County Council). The host family will provide room and board. Additional information will be given about your hosting of a student from Lexington at a later date.
Making an application
The application form is an online form and is available at the following by clicking this link
The closing date for applications is Friday, 12 January 2024.
Eligibility
Students must be 16 years of age by 1st June 2024 and should exhibit maturity, flexibility, and an interest in Irish and American culture. If selected for this programme students must have a valid passport, which does not expire for at least 6 months after the date of return to Ireland.
For more information email; kildarestudentexchange@kildarecoco.ie