Our world is a beautiful place. Let’s continue to embrace the ideals of cultural exchange and foster greater understanding among the people of the world. Over thirty years ago, Au Pair in America became the first cultural exchange program to provide a culturally enriching child care solution to American families while simultaneously providing young adults from overseas a chance to live and study in the U.S. We adopted a vision which simply states we bring the world together.
Au Pair in America is a resounding success, because our participants—American families and international au pairs—form caring, meaningful connections with each other that endure long beyond the end of the exchange term. Since 1986, more than 100,000 American families have welcomed an au pair to live as part of their family. These are people from all walks of life with varying cultures, religions and nationalities. They come together with open minds in the spirit of family and friendship.
Today, we need to follow the example of au pairs and host families over the past thirty years: participate in open dialogue; share your opinions; use your voice and listen when others are brave enough to do the same.
Au pairs provide valuable opportunities for U.S. citizens to learn about what life is like in other parts of the world. In addition to enriching the family they become a part of, our au pairs also take on the role of cultural ambassador through initiatives like Global Awareness and volunteer activities in their host communities. In exchange, au pairs learn about American values from their host families and interactions in the community. In this way, all participants gain perspective on what makes where they come from special, what they are really proud of and what they’d like to improve.
This is something of great importance to all of us at Au Pair in America, because at the core of our program is a belief in public diplomacy. Through personal interactions in communities across the nation, participants are empowered with knowledge and piqued curiosity to continue learning, without unfounded fear and irrational beliefs limiting their opportunities.
At a time when our national policies on immigration are having a profound impact on the world stage, we thank our participants, past and present, for their part in helping Au Pair in America bring the world together, and we encourage everyone to remain steadfast in their support of opportunities for international education and cultural exchange going forward.
To learn more about culturally enriching au pair child care, please visit the Au Pair in America website.
