Cultural Exchange

Annually, nearly 30,000 international students provide cultural exchange as staff at camps in the United States. International campers also provide an important aspect of cultural exchange as they live side-by-side in US camps with American campers.

Before COVID-19, summer camps were hosting an average of 25,000 cultural exchange visitors through the BridgeUSA Camp Counselor program each year, filling critical leadership and...

The ACA Government Affairs team — consisting of ACA leadership, ACA volunteer leaders, an ACA consultant, and ACA hired lobbyists — continue to vigorously defend the need for and...

ACA continues to closely monitor developments in Washington with the J-1 Cultural Exchange programs for camp counselors and support staff. These programs are vital to America’s...

It's ironic that I've spent this fall encouraging Americans to advocate for the White House not to drastically reduce or eliminate J-1 visas for camp cultural exchange programs while also keynoting at the 3rd China Camp Education Conference (CCEC) and representing ACA at the 11th International Camping Congress (ICC).

This feature article is the first of an ongoing series of articles in Camping Magazine that will focus on inclusion, diversity, and cross-cultural agility to share in our individual communities and out in the world.

ACA is monitoring current developments related to the Summer Work Travel and Camp Counselor categories of the J-1 Visa.

American Camp Association urges camps to abide by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ruling and obtain Social Security numbers for all international staff.

The most recent changes to Immigration Law in the US were enacted in 2013. It is anticipated that the US Department of State will again consider J-1 Visa Cultural Exchange...