2021 ICES National Training Conference

International Cultural Exchange Services (ICES) was founded as a nonprofit youth exchange organization in 1991 by John J. Crist. ICES is committed to educational study abroad programs that advance international awareness and cultural understanding. For more than 30 years, ICES has successfully found loving and supportive volunteer host families to welcome tens of thousands of high school exchange students from around the globe to study at an American high school for an academic year or semester.

ICES staff understands the challenges that exchange students face. Many of our team members have lived abroad and had the experience of learning another language while adjusting to cultural differences. Other ICES staff members are from countries such as Brazil, Germany, the Philippines, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom and bring their cultural perspectives to our international cultural and educational focus.

As our global community becomes more interdependent, today’s youth will face many challenges on the journey to become tomorrow’s leaders. At ICES, we believe the foreign student exchange experience helps young people of all nationalities embrace these challenges and opportunities.