Get Involved!
Interested in joining or supporting WICEC?
Here are ways to get involved!
1) Travel with us!
Here are our student qualifications:
• Student(s) in grades 8-11 with a friendly, outgoing personality
• Would enjoy traveling to Japan to experience life in a host family’s home
• Willing to share your experiences with the community through writing and community presentations
• Willing to participate in group fundraising activities to help offset the cost of the trip
If this is you, email us at waupacajapanexchange@gmail.com to let us know about your interest! We would love to have you travel with us!
2) Host a traveler!
Here are our host qualifications:
• Would enjoy hosting a visitor from Japan for 7 to 10 days in your home in August
• Able to provide food, lodging and entertainment for the visitor (provide most everything except souvenirs and WICEC sponsored events)
• Recommended by a WICEC member - or - able to provide references of your ability to provide a safe, welcoming environment for a Japan traveler
• Completed host family application form
If this is you, email us at waupacajapanexchange@gmail.com to let us know about your interest! We would love to have you host!
3) Donate!
WICEC relies primarily on fundraisers and grants to help defray the travel expenses to Japan for Waupaca students and chaperones. Fundraisers include concession stand sales, product sales, Culver's dine-in nights, grant applications, and many other creative ways of spreading the word and gathering funds.
If you would like to support WICEC, please see our Events page for upcoming fundraisers, or email us at waupacajapanexchange@gmail.com. We would appreciate your support!
4) Community Engagement/Volunteering
Recruitment Activities:
Your family will be asked to participate in recruitment activities that may include the following: yearly Rotary meetings/presentations and yearly school presentations (at the students’ home school and/or Waupaca Middle School), Waupaca parades (4th of July and Yuletide), and booths at open houses for Waupaca Middle School, CEC, and/or Waupaca High School.
Attendance at monthly meetings:
One parent and the traveler should attend as many meetings as possible before and after hosting travelers and traveling to Mitoyo City. Potential travelers and chaperones should attend an informational meeting early in the year before the travel experience. Confirmed travelers should also plan to attend a send off meeting held within the month before they travel to ensure they have all the information needed to show Mitoyo City their best and be culturally responsive.
Why do we need student, parent, and chaperone participation in so many activities?
Trusting a chaperone, parent, or student takes time and effort. By working together through the years, chaperones, parents, and students gain the mutual trust and respect which is necessary for world travel. These group activities also build self efficacy and self esteem for the travelers. Knowing how to put your best foot forward while in Japan takes time and exposure to cultural norms and lots of questions. All of these are built with getting together as a group.
Hosting:
As mentioned above, we recommend that each family host travelers from Mitoyo City prior to sending their traveler(s) to Japan in order to build cultural understanding and to gain a better understanding of what a home stay is like prior to traveling themselves. While hosting, you would ensure that the traveler attends all group activities during their stay, as well as engage them in activities during family days (usually 1-2 week days and one weekend during their stay). In addition, you may have an opportunity to host a fellow student traveler, whom you may be able to interact with while in Japan. Both traveling and hosting experiences help to deepen our understanding and appreciation of world cultures and have fostered many lasting friendships and love for new travel experiences. Involvement in WICEC is a lasting experience!
5) Come to a meeting!
Want to join us or learn more? Email us at waupacajapanexchange@gmail.com or come to a meeting! The committee meets the third Monday of every month at 6:00 pm in the Senior Center at the Waupaca Recreation Center. Everyone is welcome!