Longmont Sister Cities volunteer Courtney Michelle said the program is preparing to send student ambassadors to each of its three sister cities next summer after a three-year hiatus.
Longmont has three sister cities, Chino, Japan, Ciudad Guzman, Mexico and the Wind River Reservation of the Northern Arapaho.
Prior to the pandemic, the nonprofit organized and sent a delegation of adults and student ambassadors to each sister city. The pandemic has prevented travel over the last few years, however, Michelle is hopeful for a full return this year.
“We are assuming travel can happen next summer,” Michelle said.
Applications for chaperones — due Oct. 15 — and student ambassadors — due Oct. 31 — are available online. Michelle said chaperone applicants must live or work within the boundaries of the St. Vrain Valley School district. Student ambassadors must live within the district’s geographic boundaries and can attend any school within.
The program accepts students between eighth and 11th grades. Those accepted are required to attend orientation sessions and fundraising events prior to departure which is an average of a 2-4 hour monthly commitment.
While students are responsible for airfare, Michelle said there are many fundraisers that can offset the costs and scholarships are available.
“We want everybody to experience this if they would like to,” Michelle said. “We are looking for someone who wants to open their mind to travel, experience something new … willingness to learn a new culture, a little bit of a new language and make some new friends and have some fun.”
This will be the first year applicants can choose between three sister cities, one being within a few hours’ drive of Longmont.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Longmont and the Northern Arapaho signed a sister cities agreement. It became the first time a Sister City organization had made such an agreement with a sovereign nation within its own national border.
Michelle said often people are deterred from applying because they think the language barrier will be too much or they might not fit into the culture they are visiting.
“I think people are scared to sound dumb or sound like they don’t know what they are talking about or not say something right; but … I have found that if you try, even a few words, to speak in another person’s language you open the door to a connection that was not possible or was not as open if you were not to try,” Michelle said.
