Walnut Creek Sister Cities International (WCSCI) organizes a Youth Ambassador Exchange (YAE!!) for 8th grade students with our two sister cities: Noceto, Italy and Siófok, Hungary. On September 26th, seventeen 8th grade students, along with two parent chaperones and two teacher chaperones, departed on the adventure of a lifetime. They had been preparing for this trip for months, and now the day had come for their journey to begin. The mix of emotions felt by students, parents and organizers as they assembled to depart was palpable!
For ten days, the students and chaperones experienced life and culture in one of our
sister cities. Each 8th grade ambassador was hosted by a family in their assigned sister city. They experienced day to day life in a foreign country, were exposed to rich culture and sights, and gained travel experience and a sense of independence. In addition to the amazing experience, the delegations gained amazing friendships, far greater than they could imagine when this all began. The incredible warmth and welcoming from our sister cities, the students, families and communities, truly embodies the mission statement of WCSCI: Promote peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time YAE!! Ambassadors and families are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Noceto and Siófok delegations in April 2025. The students and families cannot wait to return the warmth and hospitality they received during their stay. This program not only brings students together, but it also brings families and communities together!
Seventh-graders residing in Walnut Creek and interested in becoming a YAE!! Ambassador for the 2025/2026 exchange must attend a mandatory informational meeting on January 21st, 2025, at the Walnut Creek Downtown Library in the Oak View Room from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Please note that applications will not be considered if you are unable to attend this important meeting. To indicate your interest in attending, please email yae@wcsci.org. For more information, visit www.wcsci.org or reach out with any questions to yae@wcsci.org.
By Fran Doggett, City of Walnut Creek