NAYEN 2012 Conference – Anchorage, AK J VISA SESSION

1. NAYEN 2012 Conference – Anchorage, AKJ VISA SESSION PRESENTER: JAMES ALEXANDER, Program Analyst U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Office of Private Sector Exchange

2. Office of DesignationSecondary School Student Program • James Alexander – Program Analyst • Travis Parsley – Program Coordinator • Mary Gant – Special Assistant

3. Role of Designation: Philosophy • Oversee Secondary School Student Program • Partner to the Sponsors • Want you to succeed • Helping to keep Sponsors in compliance • Give guidance, answer questions, etc. • Program Integrity • Health, Safety, Welfare of Students • Physical safety • Appropriate Living/Educational Environment

4. Key Regulatory Issues/Changes • Multiple Changes - Effects • Promotion of Programs • Limiting access • Incident Reporting • More Transparent, Attention • Reporting Requirements • Data for use/ Our reporting • Training • Not errors of omission

5. Promotion of Program • Need to Promote and Protect Students • DOS • Key is to protect student: Health, Safety, and Welfare • Recognize sponsor need to promote programs, recruit host families • New Regulations Place Limits on Promotion • First year in practice • Figuring out – Sponsors & DOS – best practices • Pushing the boundaries • Effect? • Fewer students? (1,500-2,000) • 5 sponsors sanctioned – webpage violations • Not for newspaper ads yet

6. Advertising & Promotion: Host Family Recruitment § 62.25 (m) Sponsors must: • (1) Utilize only materials that professionally, ethically, and accurately reflect the sponsor's purposes and activities • (2) Not publicize the need for host families via public media that: • are not sufficiently in advance of the exchange student's arrival • appeal to public pity or guilt if a host family is not found • show photos of individual exchange students with an appeal for an immediate family; • (3) Not compromise the privacy, safety or security of participants, families, or schools. Sponsors shall not • include personal student data: • Provide contact information • Show photographs of prospective students • (4) Ensure that access to exchange student photos and PII: • Accessible only to fully vetted potential host families. • Password protect online information

7. Pre-Screening I: Promotion Limits • No… • Personally Identifiable Information (PII) • Pictures of prospective students • No cartoonized images • Full Name • Identification #s (passport, etc.) • Combination of information • Full name • Country • Home town • Parents names • Parents professions • And more…. • Rotary Placement Process • Post-placement Rotary Publications • Rotary Disadvantage – Incentives…..

8. Pre-Screening II: Ease of Regulation • Best practices suggest no hand written student essays (warm fuzzies?) • No pictures of anybody in promotion w/o clearly visible statement that not actual prospective students • No overly revealing descriptions of students w/o clearly visible statement that not actual prospective students • Guidance Coming Soon

9. Report Incidents Quickly§ 62.25 n (1) • Sponsors must immediately report to DOS any incident involving the actual or alleged: • sexual exploitation • other allegations of abuse or neglect • Sponsors must report allegations as required by local/state law. • Failure to report to DOS and as required to local law enforcement can lead to suspension and revocation of the sponsor's designation

10. Reporting – Time Requirements • Delayed Incident Reports • Sexual abuse • Unsafe housing conditions • Student Acting Out Dangerously • Tell us quickly, even w/o all details • Same Day….. • DOS Concerns • Health, Safety, Welfare • Potential Notoriety of Department • Asking for Documents, etc. • Help us to help you • Provide Documents • Answer Questions • Improving Our System • Templates, SOPs, etc. • Looking for suggestions

11. Reports to DOS • Annual – July 31 • Placement – August 31, January 15 • Change of Placement – July 31 • Rotary Struggle • Request Annual Allotment – July 31 • Timing Concerns for those asking for allotment expansion • Issues for Smoother Reporting • Time, Confirmation, SOPs • Review/Audit Process – Expect more frequently • OSRs – periodic • ESRs - periodic • DOS/CSIET Audit Functions

12. Training Module • Volunteers/LCs are the critical link to a successful exchange program • serve as representatives of the sponsors • have responsibility for obtaining school enrollment • locating and recruiting host families • responsible for monitoring the student and the host family • DOS ensuring representatives know regulatory requirements • The certification program was proposed to ensure that this aspect of training was uniform • All Sponsor officials, local/regional coordinators received the training.

13. Regulatory Requirement § 62.25 d (1)    • In addition to their own training, sponsors must ensure that all LCs complete the DOS training module prior to their appointment as a LC or assumption of duties. • DOS training will include • instruction designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Exchange Visitor Program • its public diplomacy objectives • the Secondary School Student category regulations. • Sponsors must demonstrate the local coordinator's successful completion of training requirements and that annual refresher training is successfully completed. 13

14. Training Content • Web-based Test • Brief text initially • Open book test • 30-45 minutes to complete  • 27 of 30 questions (90 %) must be answered correctly to be passed • Test can be taken multiple times • DOS certified

15. Who must be certified? All U.S.-based sponsor organizational officers, employees, representatives, agents, and volunteers tasked with core responsibilities that require contact with exchange students (e.g. placement/ relocation of students, student orientation, student monitoring, etc.) must be certified as set forth in §62.25(d)(1). -Counselor or Coordinator? - Key….

16. Meeting the Requirement • Must pass DOS test yearly • Currently for New LCs • Within 30 days of taking on LC function • Before working with students or on student-focused issues • Next Deadline: July 31, 2012 • All continuing LCs must be certified by deadline • Compliance Violation: To not be certified and working with students or student-intensive issues • Rotary? • Current issues of licenses…. • Not started, In Progress, Failed….

17. Current Issues • New Regime? • Electronic Signatures? • Emergency Situations? • Moving the student • Rock Center? • Questions? • Testimonials? • Concerns?