Interactive Evenings
Friday night conversations at the home of Jon Sween have taken an on international flare this year.
In addition to the food on the table, Sween provides the dozen exchange students in his home with a sampling of knowledge he hopes will provide a lasting impact on their lives when they return home.
Sween is the founder of Marketplace Connections, an organization dedicated to improving business through networking and meaningful connections. His home-cooked leadership course is the cherry on top of the sundae for the students participating in The Northwest Community College Initiative (NWCCI) offered through Edmonds Community College and funded through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs.
“We provide the students with an abbreviated version of an entrepreneurial workshop Marketplace Connections offers to people who have great ideas, but need help turning their dream of a business into a reality,” said Sween. “The students have told us that we have given them the information – and the motivation – they need to launch their own businesses when they get home.”
The goal of the NWCCI program, according to program advisor Kim Kraft, is to provide tools to the students to improve their local communities back home after a year-long stay in the United States.
“The government funds the exchange to promote the program’s vision for mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries and cultures,” said Kraft. The advisor explained that the program covers the cost of education, housing and normal living expenses, but that students are matched with local families to celebrate milestones and holidays over the course of their time in the Northwest.
Hands-On
In addition to classwork and exposure to the American lifestyle, NWCCI students are required to serve 60-hour unpaid internships with businesses in the community. Isabeau Malan from South Africa received hands-on experience in event planning with a local caterer. She described the experience as the “glue that brought all of the classwork and discussions into focus.”
Other students in the program are scheduled to complete internships with local organizations such as the YMCA, Fabric of Life, City of Lynnwood and the Snohomish County Economic Alliance. Edmonds, Whatcom Community College and Pierce College have hosted more than 300 international students from 20 countries around the world over the past few years.
In an effort to give back to their host communities, this year the international students at Edmonds Community College have worked with kids at Seattle’s Bureau of Fearless Ideas, served meals at Annie's Kitchen, sorted food donations at Food Lifeline, helped build houses with Hope for Housing in Snohomish County and taught hands-only CPR to community members with the Lynnwood Fire Department.
However, the year-long exposure to America would be empty without positive results when the students return home. Kraft said the step-by-step program presented by Sween is one way to ensure success.
The local business consultant stopped short of guaranteeing that every student will realize their goals when they returned home, but is grateful to be part of the equation.
“My hope is that these students return home with the leadership skills they’ll need to succeed in whatever direction their lives may take them,” said Sween.
Dan Aznoff was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the toxic waste crisis. He is now a freelance writer living in Mukilteo dedicated to capturing the cherished stories of our lifetime so they can be preserved for future generations. He can be contacted directly at da@dajournalist.com.
