Handling Staff Problems and Program Evaluation
Problems With InterExchange Camp USA Participants
While we arrange every placement with the best of intentions, we understand that no hiring system is foolproof. Should you experience a problem with an InterExchange participant, we ask that you take the following steps:
- Speak to the participant as soon as you feel there is cause for concern. Describe the problem in an honest and straightforward manner and then listen to what he or she has to say. Once you feel you completely understand the situation, tell the participant specifically how he or she can improve matters.
- Contact InterExchange immediately. Please do not wait to call us when you’re already at the point where you want to fire a participant. Regardless of how trivial or serious any situation may seem at the time, we like to know what is going on with our participants. If necessary, we may ask you to have the participant call us. Often, we are able to remind participants of their purpose at camp, help eliminate misunderstandings and resolve any problems.
- Document any and all conversations and incidents involving the participant. Have the participant sign off on all write-ups and evaluations so there is no question as to his or her understanding of the situation.
- Should you ultimately decide to terminate a participant, please let us know exactly when you are asking that person to leave camp. We need to speak with the participant before he or she leaves the grounds.
Every season we rely on InterExchange participants and camp directors to keep us informed about the strength and effectiveness of our program. Changes in previous years’ recruitment efforts were based on comments and suggestions from evaluations completed at the end of the season. We are constantly updating our end-of-season evaluation to obtain the most valuable information.
We love hearing from you throughout the year, and we always welcome your comments and suggestions. Please let us know what you feel are the most valuable aspects of the program so that we can continue to maintain and improve upon those elements.
We appreciate our camps’ commitment to creating successful cultural exchange experiences and providing opportunities for international young people to develop meaningful connections with Americans during the summer. We’re looking forward to a long relationship with your camp!
Keep us informed! We can only help you if we know what’s going on. We are required to report all serious matters of participant health, safety and welfare to the U.S. Department of State in a timely manner, and we rely on you to help us address any issues as quickly as possible.
InterExchange Phone Numbers: Tel: 1.800.597.1722 Fax: 212.924.0575 After-hours Emergency: 917.741.5057 or 1.800.597.1722 x850
Thank You
We look forward to working with you to create lifelong memories through this cultural exchange program. You, our international participants and your campers are all an important part of the process for developing a global community—one person at a time!
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