Sister cities exchange program eyes set of summer dates, urges students to apply

Benicia teens can live with Tula, Mexico families this summer

Benicia and Vallejo high school students who would like to live with a Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico, family this summer are being asked to apply for the opportunity by March 20, Betsy Radtke of the Benicia-Tula Sister Cities Association said.

The organization’s Summer Youth Exchange is a program that lets high school-age students from Tula, Hidalgo, live for two weeks with host families in Benicia, after which a Benicia youth from each host family gets to live in Tula for two weeks, Radtke said.

Tula students currently are expected to stay in Benicia from June 20 to July 5, and Benicia students will visit Tula July 5-19, though those dates may change.

As participants in the program, Benicia students would be able to continue the 35-year history of the sisterly relationship between the two cities, as well as form their own friendships with those of another culture.

This is the revival of a program that had been recessed for several years, President Carla Schaefer said. “We’ve been wanted to get it going for some time. Betsy really stepped up to the plate.”

Applicants must have taken at least a year of Spanish and have an interest in diplomacy and meeting people from the other city’s culture. They’ll have a chance to use their Spanish education in real-world situations, Radtke said.

The students will be living as a modern Mexican young person during their stay, she said.

The exchange is a chance for students to strengthen leadership skills, since they will be seen as ambassadors for Benicia, she said, and they’ll also get the opportunity to learn of the history of the Toltec and Aztec people.

Interested students must have completed a year of Spanish and need to be attending high school in Benicia or Vallejo. They may apply by contacting the Benicia Tula Sister Cities Association Youth Program at radtke@pacbell.net or 707-746-5420.

Applications must arrive by March 20 and may be mailed to BTSCA Youth Program, 95 Carlisle Way, Benicia, CA 94510.