Exchange Bulletin Board
Updated for March 2000
Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Winchester Jumelage will be held on Sunday, May 7, between 4:00 and 6:00 pm at the Clubhouse of the Ledges. A program of slides and discussion will treat Eleanor of Aquitane, a most prominent woman in French and English history. There will be a very short business meeting. There will, of course, be wine, cheese, and camaraderie. The public, not just Jumelage members, is cordially invited.
Current Exchanges
Anniversary Part One -- During the second week in April, thirty Winchester residents and elected officials will be going to France to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the twin city program with Saint Germain-en-Laye, a suburb of Paris. The trip is organized by the Winchester Jumelage. It will be hosted in St. Gemain-en-Laye by a counterpart Jumelage organization there.
The mayor of St. Germain-en-Laye, Mr. Edouard Lamy, and his counsel, will receive our delegation along with those from "Jumelage's" from Germany, Scotland, Poland and Morocco in an official reception at the Mairie (City Hall) on the Saturday evening. In addition, the Winchester group will join the St. Germain group for an informal dinner earlier in the week organized by Mrs. Genevieve Parniere, the President of the St. Germain-en-Laye Jumelage.
During the week many side trips and local excursions are planned. One will be a trip to the castle of Chantilly, Others will, no doubt, include day trips to Paris, only a 25 minute train ride away.
Anniversary Part Two -- The Winchester Jumelage will be Hosting a delegation from St. Germain en Laye to come to Winchester to continue the 10th anniversary celebration on this side of the Atlantic during the first weekend in October.
Garden -- -As a follow-up to the very successful garden exchange to St. Germain-en-Laye last year, plans are now underway for Winchester to host the group here in the year 2001.
Literary -- And, plans are underway to host a literary exchange also in the year 2001.
Educational Exchanges
Students -- During the first week in April, seven French language students from Winchester High School will be going to St. Germain-en-Laye as the first leg in the current student exchange. A full agenda is planned. The group will be chaperoned by Ms. Bentley and Ms. Zack of the WHS Language Department. Then, later in April, the students from St.. Germain-en-Laye will be coming to Winchester to return the visit. Generally, housing and activities are set up. However, if anyone has an interest in helping, please contact the Jumelage or the WHS Language Department.
Interns -- This program has functioned as a basis for college level students to gain on-the-job experience in the host country. In 1999, we had an exchange nursing student who spend four weeks in residence at the Winchester Hospital. This was a most successful experience for all involved. Currently, Jumelage members are interviewing (via email and in person) candidates to visit us during 2000 as interns.
Currently only suggestions
Family -- Recognizing the difficulty regarding youth care if parents are gone for an extended period or total cost if a whole family contemplates a trip abroad, the concept of a Family Exchange has been proposed. Here one parent and one or more children would venture abroad and be simply tourists in France with a counterpart family there. The special interest is in getting to know a French family and in having them return here to get to know us and New England. Day trips in and around Paris would be the focus along with the local interests in St. Germain-en-Laye.
Golf -- This is something that got a lot of talk in 1998 but no tee-times. There is a chance, if enough response is received, that it could happen in 1999. We see a five day stay in each host city -- with perhaps three golf outings each. Private and public courses will be played -- as best we can arrange. The trip to France may include play at the St. Germain Country Club. Other clubs in and around Paris will be selected. The return matches will be held in local private clubs and in top tier public courses.
General Ground Rules for Exchanges
- An exchange begins with verbal or written proposal briefly summarizing the focus, the participants, and mechanics of the exchange. This would then be reviewed and approved by the Jumelage Board of Directors. All the details need not be worked out at this stage. But, the Jumelage has to have a sense of what's going on before something becomes an "official Jumelage exchange.
- The planning and implementation of each exchange is carried out by volunteers who themselves will be participants in the activities. Using the interested participants in the detailed planning assures that the activities are made meaningful to the exchange group. The resources and experience of the Jumelage are available to assist in the arrangements -- very important as the Jumelage members have done this before.
- The purpose of each exchange is to provide a comfortable environment for interested citizens on both sides of the Atlantic to see and participate in appropriate cultural and entertainment opportunities and to establish and further friendships with our sister city. The exchange can be as exciting and as challenging as the participants desire. Or, it might be as comfortable and as leisurely as is appropriate.
- In each exchange, there would be some group activities and some activities on a do-it-yourself basis. Group activities could be by bus or car or public transportation, and would include whatever are the specific interests of the group.
- Participants from Winchester would stay with families in St. Germain-en-Laye and participants from St. Germain-en-Laye would stay with families in Winchester.
- We anticipate the "formal" part of the exchange might cover about one week. Each visit could be preceded by or followed by other side trips as might be planned and carried out by the individual participants on their own.
- Each exchange would be limited to a first come first served basis. We would hope to assemble a group of 10 to 15 people for each leg of the exchange. Experience with prior exchanges indicates that a larger group becomes just too unwieldy to handle.
- Participants must be current members of the Jumelage. (Annual dues are $20 for regular membership; $100 for sponsor membership.) In addition, an activity fee of $100 per participant or $150 per couple would be charged by the Winchester Jumelage to cover our costs for arrangements (phone, local group expenses, etc.).
- Local expenses (admissions, souvenirs, transportation other than personal vehicles, etc.) would be paid by the individual participants. However, experience has shown that there are generally special social events in the host city which are paid by the host organization and the direct participants in the host community.
- The Winchester Jumelage can help arrange special airfare for participants.
March 21, 2000