MEDFORD, Ore. — Seventeen high school students and two chaperones from Medford’s Italian sister city, Alba, are set to arrive this Saturday for a two-week cultural exchange program.
The group will be hosted by local families and experience a variety of activities, including visits to schools like Wilson Elementary, hiking Table Rock, rafting on the Rogue River, and having dinner with the city council.
The student exchange program, established in 1985, aims to foster lifelong friendships and cultural understanding between the two communities. Despite a brief pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, the tradition has resumed, marking another chapter in the 64-year sister city relationship.
Stacey Stover, the Medford Student Exchange Coordinator, says the experience is important to students , “Very often students come back and have really changed their perspective on the world and on themselves, and on another culture. It’s wonderful in that way. Our organization believes it is important because getting to know another culture and seeing that we all have a lot of similarities, and understanding the differences is a great foundation for our world for peace and cooperation.”
Alba, known for its white truffles, prestigious wines, and Ferrero chocolates, shares many similarities with Medford, including its climate, agricultural, and scenic surroundings. The visit offers a unique opportunity for the Alba students to experience life in southern Oregon and create lasting memories with their Medford counterparts.
If you are interested in hosting a student in the future you can visit the Medford-Alba Sister City website.
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