“The city of Dayton is honored to have been selected to develop this program, and we’re grateful for the leadership of our local partners who have stepped up to help us ensure that these students have a truly meaningful experience,” Joseph said.

Arch Grieve is the leader of the project. He is the chair of the Dayton Sister City Committee and a Mediation Center staff member.

“We are utilizing a project-based learning approach in the design of this exchange,” Grieve said. “The goal is to help the students answer the driving question, ‘How do we enact change in a democracy?’”

Multiple local organizations have committed to participate in this exchange including local schools, political organizations and associations.

The students and teachers will participate in stages geared toward learning about American democracy, learning about the current challenges in our democracy and will learn to use the ideas to help make changes in their cities.

Families are needed to host students and teachers coming to Dayton. If an individual or family wants more information, visit daytonsistercitycommittee.org/homestay. Applicants are required to file by March 31. An allowance will be provided to the hosts.

The Dayton Sister City Committee was created by the Dayton City Commission in 1964. It is part of the Sister Cities International that was create by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.

The Dayton Mediation Center was established by the city of Dayton in 1987 in an effort to ease the impact of community conflicts on public resources.

Visit the Dayton Sister City Committee's website, the Dayton Mediation Center's website or contact Grieve at 937-333-2368 for more information.