Students from the partner state of Massachusetts receive invitation to an official reception at the Basel City Hall (Apr 23, 2012)

PAO Alex Daniels stresses the importance of student exchanges as part of bilateral relations

Dr. Guy Morin welcomes the MA students to the Basel City Hall, Switzerland oldest parliament building

About 30 students from the larger Boston area in Massachusetts are visiting the Canton of Basel and participate in an exchange program with two Basel high schools. The Office of the President of Basel-Stadt has supported this ongoing exchange with Massachusetts for nine years already. President of the Basel Government, Dr. Guy Morin and Alex Daniels, Public Affairs Officer welcomed the participating Basel and Massachusetts students at an official reception at the Basel City Hall.

Numerous guest students from Wakefield and Natick high schools, MA, spend two weeks abroad in Basel and attended school at the Basel Leonhard Gymnasium or the Basel Gymnasium of Economic while staying with host families. On Monday, April 23, 2012, they were invited to an official reception at the Basel City Hall hosted by Basel President Dr. Guy Morin. Public Affairs Officer Alex Daniels as well as Dr. Morin both stressed the importance of intercultural exchange.

The exchange program nurtures the personal connections and the exchange of information in the framework of the Sister State Agreement between the Canton of Basel-Stadt and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Each fall a group of Basel students travels to Boston, MA, while the U.S. students take the reverse journey to Basel during the following spring. Long-lasting friendships on both sides of the Atlantic have already emerged from the exchange. The exchange is made possible thanks to the enthusiasm and support by the participating school administrators

Initially triggered by the “Friends of Massachusetts” association, the student exchange developed into a very successful project of the state partnership between Basel and Massachusetts which will celebrate its tenth anniversary this year. In addition to the student exchange, both regions also engage in scientific cooperation in the fields of nanotechnology and life sciences.

Media coverage:

http://www.bzbasel.ch/basel/basel-stadt/us-schueler-aus-massachusetts-schnuppern-in-basel-124162466

http://www.medienmitteilungen.bs.ch/showmm.htm?url=2012-04-23-pd-001