Last week marked the end of six teenagers’ first (but not last) time in Lake Charles.

The American Exchange Project (AEP) is a newer non-profit organization that lets teenagers from across the country visit different states free of charge.

Renee Bailey, exchange manager, AEP, said AEP “draws communities together” by sending recent high school graduates to various United States cities for one week. All flights, activities and food are paid for. All students have to bring is themselves, curiosity and an open mind.

“It is to get immersed with the culture they are spending the week with.”

AEP was created in 2020, and has been sending recent high school graduates on American adventures for about three years, she said. Her daughter participated and visited Minnesota last year. After her daughter’s experience, Bailey decided to work with AEP.

She has experience hosting foreign exchange students. She noted that AEP allows students to bond quicker and more deeply with American subcultures because the exchange students already have foundational similarities to their hosts.

“They can already relate so much to American culture. … We don’t have to worry about a language barrier, we can dive into really getting to know each other,” she said. “It was definitely eye-opening to see how quickly you can get attached to someone in just a few short days.”

For one week – July 3 through July 10 – six recent high school graduates were taken on a tour of Louisiana that included a bit of traveling, quintessential recreational activities, and (of course) Southwest Louisiana food.

“They had an amazing time. Words cannot express how amazing our week was,” she said. “Every single day we did something different.”

The participants were from Utah, Nebraska, Ohio, Vermont, Tennessee and Florida.

Sans a trip over the Texas border to eat at Whataburger and a day trip to New Orleans, a majority of their time was spent in Southwest Louisiana.

They got a “taste of southern hospitality” when dining at local establishments like Tony’s Pizza, Darrell’s and Steamboat Bill’s. After going crabbing in Hackberry, they even got to experience an authentic crawfish, shrimp and crab boil.

The group went on a tour of Bayou Rum Distillery & Event Center, visited the Creole Nature Trail Adventure Park, spent time on the Lake during Fourth of July celebrations and saw the coast.

Bailey said she kept them busy on purpose. She wanted to maximize their time in the area and highlight the culture she loves.

“I just love to showcase our area. We were managing about five hours of sleep each night, but that’s okay,” she joked, “It was worth it.”

The group was not ready to leave, and already have plans to return to SWLA, she said.

AEP’s mission gives participants the “perfect chance” to explore when they are on the precipice of adulthood.

“Most never take a solo trip in their life, much less right out of high school,” she explained. “With the changes of turning 18, becoming an adult, finishing high school, it just gives them an open mind and teaches them how to build relationships in college and the workforce.”

AEP’s host school in SWLA is Sam Houston High School. Four locals traveled this summer with AEP – three from Sam Houston and one from Hamilton Christian Academy. They each went somewhere different: Alaska, Colorado, Tennessee and Utah.

Sign-up for AEP opens on October 1. There are no set qualifications for participation, but there are limited spots available, she said.

AEP relies on donations.

To learn more or donate, visit americanexchangeproject.org.