About Us
Established in 1985, the Center for Cultural Interchange (CCI) is a non-profit international exchange organization dedicated to the promotion of cultural understanding, environmental consciousness and world peace. Based in Chicago, Illinois, CCI organizes high school exchange, short-term group homestay, internship and training, volunteer, work & travel, and language study programs in the United States and in over 30 countries around the world. Through Greenheart’s environmental and social welfare initiatives, CCI offers opportunities to our American and international participants to contribute to conservation efforts through service, education and conscious living.
CCI and Greenheart has been recognized by the Mayor of Chicago and the City Council for the promotion of international education, environmental awareness and citizen diplomacy.
Read more about how CCI and Greenheart give back on a local, national and global level.
CCI is designated by the United States Department of State as a J-1 Exchange Visitor Program Sponsor for the Secondary School, Intern and Trainee, and Summer Work/Travel programs. CCI is currently granted full listing by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET). We are also a member of the World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation (WYSTC), NAFSA: Association of International Educators, WYSE: Work Abroad Association, and The Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange.
Over the years, we have been fortunate to expand CCI’s activities in spite of the uncertainties of international travel, and thereby do even more towards fulfilling our mission. CCI now receives over 8,000 students annually — a remarkable increase since our first seven students participated in the Academic Year High School Program in 1985.
At CCI, we support the preservation of, and respect for, the health and welfare of the earth and its people by incorporating an ecological consciousness into all facets of our programs and business. CCI’s Greenheart programs embody this philosophy.