summer: who and what?
About the summer.
My cousin’s wedding is right in the middle of the trip — can I leave to attend it?
Hey, we understand . . . weddings happen. That’s why everybody gets a 48-hour wedding pass. Use it at any point to watch that special couple tie-the-knot. But you only get one. And you can’t be gone during orientation, the solitude retreat, or debrief. (Trust us, you wouldn’t wanna miss them anyway).
Am I allowed to have visitors or go visit friends in the area?
Friends are cool, and it’s a great way to share what you’re doing, but it’s really the call of your team and team leader. Try to keep your out of town visitors to a minimum. Visiting friends in the area is fine, but we really want you to experience life in the neighborhood. So use your judgment and prioritize your summerXchange experience. Forty days will go by really quickly.
Where will I live during summerXchange?
In a van, down by the river!
Alright, fair question (parents and boyfriends like to know this kind of stuff.) Naturally, it depends on the location you’re in, but in general we’re aiming to house you with InnerCHANGE staff or close connections.
If you’re helping us explore a new site, you may be living all together with your team in a space provided by a partnering ministry. Or you’ll be hosted by well-chosen families right there in the neighborhood.
How can my parents get a hold of me in an emergency (can I bring my cell phone)?
Yeah, go ahead and bring your cell phone. (Though overseas teams are a different story.) Just turn it off during meetings, and don’t spend your entire summer text-messaging your girlfriend. Your parents will be ablet o reach either you or one of our staff members in case of an emergency.
Is where I’m going safe?
Well, that depends on what your definition of “is” is.
Do InnerCHANGE staff live there all the time and raise their kids there? Yeah. Do the poor we’re serving call it “home” day in and day out? Yeah. Do bad things sometimes happen in some of these neighborhoods? Yeah . . . but we’re being wise about our settings, and we’ll make sure you’ve got some street-smarts before we send you off for the summer . . . not to mention the whole ‘God is our protector’ thing. (Sorry mom & dad! Wish we could say more, but, no, we can’t guarantee safety!)
Can bring my car? If not, is there a place I can leave it?
If it fits in your suitcase and is a zero-emissions vehicle, then feel free to bring your car. Otherwise, it’s best if you leave it at home. We’ll make sure you can get around, and public transportation is part of the summer experience. This isn’t a no-exceptions policy though, so feel free to check in with your team leader or summerXchange staff about it.
My first choice site is my home town. Is that ok?
We find that the purity of a 40 day summerXchange experience is best suited for being away from your normal surroundings. But we’re not closed to you sticking close to home. Just expect to have to explain why you think that would be a good idea.
Can my friends and I be assigned to the same site?
Depends on how much money you’re willing to offer. (Oops, did we say that out loud?) Seriously, it’s a possibility but not a guarantee. Teams are assembled based on overall team style, location needs, and a complex calculus involving gender, birthplace and whether you’re left-handed or not.
Here’s what to do: let us know in your application who you’re hoping to be on a team with and why that’s important to you.
funding: how and why?
Where should my supporters send checks? Who do they make them out to?
Checks can be made out to summerXchange and mailed to:
PAY TO THE ORDER OF ____summerXchange_____
summerXchange
c/o: (your name)
766 Treat Ave
San Francisco CA 94110
- NOTE: we have to return checks that have your name anywhere on the check. So, tell your peeps NOT to write your name anywhere on the check for IRS purposes, but to include a donor card or a note of some kind telling us who it’s for.
Also tell your donors that while coin collections, restaurant gift certificates and rare stamps are appreciated and even admired, we just aren’t able to process them anymore.
Can donors give online?
We are working on this, and hope to have it running very soon. We’d hoped to be able to send a “yes” to you on this by now, but it hasn’t worked out. It should, it will, it might… sometime in May. We’ll keep you posted.
Does summerXchange provide any scholarships?
Good question. It’s something we’ve been putting a lot of thought into and this is where we’re at so far: If the ONLY reason you won’t be able to do summerXchange is due to funding, we want to hear from you and see if there’s something we can do to help out. Yes! We do have scholarships available, please contact us if you need help to make it for the summer. We always want you to raise some of it because it helps with ownership and puts you in contact with people who will support you in ways beyond giving.
PLEASE let us know that sooner than later. In every case, though, we will ask participants to either pay or raise some portion of the total cost.
What do I do if I can’t raise the entire amount?
Hey, we know that fundraising isn’t easy, and sometimes things don’t go as planned, but you gotta get your funds in. We’ll work it this way: we need half of your money in by the first day of orientation, and the other half in by the last day of debrief. Or we won’t let you go home (just kidding, but you might break a leg… accidentally of course). One note here: if you realize that for some reason you won’t meet the deadline, we want to hear about at least two weeks before debrief (seems like an obvious request, but you’d be surprised).
Do I need to bring spending money?
The budget you’re fund raising for should cover just about everything for you: transportation, housing, food, ministry-related expenses, etc. But, yeah, it might be a good idea to bring some extra cash for your slurpee addiction, a chia-pet, or that occasional triple-shot-no-whip-irish-cream blended latte.
basics: where & when?
Where does it start, when & how should I get there?
Do I have to arrange my own air travel to my assigned site?
No, we’ll get you from San Francisco to your site … so your only job is getting yourself to San Francisco for the June Orientation and out of San Francisco on August 1st. (We don’t care how you get here, just, get here if you can!)
What about getting to San Francisco on June 5th?
Yeah, getting to San Francisco, which is where it all begins, is on you (which means your the cost of your transportation to and from San Francisco isn’t covered in the $1,800 or $2,800). But from June 5th to August 1st, we’ve got you covered on transportation arrangements. Actually, you’ve got us covered because you’re raising all your funds, right? RIGHT?
What airport should I fly into and at what time?
When arranging your travel here are the magic details:
Arrive: June 6th – by 2pm (this said 5th for awhile, but is should have said 6th)
Depart: August 1st – by noon
PLEASE pay attention to these arrival and departure times as we really need everyone to join us from the beginning and stay through the end.
Airports: either San Francisco (SFO) or Oakland (OAK) are fine.
(Southwest flies into both, FYI – yeah, we’re big fans)
Airport Pickups: we may need you to take BART (the subway) when you arrive.
I’ve never seen San Francisco, can I come early or stay late?
We do love you and all, but don’t plan on coming early or staying late without talking with us first. We’re great hosts starting June 5th and ending August 1st, but before and after that we’re mangy, grumpy old guys who will probably put you to work instead of letting you see the City. But, if you’ve got other friends in town and another place to stay, that’s cool, just make arrangements to come by 2pm on the 5th and leave on the 1st and we’re all good.
