Shingu, Japan, is a small city on the south end of Honshu Island, about four hours south of Osaka, in the beautiful Wakayama prefecture.  Shingu is home to a stunning blue river, beautifully forested mountains, and a lovely coastline.  It is a rich cultural destination, home to shrines, temples, history, artists, and a world heritage site that boasts a waterfall and religious significance.  Our vibrant friendship with Shingu is 50 years strong, including over 20 years of delegation exchanges for both students and adults.0

Jinotepe, Nicaragua,  is a city located in the Diriamba Highlands. A non-tourist centered city, Jinotepe provides insight and opportunity into the rich culture of Nicaragua. 

Biarritz is a sophisticated beach city on the Bay of Biscay, which lies on the Atlantic coast in southwestern France. Known for it's luxury hotels and beautifully designed casinos, Biarritz is also well known as surfing culture hot spot. Home to 26,000 residents, and featuring direct access to 2.5 miles of creeks and fine sand beaches, Biarritz lies13.5 miles from the Spanish border During the summer months, the population swells by 250,000 as tourism is one of the key industries.

The city is nurturing a growing tech startup environment, with a number of new companies focused on ocean health and ecologically sound business values. The closest university campus is in Bayonne, which is 5 miles away, and is part of the University of Pau. The Bayonne campus offers business and sport management degrees. Surfing and lifeguard related activities (competitions, schools, and clubs), are well-established in city life. Biarritz runs a competitive lifeguard club with over 1,000 members, 600 of which are active every week.