Are you ready for International Education Week 2013? International Education Week (November 11 – 15) is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. There are activities for you to do in your school or town but the ultimate activity to promote International Education Week would be to invite an international student in your home for the semester or full school year!
International students come with an eagerness to learn, their own insurance, and their own money. All they need from your family is a place to sleep, study, and a willingness to share cultures and be a part of your family for a short time. Preparing your children for a lifelong love of other cultures is easy! Our family recently hosted two girls; one from Jordan and one from Bangladesh. It was an incredible experience! My children (1 and 4) fell in love with them, and so did we. We enjoyed learning about each other’s cultures, sharing similarities and laughing…a lot!
Our students made us dinner on more than one occasion and it was an absolute delight to enjoy their traditional food. They gave us mini language lessons in Arabic and Bangla, and even went to my son’s school to do little presentations about their countries and teach the other preschoolers about their culture. It was nothing short of amazing; an experience we will never, ever, forget.
Hosting an exchange student is a wonderful way for your family to give back together, while experiencing a new culture. Vermont area host families are the heart and soul of Ayusa’s foreign exchange program. VT families have been hosting Ayusa exchange students for the last 3 years, and the experience has been transformative for the students, who blossom in the local community through support from the families and schools. Exchange students are between the age of 15 and 18 and come from more than 60 countries around the world. They come with their own spending money and health insurance, and have studied English for at least 3 years. Most of all, they are eager to learn about your American family!
There is no “typical” American host family and Ayusa welcomes all interested families, with or without children, from both urban and rural communities. Host families provide three meals a day and a bedroom (either private or shared). Each student is supported by a professionally trained community representative from Ayusa who works with the family and student for the entire program. All host families must pass a criminal background check and a home visit by an Ayusa representative.
To learn more about hosting and how you can make a difference, please email me or go to Ayusa.org. Mention MiniBury and Chelsea for a chance to win a leather Coach keychain!!
In addition to hosting families I am looking for someone else to work on my team as a Community Representative and help me build the New Hampshire/Vermont international community. Interested? Read on:
This person would ideally have:
• Experience in intercultural exchange, education, social work and/or working with teenagers
• Strong local network and connections
• Community Volunteering experience
And responsibilities would include:
• Recruiting & Interviewing Prospective Families Share your enthusiasm for youth exchange with friends, relatives, co-workers, and others in your community.
• Developing Relationships with High Schools Help schools understand the importance of adding a global perspective to their classrooms.
• Conducting Host Family & Student Orientations Prepare students and host families for this exciting experience as you welcome them into the Ayusa community.
• Providing Support to Students & Host Families Guide the personal growth of students and host families for the length of the program through monthly calls and personal support, as needed.
Please email me at cstamour@ayusa.org for more information. Mention you read about Ayusa on MiniBury and be entered into my Christmas drawing for a Coach key chain!!