Hosting a foreign exchange student easier than you may think

During the 2010-11 school year, students from all across the world will have the opportunity to travel to Duluth and surrounding communities and spend an entire school year in the United States, learning and working with American families.

In order for the students to come to the United States, they must have proper host families lined up. Now is the crucial time of year for the Academic Year in the USA (AYUSA) program as its staffers search for host families for the upcoming school year.

The AYUSA program has been active for more than 30 years, and it is responsible for more than 40,000 students from 75 countries spending a school year in the United States.

Liana Salima Swenson, a community representative for AYUSA, started working for the organization after hosting her first student in 2007.

“I work on finding the host families, interviewing them and then placing the students with the host families,” she said.

There are not many strict requirements that need to be met.

Regional director Christie Schilling, who supervises Swenson and other community representatives, said the most important thing is that those who host students are doing so for the right reason: providing a loving experience and an exposure to American culture.

There are a few basic requirements, of course.

Schilling said anyone who is older than 25 and can provide food and shelter for a student fulfills the requirements of being a host family. There is a background check, reference check and an interview.

Criminal background checks have to be done on everyone older than 18 living in the home, Schilling said.

Swenson, who does the majority of interviews with the host families, reiterated the importance of finding a good fit.

“They have to be interested in it for the right reasons: the cultural exchange of learning from them and them learning from us,” Swenson said. “It’s the language, the cooking, the music, the food. The host family has to be genuinely interested.”

AYUSA receives biographies of students who can be placed in Duluth and the surrounding communities, generally within a 120-mile radius of Duluth, Schilling said, and potential host families can review the biographies of students and pick someone who might fit in best with their family.

The host family cannot speak the language of the student they wish to host. They want students to use their English skills and get involved in American culture.

Single people, older couples and even couples with children can provide a warm and inviting environment for students.

It’s preferred that each host student gets their own bedroom, but, if it is impossible, sharing is OK if it’s with someone of the same gender and in the same age range.

Students aren’t here to provide labor to the host families, but they can be of some help to families by babysitting or helping out around the house. But while they are in the States, they have to follow all the rules that any other American high school student would be expected to. Failing to follow such rules could result in the students being sent home early.

Students aren’t allowed to drive. They can take driver-education courses, but they can never drive alone or with their host parents. They also can’t operate items like an ATV or lawnmower, Swenson said.

Besides learning more about another culture, another benefit to being a host family is that all families who host a student get a $500 credit toward sending their own child to another country for an exchange.

Once the host families are selected, the work isn’t done for Schilling and her staff.

“Then it involves staying involved with those host families, making sure things are OK; bringing the youth together for community service, as everyone is required to do a certain number of community service hours; picking them up and dropping them off from the airport; and hosting the family orientation,” Swenson said.

Once the school year is complete, Schilling said one of the most important elements of the program is the departure orientation.

“We ask what parts of the American culture they still don’t understand and highlights from the year,” she said.

Students talk about the weather, how some of them had never seen snow before, the types of food we eat up here in the Northland and the extracurricular activities they were able to participate in for the first time.

“Our school system is much easier. When they return, they’re going to get back into strict study habits,” Schilling said. “They’re not used to being able to participate in extracurricular activities such as photography, art, painting. A lot of them don’t have sports, and they’re participating in football or track for the first time.”

Although AYUSA has placed some students for the upcoming school year, more host families are needed. Those who are interested in hosting can reach Swenson by phone at 391-0260 or by e-mail at lianasrs@skypoint.com.