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Overview
If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a host family for incoming exchange students, please email Lisa, our Youth Services Chair.
We cannot run the Youth Exchange Scholarship Program with the help of local host families. Host families do not need to be affiliated with Rotary but must be approved by the Rotary Club administering the exchange. Being involved hosting an exchange student can be an incredibly rewarding, providing an international experience for your family without leaving home. It’s amazing what you learn from having someone from a different country stay with you.
Usually a student lives with one host family for a period of three to four months, as a member of that family not as a guest, then moves on to another host family. Host families provide room and board, and share their lives with exchange students involving them in family, community, and cultural activities.
Families with small children make great host families because young children get the experience of having a big brother or sister and the exchange students often enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of practicing their language skills with a younger child.
“Empty Nesters” or retired couples are good too because they can have more time to spend with their student than younger parents do and they often enjoy having a young person around the house.
Families with high school age children are good because host brothers and sisters can quickly get the student involved in school and community activities.
As you can see, the best host families are really just normal families and they don’t fall into any one, easy-to-define category.
For more information, please see the extensive Guide for Host Families.