Benefits of Hosting

The benefits of hosting an international exchange student in your home are as numerous and varied as the families who take on this extremely personal and life-altering challenge. Here are just a few:

Hosting is a Wonderful Family Experience!

At Youth For Understanding, we think the best reason to host an exchange student is the global education that it provides your family.

"We have loved each of our eight exchange students as our own children... and now we have sons and daughters around the globe!"
- Susan Garrett
host mom
Columbia, MD

Imagine welcoming a young person from Brazil, Japan, Germany, or one of over 50 countries into your home. When your family decides to Go Global by sharing your life with a student from abroad, everyday experiences take a new and exciting twist - American traditions gain deeper meaning as you introduce them to your new son or daughter; a casual family chat about world events reveals new perspectives you may never have considered; the dinner table includes exotic new dishes as your exchange student cooks up a taste of home for all to sample. Exchange will broaden your entire family's perspective on the world. It's a great education and it's lots of fun, too!

Learning About Other Cultures is
Fun for Children of All Ages!

"A lot of people think that you have to have teenagers to be a host family. We felt very strongly that our younger girls could really benefit from it. And it's true... it's been wonderful!"
- Ann Ellis
host mom
Upland, CA

Many families host for the educational value the experience brings to their own children. For young children, their new big brother or sister may be their first exposure to another language, different customs, and ways of thinking. These early experiences teach tolerance and can spark a lasting interest in world history, geography, and language.

For teenagers, an exchange brother or sister brings new perspectives to issues facing teens around the globe - making choices for the future, shaping a better world, and having a great time!

American students need a global perspective to succeed. Exchange brings that perspective into your own home. Whether your teenager's interests lie in history, economics, science, or foreign language, the skills, insight, and flexibility he or she will gain by having an exchange student in your home will help prepare for life in our fast-changing, multicultural world.

If you don't have children or your children are grown, you can still host an international student and have a great time doing it! Host families are as diverse as America itself. In fact, any two people related by blood or marriage can host. If yours is a non-traditional household interested in sharing your home with a young person from overseas, your application to host will be considered following special selection procedures. Even if everyone in your family is all grown up, don't be surprised if your exchange experience teaches you a few things too! After all, there is no age limit for a global education.

Expand Your Family - Expand the Fun!

Frequently, families host because they simply enjoy teenagers. Some want to add another family member. Others feel a loss when one of their own children moves away to work or study and welcome an exchange student into their home to fill the gap. By sharing their interests and love with an exchange son or daughter, families receive love and lifelong friendships in return.

"I find myself wanting to learn more and more about other countries. And it's really interesting."
- Nicole Zimmerman, host sister, Fort Wayne, IN

Picture yourself introducing your exchange son or daughter to American culture by going to a baseball or football game, visiting a museum, attending a concert, window-shopping at the mall, or barbecuing in your own backyard. Whatever your favorite activities, sharing them with an exchange student will make lasting memories for you and your new family member to share forever.

Picture This! Exchange Makes Memories:

  • A Thanksgiving feast goes global with your student mastering a traditional pumpkin pie and you rolling the sushi.
  • Third grade "Show and Tell" takes an international twist when an exchange big brother or sister shares pictures, stories, and traditional crafts from their home country.
  • Cherished American values from voting to volunteering become even more meaningful when shared with a young person from abroad.

What will you put in your family's memory book this year?

International Exchange Students
Enrich Your School and Community!

International students bring other cultures right into your school and your community. They will help you and those around you learn about other people, places, and perspectives.

"The exchange student idea can change things and make a difference one person at a time. One person interacting positively with our students... probably does more good than hours and hours at any diplomatic table."
- Mr. Reimenschneider
teacher, Fort Wayne, IN

No matter what career they choose, today's high school students will need a global education. To meet this challenge, teachers around the nation are looking for effective ways to spark interest in international study, bring current events to life, and encourage foreign language study.

When you decide to host a YFU student, teachers at your school can bring another culture right into the classroom. What better way for the young people in your community to learn about the world than by studying, talking, and laughing with a peer from the other side of the globe?

As an added bonus, if your own teenager's interest in learning more about the world takes off, he or she will be eligible for a partial scholarship, offered only to host families, to go abroad on his or her own YFU exchange!