Do a Great Thing for Your Country - Host an Exchange Student

(ARA) - Laurie Scott always enjoyed volunteering while living in Michigan, whether helping out at her local zoo or her son's school. But it wasn't until she moved to Nevada five years ago that her volunteer work took her onto the international stage.

New to the state, Laurie and her husband, Martin, found a volunteer opportunity right in their own back yard. Their next door neighbor was hosting an exchange student with EF Foundation for Foreign Study and put them in contact with the program's local coordinator. Things happened quickly after that.

"I always wanted to work with a non-profit, and EF Foundation was just a perfect fit," says Scott. "Within two weeks we had been interviewed by staff members and welcomed to the program."

The couple initially got involved in the program to help exchange students. Scott beams when she discusses the young people her family has met through hosting. "They are all such wonderful kids," she says. "They're smart, athletic, fun to be around."

Scott remembers that when each student arrived, it was "pretty obvious" that they were from a foreign country because they didn't understand American customs and way of life. Once they became involved in school activities and made friends, however, they immersed themselves in the American lifestyle and gained new points of view.

"Each of our students came to the U.S. with their own unique perspective on our society and culture, and they weren't always positive views," Scott says. "By the time they left us at the end of the school year, their views had totally changed. Now for the rest of their lives, they will be walking ambassadors for America."

While the Scotts have given so much to students from abroad, she says that they have gotten a lot back as well. "EF Foundation is like a big family. We've made friends around the world and we have so many places to visit. Plus, we have built relationships with staff members that will last forever."

Åsa Fanelli, president of EF Foundation for Foreign Study, stresses the true exchange that takes place when families host. "The best way to experience another culture is by opening your heart and home to a young person from another country," Fanelli says. "Your family and community gets the opportunity to learn about another culture while you have a chance to share your American values and traditions."

Laurie Scott agrees, noting that hosting exchange students builds mutual understanding for everyone involved. "We really need programs like this to understand each other. It has been a fantastic experience for us," she says.

EF Foundation students are between 15 and 18 years old, and arrive with health insurance and their own spending money. EF Foundation for Foreign Study is a non-profit organization with thousands of volunteers across the country that brings high school students from all over the world to live and study for a year in the United States. Since 1979, the program has helped 100,000 students from nearly 40 countries take part in international exchange.

To learn more about the EF Foundation and the steps you'll need to take to become a host family, log on to www.effoundation.org or call (800) 44-SHARE.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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