Hosting a Student
Hosting a Youth Exchange student from another country is a
challenge—and an opportunity. Involvement with an exchange student
challenges a host family to become familiar with another culture,
while providing the opportunity to share a student's hopes and
ambitions. These challenges and opportunities promise to enrich the
lives of every member of your family.
Not only will you provide an unforgettable
service to a student from abroad, but you also will educate your
family about the world around them.
Host family responsibilities
As a Rotary Youth Exchange host family, it is your responsibility to
provide room and board for your exchange student. You are also
expected to exercise general parental supervision over the student
just as you would your own children, and involve him or her in daily
household chores and activities.
However, most host families' involvement with their student does not
stop at room and board. The families often share their native
background while also learning about their visitor's culture. This
does not mean that you have to arrange elaborate entertainment, but
simply make the student a part of your family. Give him or her the
opportunity to share in the same aspects of your family life that
most teenage students experience in your culture.
Other suggested host family responsibilities include:
- meeting your exchange student on arrival in your country and
making the student feel at
home as part of the family - helping the student achieve language mastery
- involving the student in obligations similar to those established for your own family members
- helping the student meet Rotary obligations, such as
attending Rotary functions,
including club and/or district meetings - seeing that the student meets other young people
- providing a safe environment for the student and ensuring the student's safety
- being tolerant of differences and willing to change your own ideas
Rotarian Responsibilities
Rotarians work to take care of the logistics of the exchange. As all
Youth Exchanges are carried out at the local level, the local Rotary
club and district will arrange school enrollment, tuition and other
educational matters with the local secondary school. All program volunteers are devoted to the safety of the
students, and the host club and district maintain policies and
procedures to protect the students. Local Rotarians also introduce
the student to the other club members and organize some social and
cultural functions for the student to attend.
For long-term exchanges, the hosting club or district appoints a
Rotarian counselor and arranges a monthly allowance for the student.
The Rotarian counselor maintains contact with the host family and
the student throughout the exchange.
While Rotary International offers support to local Rotary Youth
Exchange programs through publications and suggested guidelines,
Rotary districts and clubs run their programs independently of
Rotary International. Therefore, each club or district program has
its own specific rules for youth exchange participants to follow.
Resources for host parents
Host Family Survival Kit: A Guide for American Host Families,
by Nancy King and Ken Huff,
Published by Intercultural Press, June 1997, ASIN: 0933662521.
This book, which is based on case studies, is a good primer to help "expecting" host parents to prepare for a student exchange program. It discusses cultural differences and perspectives, culture shock (and how you can help), what to expect, how to deal with the development of your relationship with your exchange student, helping your exchange student adjust to life in a foreign land, setting up ground rules, money issues, working with special needs students, and interfacing with hosting organizations. It also includes good advice on dealing with common issues and problems.
Host Parent Handbook (PDF - 38.6 MB) This handbook covers everything from what to do in an emergency to questions to ask on the first night.
Inbound Student Calendar - Dates and locations of important events that involve your student.
Questions to ask the first night - Important questions to ask your student the first night in your home.
Inbound Students and Host Families Home | Inbound Student Calendar | Host Families | First Night Questions