Kai Harada, right, enjoys an amusement park ride with his host family, Darrah-Helena Lobo-Caves and her son, Colin.
Courtesy Photo
At the Washington Monument, Kai Harada, right, spends time with his host mother, Darrah-Helena Lobo-Caves through the Ayusa program.
Courtesy Photo
AYUSA
For more information about hosting a high school foreign exchange student, please contact Connie Lawrence at 919-612-5013 or by email at [email protected]
As a local representative of Ayusa, Connie Lawrence doesn’t want the pandemic to stop making connections between Sampson County and the rest of the world.
Ayusa, a nonprofit organization that leads foreign exchange and studying abroad opportunities, is looking for volunteer host families in the area for the 2021-2022 academic year. Participants, ages 15 to 18, come from countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Brazil and Germany. The program is regulated by the U.S. Department of State.
“These programs promote love and peace and lifelong friendships,” Lawrence said about the programs goals to promote global learning and leadership. “That’s what we’re trying to foster.”
During the previous school year, Kai Harada of Edogawa Ku, Japan spent time with the Lobo-Caves family and attended Hobbton High School in Newton Grove. One of his reasons for joining Ayusa was to learn English and during his days at the school, he played on the baseball team.
Lawrence wants to see more students from around the globe have similar enjoyable experiences. For the 2020-2021 academic year, plans were put hold because of COVID-19. Currently, there’s no one on the program this year since officials wanted to watch what was going to happen during the pandemic.
“I felt like people were already so uncertain about life itself,” Lawrence said. “To ask them to bring someone else into their home is something that I didn’t feel comfortable doing.”
She added that guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be followed. She added that Ayusa uses an hands-on approach when dealing with students, families and school systems to provide a support network.
“Being that we have over a hundred and something students in our program now waiting for something to open up, shows us that there’s hope throughout this whole pandemic,” Lawrence said. “If you have a parent in Brazil who is willing to send their child to the United States to study abroad shows that they have for the future and for their child. It’s our obligation as an organization to help foster those needs, so their child can have that experience.”
Jess Hodge, regional manager for Ayusa, said sharing life with an international student is a unique opportunity to profoundly impact the life of a teenager. Hodge also added that it provides them with a positive, transformational experience that participants will remember for the rest of their lives.
“Host families also benefit by learning about another culture and country,” stated Hodge in a news release. “COVID-19 has greatly impacted our world but its presence has on;y enhanced the need for cultural awareness and exploration. In placing students, Ayusa is taking all measures recommended by the Department of State and the CDC for the safety and health of participant communities. Sampson County host families are in a great position to show international exchange students an especially authentic slice of American life, which is one reason we are actively looking for host families in the area.”
Ayusa foreign exchange students are fully insured, bring their own spending money, and are proficient in English. It was also noted by officials that there’s no typical host families. The different types can include single or two-parent homes, with or without children. Families provide meals and a bedroom, private or shared. Family participants must pass an online application, criminal background check, and a home visit.
“Local host families are the heart and soul of Ayusa’s foreign exchange program,” Lawrence said. “North Carolina families have been hosting Ayusa exchange students for over 20 years, and the experience has been amazing for the students and the families, who contribute to world peace and global understanding through their participation in the program.”
"exchange" - Google News
February 07, 2021 at 08:45PM
https://ift.tt/3tztwj0
Exchange seeks families - Sampson Independent
"exchange" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3c55nbe
https://ift.tt/3b2gZKy
Exchange
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Exchange seeks families - Sampson Independent"
Post a Comment