One of the fundamental joys, successes, and challenges of running international exchanges is homestays. I won’t get into the details, but being able to provide someone from abroad the chance to live in one’s home and experience a true ‘American’ lifestyle is a vital element of citizen exchanges.
I find it an amazing commitment by those who provide homestays. There is a staggeringly minuscule tax write off for it (the amount of the tax break hasn’t been updated/chan
ged for inflation since 1960s so I wouldn't characterize it as an incentive), but by and large a family hosts an international exchange delegate in their home because they believe in the importance of sharing their lives and to add to the experience. Host a student for a year, a semester of school, a couple of weeks or shorter. There are all types of options through local Sister Cities programs and wide range of educational exchange institutions. Not a shocking revelation, we need more Americans to agree to host an international delegate.
The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel recently launched a PSA campaign to promote homestays – www.hoststudents.org – check it out, pass it along, contact your local exchange organization and tell them you want to volunteer your home for an exchange.
I find it an amazing commitment by those who provide homestays. There is a staggeringly minuscule tax write off for it (the amount of the tax break hasn’t been updated/chan
ged for inflation since 1960s so I wouldn't characterize it as an incentive), but by and large a family hosts an international exchange delegate in their home because they believe in the importance of sharing their lives and to add to the experience. Host a student for a year, a semester of school, a couple of weeks or shorter. There are all types of options through local Sister Cities programs and wide range of educational exchange institutions. Not a shocking revelation, we need more Americans to agree to host an international delegate.The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel recently launched a PSA campaign to promote homestays – www.hoststudents.org – check it out, pass it along, contact your local exchange organization and tell them you want to volunteer your home for an exchange.
