Take a look at this video call from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for more Americans to host exchange visitors/students. It makes a difference around the world.
Showing posts with label international exchange. Show all posts
Showing posts with label international exchange. Show all posts
Friday, August 20, 2010
Saturday, June 27, 2009
One Bed. One Meal. One Lifetime Experience.
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.
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