Imagine learning about other cultures without leaving your home. Imagine seeing your community through a different set of eyes and becoming a tourist in your own town. Could you or your family gain from these new perspectives?
Student exchange is all about learning, sharing and growing! When you bring a student into your home and community, you gain memories that last a lifetime, knowledge of different cultures, and insight into different ways of seeing our world. The idea that it takes a village to raise a child is true. And, those in the village take just as much away from the experience as the child.
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For example, Sarah Boucher and her family have been hosting exchange students since 2014; they just selected their ninth student to host this fall! Sarah talks about how different each hosting experience has been, the lessons learned, and the experiences their entire family has gained from hosting. Her kids know how to communicate and get along with a diverse group of individuals, and their teachers often remark that they have a mature outlook of the world. She credits this to her time hosting.
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Now, let’s look at Tom. Tom works for International Experience (iE) as a Local Coordinator. In his position, Tom works with exchange students and their host families to ensure a successful exchange experience for everyone. Tom has experienced firsthand the bonds he and the host families he works with have shared with exchange students, bonds that last a lifetime!
Shouldn’t that be what life is about - community, love and embracing the differences that define us as well as the similarities that unite us?
What do you say? Think you’re ready to learn more? Contact iE to find out how you can get involved with hosting or being a Local Coordinator!
Keep up with iE and their efforts on Facebook and Instagram.
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