Finding HOST Families

Transcription

1 Finding HOST Families Please g int this with the attitude that there are three wnderful families fr each student that yu hst. Dn t let that psitive thught leave yur thinking. Even if yu have struggled in the past, try t g int this year with a new attitude. Use psitive language, yu will feel better and yur invitatins t hst will g farther Use pprtunity t hst instead f have t hst. Use nly 3.5 mnths t hst, s that we get t share the pprtunity t hst with thers, instead f saying burden r smething like it. Hst families have t be persnally asked. Annuncements plant ideas, but a persnal ask prduces the YES. Nearly every ne f ur hst families was persnally asked.after hearing r thinking they might be interested, they were persnally asked. Seldm d flks jump int the bat withut an invitatin. I heard yu might be interested in hsting an exchange student, I think yu wuld be wnderful, yur family wuld get s much ut f the experience and the student wuld be s lucky t live with yu. We have a cmmittee t give yu the needed supprt t hst, yu are nt ding this alne Have yu ever thught f hsting a student? It is fr a shrt 3.5 mnths and yu will likely develp a special relatinship that will last fr a lifetime, it is s easy t becme very attached t these students. If they have a student thinking abut RYE utbund in their future. Hsting a student is a great way t have a deeper understanding f what it is like t be an exchange student, why dn t yu becme a hst family? Yu must lk fr hst families 12 mnths f the year. Keep a running list. Flks that think their student might be an utbund in the future Friends f a current inbund student Family with n children, family with yung children, family that is an empty nester This is an pprtunity, make sure hst families knw the rewards as well as the pssible challenges. Make sure they knw they have a strng supprt system t help them thrugh their shrt 3.5 mnths f hsting. They share the student with tw ther families create a team and it becmes mre fun and less daunting The student has a Rtary cunselr; in case the student needs sme guidance takes sme f less-than-fun stuff away frm the hst family. 1

2 Recruit ther eyes and ears t help lcate the families Annunce t the club that yu are lking fr hst families; they can help be n the watch, but dn t expect much recruitment frm the Rtary members. Recruiting nn-rtary members is the best; they are the ptential future Rtarians t bring new grwth and energy t yur club. Whenever yu are in scial situatins, casually bring the tpic up Have yu ever thught f hsting? Can yu think f anyne that wuld be a gd hst family? Always have it in the back f yur mind.d the casual asks all f the time if there seems t be sme interest, write their name dwn and fllw up with a frmal invitatin later. Have a party with wine and cheese and search the schl r ther directry fr pssible hst families t cntact. Make phne calls tgether. Make the brainstrming time fun, recruit thers, and get excited tgether. Hld a public gathering f ptential hst families advertise in the paper r whatever ways yu can think f. Perhaps hld it at a back area f a cffee shp r smething easy t get t and explain t the ptential hsts what the prgram is hw it wrks, what is needed. It is a great idea t have past hst families there that can share what their experience was and encurage thers. Wh has sent a student ut? Even if it was a year r tw ag, maybe they are ready t hst. Wh is thinking f sending a student they can get t knw the prgram by hsting. Wh has hsted in the past? Even if it is five years ag, perhaps they wuld like t hst again. Friends with kids, friends with n children, retired flks, peple wh like travel, wh wuld like t travel Ask fr referrals; ask families wh have hsted befre if they knw anyne that wuld be interested. If a family can t hst, ask them if they knw f smene wh might like t. Wh are friends with yur current inbund? Whse huse has he/she gne t? Keep track f these families and fllw up with an invitatin t hst next year. 2

3 Ask yur current hst families if they knw f any ptential hsts fr next year. They will knw wh their student has cme in cntact with. Hst families are ften asked by thers what the experience is like; perhaps they have planted seeds yu can fllw up with. Take really gd care and shw lts f appreciatin t hst families.this will help the reputatin f hsting and lead t new r renewed hsts. Acknwledge and thank them ften, d it publicly t. They are the rck stars! If there is an issue act n it quickly, take the burden ff f the hst family t figure it ut. Check in with them regularly t see if everything is k, any issues? Thank them whenever yu speak t them. Invite them t Rtary meetings, especially when it invlves YE, treat them like ryalty and have the club President acknwledge their service. Have a running list t display wh has hsted in the past bring this display ut n special ccasins. This reinfrces hw special and appreciated ur hst families are. Des ne hst family have a friend wh wants t share the student with them keeping it all in the family srt f idea? If ne family wants t hst and they have friends that might cnsider it t, have them cnsider it tgether. Since they already get tgether as friends this is a fun way t share the student. Have a current inbund student talk t a yuth grup, a girl scut grup r sme ther rganizatin, get students dreaming abut having an exchange student in their hme. Have yur Rtex speak t these grups t. Have them talk abut the wnderful relatinship they develped with their hst families. Fllw up n any leads. Infrm, ask, infrm, ask Talk t everyne abut what yur inbund student is ding hw wnderful they are, fun things they are ding r yu have learned frm them. Knit the hst families tgether, s it feels like they have supprt with ne anther instead f three islated hst families. Have jint ptlucks early n. Have the families meet each ther, becme friends with each ther. If we supprt families and give them the pprtunity t have a psitive experience the easier it will be t recruit in ur cmmunities. Wrd gets ut hw fun it is and sn families will be cntacting yu t be put n the list. 3

4 A cuple times hst families have tld me the year after hsting that they missed nt nly the student but the cmmunity that was created arund that experience. Families ften hst again because they dn t want t be utside that circle. If yu have relatives in St Michael and yu think they wuld like t hst, have them get in tuch with the YEO there r better yet, give the YEO there their name and cntact infrmatin. Let s netwrk mre tgether. I have a brther in law in Chaska, maybe he knws f sme hst families. Visit the schls webpage and lk fr language, scial studies, service clubs t speak t and invite students in thse classes t speak t their families abut hsting. Perhaps the teacher wuld send a flyer hme with the students after yu speak t them. This is frm Highland Park High Schl in St Paul. This is the kind f class ne wuld lk t fr finding hst families. The Highland Park Senir High Schl Scial Studies department ffers a cmprehensive curriculum f classes, which fcuses nt nly n cultural literacy, but als cncentrate n develping glbal awareness, sharpening analytical skills, and challenging students thrugh a variety f teaching methds. When yur inbund student gives their presentatin have them invite their friends, this will lead t students ging hme and intrducing the idea f hsting t their families. Develp a brchure r flyer t hand ut, with cntact infrmatin n it, but write dwn the name and number f whever takes ne t fllw up with them. Persnal testimnials are the mst pwerful tl we have. Whether it is n paper r in persn, we need t use these stries t get the wrd ut There are tw vides n the District website abut hst families. The site is: Use these vides; send links t them t ptential hst families. Print the site in any brchure r flyer yu give. I can try t make a cpy f this vide and distribute it t yu, if there is a request t d s. Lk n yur schl s website and lk fr service clubs, scial studies clubs/ classes and language classes/ clubs t speak t yu. If a student s interest in hsting is peaked, then they can encurage r infrm their parent s t vlunteer. Give the student s a flyer t take hme with yur cntact infrmatin r take the student s name and fllw up frm that directin. 4

5 Seeing hst families they are everywhere, they just need t be asked. Finding hst families: Cntinually netwrk in the cmmunity with: Schl fficials Rtarians Other r past hst families Friends f current r past inbund students: whse huse did they hang ut in? Church leaders, church yuth grup leaders Friends everywhere Outbund families, past, present and future Let everyne yu knw that yu will be r are lking fr hst families.start many mnths ahead f the time that yu need them. Put them n a list that yu dn t lse, add t it and refer back t it. Keep an file labeled hst family and add s frm inquiring minds and leads yu are given. Always try t weave it int apprpriate cnversatins. Give very persnal invitatins t ptential hst families. Peple need t be persnally asked. Tell the stries f families that have been frever cnnected and hw their lives have been changed. Tell them that the children in the huse can becme mre utging, mre helpful, mre interested. Hw they becme curius abut the wrld. This shuld be seen as an pprtunity t hst nt an bligatin r a burden. Tell ptential hst families that they are nt having cmpany fr three mnths, they are having anther family member fr three mnths (and lnger). Frm the mment the student cmes int the huse they are treated as ne f the family.cmplete with chres and respnsibilities. Yu dn t have t be n perfect perfectly cleaned huse, perfect meals, perfect everything. Yu get t cntinue t be yurself. If yu are tired and dn t want t make dinner pizza is k. Tell the ptential hst family that they will becme part f a larger family the Rtary family and there is a lt f built in supprt with that family. Frm the YEO t the cunselr assigned t the student, t the club t the District t the ther hst families.lts f supprt. This makes the idea f hsting seem much mre manageable. Tell hst families they are nt expected t take their students n trips r indulge them in anyway ther than prviding a safe and lving hme. If anther student gets t g t Big Sky with a family, that was never expected, that was just a lucky student. 5