Every day, 16-year-old Julie from Denmark checks her emails and the post office box, waiting for one specific letter: An invitation from a family in Western North Carolina who is willing to include her in their family life for the next school year.
Julie, who is an athlete and also enjoys to sing and be around younger children, has been accepted by the non-profit organization AFS Intercultural Programs for the one-year foreign exchange student program. But AFS volunteers in Western North Carolina (WNC) are having a hard time finding host families this year.
“It is even harder than last year,” said Gerry Bair, AFS coordinator for WNC.
Besides Julie, 45 other teenagers between 16 and 18 years old, mostly from European countries but also from Thailand, Japan, China and South America, are waiting for homes. They have to be accepted by a family in WNC within the next two weeks, because the enrollment at most high schools ends July 31.
All students are selected and have gone through a preparation program since November of last year.
“We do our best to match students with the families looking for common interests,” said Bair, area team chair for WNC. “We also act as liaisons during the year, get in touch once a month to make sure everything is all right. If not, we are here to help.”
Also, there are several orientations and meetings organized by AFS volunteers to support the families and help the students to get adjusted.
“At this time we are not only looking for families to host a student for one year, but also for welcome families, which give a student a home for four to eight weeks,” said Bair.
These welcome families give the students a way to come to the United States. Very often, they make friends in school or meet friends of the welcome family and “market” themselves to find a permanent host family for the rest of the school year. “We work with the schools and people of the community to find permanent families,” said Bair.
Polk County has a strong tradition of hosting foreign exchange students. More than 200 young people from all over the world have been able to call Polk County home since the beginning of the program in the 1970s.
“I really hope we can continue this tradition next school year,” said local volunteer Lone Krarup.
Anybody can be a host family with AFS – single man or woman, couples with or without kids, young adults or older.
“An interest in a student from another culture is what we are looking for,” said Bair, who adds that a background check is required by law.
Interested families can apply and find more information at www.afs.org; click on “host a student.”  You can also call Bair at 828-612-6464 or contact local volunteers Lone and Henrik Krarup at 828-863-4020.
– article submitted
by Lone Krarup