International Students seek host families for one month this summer in Boulder

Volunteer host families are needed to host a group of international exchange students this summer in Boulder County. The students will participate in a language and cultural enrichment program that will better enable them to live in the United States for the academic year.A total of 25 students will arrive to Boulder in mid July, and stay through mid August with host families in Boulder as part of the Language and Cultural Enrichment Program, an aspect of the ASSE International Student Exchange Programs.ASSE, the American Scandinavian Student Exchange program, is a non-profit, international student exchange organization, founded in 1938 by the Swedish Ministry of Education. It was established to organize student exchange programs between Sweden and the United States. The program now includes students (ages15-18) from Europe, Asia/Pacific, the Americas and South Africa.ASSE’s primary goal is to provide exchange programs which enable students to learn about other languages and cultures while participating in family, school and community life. Through a one-to-one relationship, both students and families can feel that they are helping to achieve cross-cultural awareness and understanding.The 4-week language and cultural enrichment program in Boulder is designed to help students become confident and proficient in their use of English as well as to give them a better understanding of North American culture. The students will spend Monday-Friday in this language and cultural enrichment program, but will be free on the weekends.Among the students arriving in July will be Attaphon, a 17-year old male student from Thailand. Attaphon wrote on his high school application, “I think this is a chance of a lifetime. I’m sure that I can be a good youth representative from Thailand. At the same time, it is a chance to learn more language and a new culture that might be totally different from my culture.”My name is Arpita Kishen and I am the ASSE Summer Coordinator is searching for people interested in supporting cross-cultural exchange and diversity in Boulder this summer. My hope is that people in Boulder will view this as a wonderful opportunity to open their homes and hearts to young people from around the world who wish to broaden their own global perspective through multicultural exchange and travel. I am a Spanish language teacher at Jarrow Montessori School and have had vast experiences with international education, travel, work and exchange. I studied abroad in Spain during college, worked as a waitress for a summer in Ireland and volunteered as World Teach English teacher in Costa Rica for one year. I lived with host families in all 3 of those countries and understand the importance of living with families that offer support and encouragement during a time of excitement and transition in a young person’s life. The students are coming to Boulder to improve their skills in English and to begin to adapt to their new life here in the United States. It can be intimidating, but with the appropriate support, students will develop the self confidence necessary to be successful here in the US and throughout their lives.By the time the short-term, cultural and intensive-English program ends in August, most of the students should have their permanent host families for the academic school year, which can be anywhere in the United States. Students will then leave Boulder and disperse throughout the country.For more information on hosting a student this summer contact Arpita Kishen at 410.858.848 or via email at arpita_kishen@hotmail.com. There are no typical families. In fact, couples without children, single-parent families and senior citizens may qualify. More information on ASSE International Student Exchange Programs is available at www.asse.com.