Q: Who can host an AFS Exchange Participant?
A: Many kinds of families have a lot to offer our AFSers: two-parent households with young children or teenagers, single-parent families, families who have adopted children, foster parents, as well as couples or single people who do not have children or who have grown children.
Q: What is required of an AFS Host Family?
A: As a host family, you would be agreeing to:
• Provide all meals for your AFS Participant
• Provide your participant with his or her own bed (sharing a room with a sibling is fine)
• Include him or her in the life and activities of your family
• Provide the same support, care, and comfort as you would for your own child
Q: Does AFS pay host families?
A: No, all of our families are volunteers. However, your family is entitled to a tax deduction each month that your exchange participant lives in your home.
Q: Will we have to provide spending money for the participant?
A: No. FLEX and YES scholars are provided with a stipend of $125 per month sent in the form of a check to the host family address. Students are encouraged to use this money to participate in activities that local high school students are engaged in like the movies, prom, or sports activity fees. In addition they receive a $300 incidentals allowance per year program ($150 for Brunei and Malaysia semester students) for items such a winter jackets/sweaters, schoolbooks, etc., to be reimbursed once receipts are submitted to FLEX and YES staff.
Q: Will we have to pay medical expenses?
A: No. Each AFS Participant has secondary medical coverage so that, in an emergency, the participant can be treated as soon as possible. There is also a 24-hour support phone number in case of any emergency.
Q: What are the backgrounds of Public Diplomacy Initiatives participants?
A: CB scholars come from Germany. FLEX scholars come from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. YES scholars come from Brunei, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Turkey. They represent a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
All participants are between 15 and 18 years old, are attending high school in the U.S., have maintained good grades, and are seen as role models in their home schools and communities.
In addition, we also seek families to host international teachers (for 10 months or a semester) and international community service participants, who are 18 years or older (for 5 months).
CB, FLEX, and YES participants are selected through an open, merit-based selection process established by AFS Organizations in each country within a three-tier framework. Scholars are selected based on a variety of indicators, including an evaluation of their personal qualities, such as adaptability, leadership potential, and motivation for an intercultural experience. AFS Organizations attempt to reach a wide audience within each country, embracing all of the ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic diversity within the target countries.
Q: Do AFS Participants speak English?
A: AFS Participants have some level of English proficiency. Like American AFSers who study abroad, AFSers who are hosted in the U.S. have a strong desire to improve their language proficiency.
Q: How long do participants live with host families?
A: Year program participants stay 11 months; semester students stay for 6 months. Participants are required to attend school while here.
Q: When do students arrive?
A: Most participants arrive in mid-August, and a small group of students arrive in mid-January.
Q: Is the host family responsible for enrolling the participant in school?
A: No, AFS is. AFS works with every high school to ensure enrollment of AFS Exchange Participants in accordance with each school’s policies and procedures. AFS enjoys an excellent reputation with high schools across the country and we value a close working relationship with the high schools that we serve.
Q: How do participants contribute to their host communities?
A: CB, FLEX, and YES students share their host families’ everyday lives, engage in school activities, and volunteer in their communities. For example they might volunteer at a domestic violence center or soup kitchen to learn about volunteerism. They learn about American society and values while educating Americans about the customs and culture of their homelands. Staff and volunteers work with students to help them develop their leadership skills. When students return home, they draw upon their U.S. experience to increase intercultural awareness while dispelling myths and stereotypes that often exist about the U.S.
Q: What are some additional components of the CB, FLEX, and YES Programs?
A: In addition to attending school and becoming a member of your family, CB, FLEX, and YES participants are expected to take part in several educational activities with a focus on cultural diversity, government, community, and leadership coordinated by a local AFS Volunteer. In November they are required to give presentations for International Education Week and in April for Global Youth Service Day at their school, local church/synagogues, even in elementary schools and community gatherings.
Q: What if problems arise?
A: Our volunteers have a lot of experience in placing participants with families and we provide extensive support throughout the year. AFS also provides intercultural training to both the family and the participant to help with communication. However, if the placement does not work out satisfactorily, AFS assumes responsibility to move the participant to another family.
Q: Does AFS have rules for participants?
A: Yes. AFS has three primary rules. If participants break any of them, they will be sent home.
• No illegal drugs • No driving • No hitchhiking
Hosted participants are expected to obey U.S. laws. We also limit independent travel by AFSers. You will be provided with your Host Family Handbook, which contains information on these rules, at or before your pre-arrival orientation for host families. CB, FLEX, and YES scholars must participate in all AFS-sponsored activities throughout the year. They must also follow the group travel itineraries with no exceptions.