Americans might be a patriotic and charming crowd, but we are not always the most cultured bunch in the room, nor are we the smartest.
As the need grows to understand our international counterparts and squash anti-American sentiment, we have to seek to expand our cultural knowledge base and evolve the "mono" "uni" and "centrist" pieces of our culture.
One great way to do this is by helping a young international student and his/her family understand that values of American families are a force to be respected and admired. You can help by opening your home and sharing your family life with an impressionable young person who needs "at home" security during their study abroad program. In exchange, your children might have the opportunity to practice Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, German, Korean, or any number of languages that they have been learning in school or are curious about. You might even develop such a great relationship with a foreign student's family that you could be invited to stay in their home across the globe.
What's more is that we don't have room for more excuses about why our children are falling behind their global peers in math, science, history, and language arts. It's time to step up and expose our kids to new perspectives and visions. We can teach our children history and culture through direct relationships with international peers. What is more authentic than that? And you can do this without sending your child halfway around the world and simply opening your home to a family who has sent their child on a mission to learn what is so great about America.
Everyday interaction is proud to present our Short Term Homestay Interaction Program. This program is designed with families in mind, and works to nurture and enhance our relationships locally and around the world.
Host family opportunities are limited. Ask us how you can qualify by contacting: homestay@everydayinteraction.com
