There are some new people coming to town – 100 of them, to be exact. And they all need a place to stay. You might have heard of the group Up with People; they’ve been around since 1965. They’re an organization that gives students ages 17 to 29 the opportunity to travel around the world, singing and dancing and basically bringing their upbeat message to different communities. They’ll be performing here on Cape Cod on August 24th and 25th at the Barnstable High School Performing Arts Center. But the other part of what they do is to provide a cultural exchange, both for the performers and the local citizens, by placing the kids with local families. And this is where you come in, because they need host families for about 100 kids for one week in August – from the 20th to the 27th. What you need to provide is a bed, breakfast and dinner, as well as transportation at the beginning and end of each day. During the day, the kids will be involved with other things; but when they’re in your home, you have a unique opportunity to hear all about where they’re from, and how they live. And they get to see how you and your family live. Pretty cool! As if all that wasn’t reason enough, each host family will get two free tickets to the Up with People’s 2012 performance, Voices. The show is a mix of songs from the ‘80s til now, including original music, as well as challenging choreography. The performers come from 20 different countries, and while they aren’t required to have any specific talent, it’s helpful if they can sing and dance, at least a little. They will be performing in Massachusetts, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Mexico. The advance group is already on the Cape, working out of office space at Rogers Gray Insurance Company, local sponsor for the group. They’re looking for hosts now, so if you’re interested, you can contact Linda Chen at lchen@upwithpeople.org or by calling 303-681-1471.
