Local Families Needed to Host International Students

Host families are needed in the Pacific Northwest for international students.  You probably had a foreign exchange student in your high school, or maybe you

or someone you know got to go to another country for a semester or two.  It’s part of AFS-USA, which has been exchanging students from country to country for 75 years.

AFS-USA invites families and individuals from the Portland area and surrounding communities to become hosts for international students for 12 weeks, a semester, or an academic year.

Hosting provides individuals, families, high schools, and communities with opportunities to learn about the unfamiliar by exploring a diversity of cultures, all while sharing their own culture with a young person from a different country.

Photo by Veronica Carter

Exchange students represent nearly 80 countries and cultures. They are among the more than 1,000 international AFS students hosted in the U.S. each year.

Once students and host families are matched, they receive ongoing support from trained staff and are welcomed into their local chapter of dedicated volunteers, alumni, and fellow host families. Hosts are expected to provide their student(s) with a bed, meals, and support and encouragement throughout their program. Students arrive with their own spending money and medical coverage.

Those interested in hosting an AFS Exchange Student are encouraged to contact 1-800-AFS-INFO or visit www.afsusa.org.