Rotary Youth Exchange seeks host families

SANDPOINT — Through its Youth Exchange Program, the Rotary Club of Sandpoint gives teens an opportunity to experience the world, learning about different cultures and languages.

This year, with two teens ready to head to America from Peru and Brazil, the Rotary Club is in search of host families for the young ladies. The teens will arrive in August and need to apply for their student visas immediately. As such, it is imperative the first host families be identified by May 8, said Donna Lorenz, who will soon take over as the Rotary Youth Exchange officer.

“It’s an enriching experience for the families as well as the students,” Lorenz said.

Arianne Solange Li Lopez and Ana Vitoria Holanda Batista, who goes by “Vivi,” are both 17 and in need of host families each for the 2019-2020 school year. Exchange students typically have two to three host families throughout the year, so the stay with each family is three to four months.

The host family provides room, board and transportation for the student. The host family must also live in a school bus zone, preferably near Sandpoint High School where the student will attend school, Lorenz said. A counselor is assigned to each student to do monthly reports and engage with the teens, Lorenz said.

Host families are not required to be affiliated with the Rotary Club, though they will go through an extensive vetting process. Host families can also be a single adult or couple, with or without kids.

For families with students in high school or going into high school, who may be thinking about doing an exchange program themselves, hosting a teen from another country is a “great opportunity,” Lorenz said.

“They get a really good idea of the culture share that goes on, so that the child feels more comfortable going to another country and being an exchange student,” she said.

Sandpoint Rotary has hosted students from abroad the past four years, said current Rotary Youth Exchange officer Pierce Smith. Over those four years, seven students have come from a number of countries including France, Chile, Italy, Taiwan, Sweden and Bolivia.

“I can say with great pride these are all terrific people, and I think they all enjoyed being in Sandpoint,” Smith said.

In addition, for the past three years, Rotary has sent local students to different countries, including Denmark, Chile, Germany, Netherlands, Croatia, Peru and Taiwan. Three more students from Sandpoint High School, Forrest Bird Charter and home-school will participate in the program this year, Smith said.

“In the past we have only had candidates from Sandpoint High School, so this year’s recruiting class is a great expansion for the program,” he said.

Lorenz said the mission of the program is to “improve America’s image abroad … to offer a positive life-changing experience, grow in independence and maturity, improve language skills and build relationships with American citizens.”

“They retain those relationships for a long, long time,” she said.

Anyone interested in hosting either of the exchange students should contact Lorenz at 208-265-7877, or by email hawaiianeagle@gmail.com or rcsyouthxchg@gmail.com.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.