AYA students stay for a semester or full academic year of high school, living with host families and getting to experience what real life is like in America. As high school students full of curiosity about the world around them, they provide valuable cultural enrichment to our schools and communities across the United States.
If you have space in your home and are interested in learning about what it’s like to host an international high school student, a great way to start is to become a welcoming family. When you welcome an AYA student, you open your home for about 4-6 weeks and provide a warm introduction to the community, before the student moves to his or her permanent home.
Our host families are generous volunteers. They open their homes and their hearts to international high school students in their communities, and often find their families growing across the oceans and around the world as they bond with host students and their families. Hosting with AYA is a great opportunity to make friends, show exchange students the best of the U.S. and become familiar with the world around us.
Thanks to welcoming families, students are able to start off in a safe and nurturing environment. If you are able to help out in this way and have an interest in cultural exchange and international education, we encourage you to reach out to us. Please email aya.info@aifs.org or call 800-322-4678 to discuss this opportunity.
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