Host Families Offer Far-Away Students a United States Experience

For Brookfield resident Jeff Griffin, acting as a host family as part of the Rotary Youth Exchange program seemed like a win-win.

His three children are fluent in German — having attended a German Immersion School — and hosting a German student offered a world of opportunity for his own families' learning as well as for the student.

"My kids benefited because they got a better understanding of the German culture, having been in Germany all her life and then coming to America, we saw the different ways of life," he said.

Tom Pyne — a Rotarian who has worked with the Central States Rotary Youth Exchange program locally — echoed the benefits Griffin cites from being a host family.

It's a great opportunity, he said, to learn about another country and culture, and also hear about their viewpoints on the United States. The student lives with each host family for three to four months before moving to a second host family for a similar time period, and then a final host family for the last couple months of his or her stay in the states.

"The first family is critical and this is about the time right now (to talk to Rotary), if you want to host a student," he said. Host families provide a place to sleep as well as feed the student, and make sure he or she gets to school. The student is also required to attend some Rotary meetings, but Rotarians also step in to help host families as needed.

• Brookfield students travel the world, too. Learn more about sending students abroad.

The club is currently looking for hosts families for a Finland student looking to attend Brookfield East High School, and it's highly preferred the family has students already attending that school.

"They need a little bit of support in finding a buddy," Pyne said. "You don’t have to take them on your family vacations — many do, but you don't have to. It's a fabulous way to expose your own children to a whole other world."

Griffin said the Rotary Club was "amazing" as far as their support of the exchange student and his family throughout the experience.

In fact, the experience was so positive that the Griffin's are opening up their home to another host family, from a different country than Germany.

"We had such a good experience with (the first student) and the Rotary Club," he said, "that we opened up our home to another student that we're not familiar with the culture."

To learn more about the Youth Exchange Program, check out www.csrye.org.

Learn more about the Elmbrook Rotary Club on its website.