Hosts needed for international high school students throughout Maine area

In an age when international relations are often tenuous, AFS-USA, a leader in international high school student exchange for 75 years, is focused on providing opportunities for intercultural exchange that can help lead to a more just and peaceful world.

AFS-USA invites families and individuals from the Maine 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. Exchange students represent nearly 80 countries and cultures, including Kenya, Ukraine, Egypt, Türkiye, Italy, Germany, Chile, Thailand and more.

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.

“These students attend local high schools, participate in local community life, and are encouraged to share aspects of their culture,” AFS-USA President and CEO Tara Hofmann said. “They also discover first-hand what it’s like to live in America and form lasting friendships that create enduring links between the U.S. and other countries. In many cases, the bonds that form between AFS students and their host families last a lifetime.”

AFS-USA is the largest organization within the international AFS network that includes 54 partners around the globe.