Host families urgently needed for international students
By Melissa Piche Times Contributor
The Strathmore Lions are sending out an urgent call for local Strathmore and Wheatland County families to host international students later this summer as part of The District C2 Youth Exchange Program.
With a significant number of students arriving soon, the program is facing a shortfall of local families available to host from July 12 to Aug. 5.
“(It is) a program to help establish better global connections for our youth,” said Woodcreek Lions Club member Cheryl Davidson. “It’s sponsored by Lions clubs from all over the world.”
The Youth Camps and Exchange (YCE) has programs all around the globe and is designed for youth between the ages of 15-22. This year marks the 60th anniversary that the YCE programs have been a part of the Lions International.
The program expectation is that the students will be with the host families for two weeks touring Alberta and taking in activities with their host family. Then they would attend the Woodcreek Lions Youth Camp in Cremona from July 18-Aug 3.
At the youth camp they will be focusing on community building through hands-on experience. There will be group and individual activities such as horseback riding, hiking, swimming, and taking in local cultural events.
“We are looking for people that are willing to take youth into their home and treat them like their kids and show them our beautiful province,” said Davidson.
The Strathmore Lions have donated $5,000 to fund the Wheatland Leos for the YEC. The Leos will be the ones planning the activities for the exchange students. This donation will help the host families by offering some funding for extracurricular activities.
“They don’t have to plan all the events, we have some events planned,” Davidson said. “And there is some funding for that so it’s not so expensive for the host families.”
“One of our events is at Blackfoot Crossing and we’re gonna spend the day there and have some dancers coming and some knowledge keepers and it’s just such a beautiful facility out there and I just thought that was a good experience to take all of the kids on,” she said.
They will also be spending a day in Banff and a day in the Drumheller Valley region, according to Davidson.
Brad Walls, Youth Exchange chairperson for District C2 and Strathmore Lions Member, emphasizes the importance of hosting.
“The Youth Exchange Program relies heavily on the generosity and openness of host families,” said Walls. “By welcoming a student into your home, you are playing a crucial role in fostering international understanding and cooperation. We urgently need more families to join in this rewarding endeavor.”
This year there will be 40 youth taking part in the YEC in District C2.
According to Davidson, her children attended the camps and participated in the exchange programs themselves. Davidson has also been a host family for the program more than once.
“I’ve hosted for many years; my oldest daughter is 30 and she went on an exchange. I actually have four girls and they’ve all gone on an exchange and it’s just been a wonderful experience,” said Davidson. “It’s always been a really positive, wonderful experience.”
If you would like to be considered as a host family, you are encouraged to contact either Brad Walls (bradwalls@shaw.ca) or Cheryl Davidson (cheryl.davidson@ghsd75.ca).