Celina Hayes fell in love with France after spending her junior year of high school as an exchange student through Rotary International. So when she heard about the summer Arizona Student Exchange Program through the Province- and Paris-based Active Travel and Language, this Anthem mom knew she’d found her family’s perfect summer adventure.
Hayes, her husband and their three kids hosted a student last summer, and had fun showing him sights from Chase Field to the Grand Canyon. Now, Hayes is coordinating the program and searching for host families for 15 French students who will be in town July 6-26.
“ATL is special because it’s a smaller commitment for host families,” Hayes explains. “The students and the families who host really get to bond and spend time as a family, all while the student gets a true English-immersion experience!”
We asked Hayes a few questions about the program.
What qualities are you looking for in host families? Primarily, we want fun and active families. We want people who really want to welcome the student into their own family. We ask host families what their interests are and whether they prefer a male or female student, and we do our very best to match several students who share a common interest. Each student sends along a few pictures showcasing his/her family and interests, as well as a letter sharing what they enjoy and why they want to have this experience. The host family gets to read several of these letters, and they make the final decision on who they feel would be the best fit. Oftentimes the family has an instant connection, just through the letter!
Does the host family need to speak any French? Not at all! The goal for these students is to immerse themselves in English for three weeks. Many of the students have had five-plus years of English, and they desire to really become proficient. If the host family does speak some French, it’s just fun to get the rust off and use it a bit.
Should the host family have teenagers? It’s not necessary that the families have teenagers, but families with children/teens make great host families! They usually are involved in lots of activities, and that makes for an excellent experience for our students. When we first hosted, our children were 12, 10 and 7. Our host “son” was 15. They all had a blast. Louis-Raphael was the youngest child in his family, and both of his brothers were off at college. He loved the change of being in a family with siblings at home and getting to try out being a “big brother.” He also loved animals — dogs especially — and wasn’t able to have a dog in his apartment in Paris. We have two dogs, and he really enjoyed getting to experience life with pets in the home.
We have also had some active empty nesters hosting a student. Older students often enjoy the one-on-one that they can get from an active empty-nest home. When families without children apply, we look for those who enjoy getting out and about and would like to invest time into showing the student around.
Do you require one stay-at-home parent so there’s adequate supervision? The preference would be to have at least one work-at-home or stay-at-home parent, but it’s not always a requirement. In a home with no kids, we would want at least one person home most of the time so the student isn’t left alone for large periods of time. What fun would that be?
What’s a recommended itinerary for these few weeks? What does the host family enjoy? If you love to camp, go camping. If you love movies and dining out, have fun. We have had host families who love horseback riding and have brought their students with them to help with the animals and ride. Our family loves day trips, dining out and seeing the sights. We went to Montezuma’s Castle, San Diego, Wet n’ Wild, a Diamondbacks game, and a preseason Coyotes hockey game. Funny thing is, our students were wowed at the little things we took them to, like Costco, Walmart, Cabela’s and any restaurant that had unlimited fries or soda refills! We send out a list of fun optional activities to give families some ideas in addition to what they already love to do. One day during their stay, my husband and I take the students on a bus tour to the Grand Canyon (using Arizona Scenic Tours). They get to see an amazing national wonder, and it gives the host family a little break for the day.
What did your family learn from hosting an exchange student? In high school, I was an exchange student to France through the Rotary International program. I spent my junior year living abroad. After that experience, I always knew I wanted to be a host mom. I had fallen in love with France and its food, language, culture and, of course, the people. My husband joined me on a trip there years ago, and he became a Francophile, too. We wanted our kids to think about life beyond their little corner of the world, to make friendships, to open their lives up to new people and learn from them, just like I had when I was younger. My kids have learned so much. They have made friends for a lifetime. We still Skype regularly with our previous host students. Last summer, we actually took all of our kids on a trip to France, and we were invited to stay with the families of our host students. Now all our kids have two “homes” in France. It’s been beautiful to see our own children embracing another culture and its people. They have a real and tangible connection to a world across an ocean. That’s priceless!
Interested in hosting? Visit arizonastudentexchange.com or contact Celina Hayes at 815-979-8216.
