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Exchange Students In Search Of CNY Host Families Exchange Students In Search Of CNY Host Families

By Danyell Monk

Advertisement with ISE logo in the top left corner. Text at top of ad says "YOUR NEW SON OR DAUGHTER AWAITS." In the middle there is an image of a group of students posing for an image. Text at the bottom of the image says "BECOME A HOST FAMILY NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. The safety of our participants, schools, host families, and communities remains our top priority. All students will be screened to ensure they are healthy and COVID-19 symptom-free before coming to the U.S.A.
© 2022 Chris Gabel

DANYELL MONK:
Ten international students are looking for host families in the Central New York area.
The students will be in America for either half or a full school year.
They are from all over the world and all speak English.
Area representative for the International Student Exchange, Chris Gabel, says these
students want to have an American school experience.

CHRIS GABEL:
They wanna do sports. They wanna go to prom. They wanna do everything we do here in
America.

MONK:
Host families are responsible for housing, meals, and transportation for their student.
Gabel says host families do not get paid.

GABEL:
That’s one of the concerns that everyone’s been reaching out saying ‘Oh do I gat paid for
this?’ I say ‘Sorry you don’t.’ This is just open up your heart, open up your doors. Pretty
much treat them like your own child.

MONK:
The exchange students need host families by the beginning of September.
In Syracuse, Danyell Monk, N-C-C News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – International students are in search of families to host them during their exchange program in the United States.

The students are able to become exchange students through an agency called the International Student Exchange (ISE). The agency was started in 1982 and works with the US Department of State to run the J-1 Visa Exchange program. ISE has area representatives who help facilitate exchange student in their community. Chris Gabel is the ISE representative for the Central New York Area.

In Central New York there are ten students still looking for host families. They are from many different areas of the world and all speak English. The students will be in the United States for either half or a full school year. During their time in the United States, they take part in the activities that a typical American student does like play sports and attend prom.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult for students to find families to host them.

“A lot of people don’t want our kids to come over even though they’ve been vaccinated and we have the proof. They’re scared and that’s a lot of schools. But we’re slowly getting back into the process of things. It’s just finding those families that’s the hardest right now,” said Gabel.

Families are not paid to have an exchange student. Being a host family is a on a volunteer basis. Students do still arrive with their own spending money and giving them an allowance is not required.

The main things that families provide for their exchange students are three meals a day, a bed, and an environment to learn about their American culture. Exchange students can also educate their host family on the culture of their home country.

ISE is hoping to find host families for the students by September 1st. Families looking to host an exchange student can get in touch with Chris Gabel at chrisgabel1978@gmail.com.

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