NEW ZEALAND HOSTING GUIDE. Your Guide to Hosting with AFS

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1 NEW ZEALAND HOSTING GUIDE Your Guide to Hosting with AFS

2 About AFS AFS is a volunteer based, non-government, not-for-profit student exchange organisation that fosters the aroha and respect needed to create a more just and peaceful world through intercultural understanding. This is achieved through real and valuable interaction between people from different cultures. Hosting an AFS student opens up a world of possibilities. Often, host families and natural families become lifelong friends. AFS students become fully integrated in the community they play sports, join bands, get involved in school activities such as theatre and kapa haka groups. Further more they help around the house, cook interesting meals and expose younger children in the family to the wider world. As a host family, you will become part of the global AFS network. You are likely to meet people from countries such as Iceland, Brazil, Sweden, Hong Kong and Paraguay during AFS meetings and events. Hosting is also a good way to volunteer in a very meaningful way within your community. AFS has been providing care, support and life changing experiences for host families and students since Moreover, AFS is the only organisation of its kind to have received a special citation from the United Nations for services to world youth. 2

3 What is Hosting? Hosting an AFS international student gives you the chance to experience a new culture in your own home. It s a fantastic opportunity. You ll be introducing someone to Kiwi life. And you ll expand your own horizons too. If your kids are planning an AFS exchange, this will give them a taste of what they are in for. If they have already been on an exchange, this is your chance to repay the favour. AFS offers the support you need. All you have to do is carry on as usual and treat your international guest like any other family member. That s why they have come to New Zealand. AFS friendships last a lifetime. By welcoming an AFS student, you are making the world a friendlier place and giving your family an unforgettable experience. A QUICK INTRODUCTION TO QR CODES: Throughout this booklet you will see unique codes like the one above. Using your smartphone these codes can take you to AFS websites with more information. HOW CAN I USE THEM? All you need to do is launch the appropriate app, point your phone s camera at the QR code and like magic you ll be looking at detailed information on your phone. There are a number of apps in the iphone App Store that can read QR Codes, including the free QRReader. Most Android phones and BlackBerries are able to read the codes right out of the box, as can newer Nokia handsets. Windows Mobile users can download QuickMarks. 3

4 One of the unexpected advantages of being a host family is that it gets us out and about. Visiting Wainuiomata hill on a clear night, the south coast out towards Red Rocks, and Te Papa. Over the course of a year these host sons and daughters work their way into your hearts as well as into your home and family, and saying goodbye at the end of their stay is awfully hard. Pene & Ian Leadbetter Host Mum and Dad to Nicole from Switzerland and Simon from Belgium Benefits of Hosting Hosting an AFS exchange student provides many benefits for families involved. The following are a few of the most common benefits host families tell us about. It directly benefits you and your family through increased knowledge, understanding and communication. By inviting an international student into your home you and your family will gain a unique insight into their culture. It extends your family to include a son or daughter you never had. AFS host students become a part of your family and many of these relationships last a lifetime. It provides you and your family with worldwide networks and allows you to experience the increased warmth and vibrancy of an extended family. You and your family will have friends (and a new family) in another country. Many host families and natural families travel and connect with one another for many years after the exchange has finished It allows you to experience New Zealand and its culture from a different perspective. Getting an opportunity to experience and understand a foreign culture will help you to better understand your own culture and society. You will be making a positive and real contribution towards creating a more just and peaceful world through cultural understanding. AFS is a not-for-profit, volunteer based organisation with the vision of creating a more just and peaceful world through intercultural understanding. We operate to make a difference in the world, not to obtain commercial gain from students. The idea behind AFS is that people who know and understand one another and have made new friends and family together are less likely to go to war. It allows you to learn about customs, ideas and values of another culture. Living in the same house is an intimate experience and you will get to know and understand your host son or daughters culture intricately. It allows you to develop lifelong bonds and friendships. One of the reasons why students, parents and educators choose AFS over other exchange programmes is that the AFS global community keeps growing each year. There are the planned connections former host parents travel to the weddings of their hosted sons and daughters, and returnees keep in touch with AFS volunteers who helped make their exchanges possible. And then there are the surprises a potential employer who went abroad notices it on your resume. 4

5 AFS supports you all the way We provide the best safety and support in the industry At AFS we provide the most comprehensive support networks in the industry. We believe these are of paramount importance when operating in the market of student exchange. We are the most experienced We have operated continuously in New Zealand for 60 years and have built up superior industry knowledge. More than 10,000 New Zealand families have benefited from hosting an AFS exchange student. Globally more than 12,000 AFS participants study abroad each year. Over 300,000 students have participated on an AFS exchange and AFS utilises a network of more than 30,000 volunteers worldwide. AFS has a trained volunteer support network that will be there for you and your hosted student for the duration of your experience. Your AFS experience will begin when you contact AFS. A local volunteer will then contact you to arrange an interview in your home. AFS host families and students participate in meetings and events throughout the year to assist in gaining the most out of the experience. Each student and family is assigned a support person who they can contact at any time The hardest thing is saying goodbye There are a lot of questions that run through your mind: what if you don t like them, or worse, if they don t like you? How will you communicate? What can you do with them? What will they eat? Can you ask them to help around the house? How much freedom do you give them? Our orientation and ongoing AFS support throughout the exchange helped us to overcome those challenges He calls us Mum and Dad some do, some don t teases his sisters and gets hassled by them in return, pitches in with the family chores and through everything gives us insights into another culture. And language wise why don t come and home rhyme? Why do you go down to the Hutt but into Wellington? AFS UTILISES A NETWORK OF MORE THAN 30,000 VOLUNTEERS WORLDWIDE. MORE THAN 10,000 NEW ZEALAND FAMILIES HAVE BENEFITED FROM HOSTING AN AFS EXCHANGE STUDENT. 5

6 Frequently asked questions What are AFS host families like? There is no such thing as a typical host family/whanau. AFS encourages diversity; two parent families, one parent families, couples without children, same sex couples, retired couples and single adults. Our families cover a broad spectrum of ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds. They also come from both rural and urban areas and have different religious and cultural beliefs. All families are different and that s a big part of what hosted students in New Zealand are here to experience. Natural children within a host family can further develop their relationship skills, levels of understanding and tolerance, and have the potential to pick up foreign language skills. A family with no children, or grown children can benefit from the companionship of someone new in the household and gain a new perspective on everyday life. What are we expected to provide? As a host family, you agree to provide the same support, care and comfort you provide your own children. You will involve your host son or daughter in your family s daily routine and activities, including the provision of meals. Your host student will require their own bed although sharing a room with a sibling of the same sex is fine. Although you will be responsible for them on a daily basis the natural parents remain the legal guardians. What does AFS provide? AFS covers medical expenses, compulsory school fees, some text books and travel costs to and from school, while pre-existing medical conditions, preventative dental and eye care treatment is paid for by the student s natural parents. The students bring spending money for personal costs and extras such as clothing, sightseeing and special food. They also pay for the cost of elective subjects which require special materials or excursions. What support is provided? Extensive support is provided to host families and AFS New Zealand s national office is contactable 24/7 in case of emergency. In addition to the national office AFS New Zealand has 30 local chapters, each with trained volunteers. Each family and student is assigned a Support Coordinator. Your chapter also organises structured activities for your family and host student to enjoy together. What happens if we don t get along? Our volunteers have considerable experience in placing students with families and carefully meeting the needs of both families and students. However if a problem arises, your Support Coordinator is there to help you. If the problem can t be resolved, or if there is a crisis within your family, AFS will move the student to a new family. 6

7 ...it s about the unconditional love you and your family receive from a child you choose, who offers a unique blend of their own culture, to enhance your family s lives forever. Heather & Craig Harris Orewa Go to to see the participants that are currently looking for host families. What happens during the school holidays? During the school holidays host students fit in with normal family life. However AFS chaperoned bus trips may be organised and students are also expected to participate in community service projects during their stay. These projects are often undertaken during school holidays. Do we get paid for hosting? Our host families welcome AFS students into their home as one of their own children and are not paid for the experience. Host parents often say they do not want to be paid to be a parent. AFS students are not guests, they are part of the family and are treated as such. Do we get to choose our new son or daughter? I have some more questions. Families interested in hosting can view profiles We can put you in touch with families who have of students coming to New Zealand and select first-hand experience of hosting. someone they feel will fit with their family. Go to to see the participants that are currently looking for host families. AFS has a comprehensive selection and preparation process which ensures students with the right attitude come to New Zealand. Qualities we look for in students include flexibility, self confidence, the ability to mix well with others, a willingness to learn, and interest in other cultures and acceptance of others. You can also request our DVD for a taste of the hosting experience. Please contact our Hosting Coordinators at AFS National Office on or info-newzealand@afs.org 7

8 Hosting options to suit you Year Programme 10½ Months February to December. Semester Programme 5 months February to June. Intensive Programme Approx 8 weeks From July/August. Hosting tasters Not only does the student become part of our family, but their family becomes part of ours and ours part of theirs. We ve met our host son Edison s parents and sister. It makes the events that happen in their part of the world more real. It makes the world a smaller place. AFS host mum, Lucy Brown If you would like to start out by experiencing a sample of the benefits hosting can provide, here are some further options: Become a first family and host a year programme student for 9 12 weeks when they first arrive in New Zealand. Billet a student who wishes to explore what New Zealand has to offer. Host an adult from the AFS Educators programme for 1-3 weeks. Become a liaison family and act as part of a hosted student s support network. 8

9 Where do AFS students come from? AFS students come to New Zealand from the following countries Argentina Austria Belgium (Flanders) Belgium (French) Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Egypt Faroe Islands Finland France Germany Greenland Guatemala Hong Kong Hungary Iceland Italy Japan Malaysia Mexico Netherlands Norway Panama Paraguay Peru Portugal Russia Slovakia South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Thailand Turkey USA Venezuela 9

10 A proud heritage The unique foundations of AFS lie in the American Field Service, a volunteer ambulance corps formed in World War 1 and active throughout World War 2. It was the ambulance drivers belief that personal interaction and friendships would build international peace and understanding. This formed the basis for commencing AFS student exchange programmes in New Zealand was one of 11 initial partner countries. 10

11 the belief that personal interaction and friendships will build international peace and understanding. 11

12 National Office Level 8, 35 Victoria Street Wellington 6011 Phone: PO Box 5662 Wellington 6145 Fax: