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4-H International Program seeks host families
By
Katie
Pratt
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 23, 2008) – The 4-H International Program
needs families to host 20 Japanese youth and two adult
chaperones who will be coming to Kentucky through two exchange
programs this summer.
“It’s a great opportunity for any family interested in
international programs, travel or people in general,” said Mark
Mains, state 4-H youth development extension specialist and
coordinator of the 4-H International Program.
The Japanese–American 4-H exchange program has been around for
more than 30 years, and Kentucky has been involved with the
program for the majority of those years, Mains said. The two
programs that bring Japanese young people to Kentucky are
Language Laboratory (LABO) and UTREK.
LABO participants are ages 12 to 14. Host families will pick up
the students and chaperones July 24 at the Executive Inn in
Louisville and host them through August 20. Youth in UTREK,
which is geared toward learning about the natural environments
of the United States and Japan, range in age from 14 to 16. The
teenagers participate in a 5-day camping excursion upon their
arrival. They will stay with their host families from July 28
until Aug. 20.
Host families do not need to be in 4-H or speak Japanese. The
only requirement for the program is for the host family to have
a child with a similar age and gender as the exchange student.
The students should have their own area and bed, but can share a
room with their host sibling. Since the program focuses on
American culture, Japanese youth will not be placed in homes of
families with the same cultural background.
Hosting a LABO or UTREK participant does not require a large
monetary investment. Host families are expected to provide for
them in the same ways they provide for their own child. Students
come with their own spending money for any extras they may want
to purchase. Hosts are encouraged not to plan extravagant trips
or deviate from their daily routines. While in the United
States, the exchange students and their host families can
participate in 4-H programs at any level with which they are
comfortable, but participation is not a requirement.
Students in both programs have varying English speaking
abilities. They have been taught some English in Japan through
stories and repetition.
“The child doesn’t come to the United States to learn English,
but they pick some of the language up while they are here,”
Mains said. “It’s more about the cultural experience. Bonds that
last a lifetime are created.”
While trying to communicate with someone who may have few
English conversational skills may seem difficult, Mains, whose
family hosted a Japanese student when he was younger, said there
are ways for families to bridge the communication gap.
“The key thing is not to get frustrated,” he said. “If your
first try at communication doesn’t work, try to communicate
again in a different way. It’s amazing how far hand signals,
writing and pictures can go toward effective communication.”
Families or adults that do not have children with similar ages
to the Japanese youth can volunteer to host one of the two group
chaperones. The chaperones have good English speaking skills and
stay with a host family for either a 2-week or 4-week period,
Mains said. The chaperones’ main objective is to help with
communication and facilitate problems any of the Japanese youth
may have.
Japanese students, chaperones and their host families will
participate in International Day on August 20 at the Kentucky
State Fair. Japanese students will demonstrate a particular
aspect of their culture, such as origami, and the host families
will be on hand to answer questions about their student’s
demonstration and 4-H International Programs.
Persons interested in receiving more information on
international opportunities through 4-H should contact Mark
Mains, UK College of Agriculture, 212 Scovell Hall, Lexington,
KY 40546-0064 or at
mark.mains@uky.edu. Requesting information does not obligate
families to host students this year. Applications for those
interested in hosting a Japanese student this summer should be
submitted by April 1. Families and students are matched based on
their similarities.
Host families will be given the option for one of their own
children to participate in one of 4-H international outbound
programs, which allow them to experience another country’s
culture.
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Contact: Mark Mains, 859-257-5961 ext. 231
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