1. Use the word "international"
instead of "foreign" in all written and verbal communications. People respond more positively to the thought of hosting an "international
counselor" as opposed to a "foreigner".
2. "Do the thing and you shall
have the power". - Emerson. "Select the international staff and you shall find the home."
- Anonymous Camp Director. Experience indicated that after I took the plunge and committed my day camp to an international counselor, it
actually became easier to find host families. There are several reasons for this:
a.
Potential hosts want flesh and blood candidates. They are more likely to host once they know who the counselor will be.
b.
People respond to people in need. Once you take the plunge and people know that the international counselor gets off the plane on
such-and-such a day, they know there is a real need for a home for this person.
c.
Lots of free press is available for a real need. Go to every local paper with your story.
d.
Temporary homes are readily offered - "I know so and so arrives in two weeks. If you don't have a home, I will bail you out for week."
Once the counselors arrive, it becomes much easier to find a "permanent" home (many times the temporary homes won't give them up!)
The counselors "sell" themselves. Everyone wants to host once they meet them.
3. Break the summer into
manageable parts. Several different families can host one staff member. A minimum stay should be
at least two weeks. Try to split the summer (4 weeks each) with two families. Too much change is not good for the counselor. Explaining that fact to a family can gain extra weeks.
4. Promote! Promote! Promote! The fact that your day camp has an international counselor is an
important P.R./marketing tool. Capitalize on it! It should be in your camp brochure, parent manual, and in any written communication to parents. ASK for host families at every available
opportunity: at Board meetings, camp presentations to groups, Camp Nights or Open Houses, and in your brochures. ASK everyone - Board Members,
fellow staff members, campers' parents, agency members, alumni, PTA's, Rotary and other service clubs, etc. Don't be shy - it's a great
program. Be enthusiastic!
5. Know your community.
If there is a strong ethnic group (Irish, Polish, Spanish, etc.), try to acquire a counselor from the related country. Enlist the aid of
ethnic groups in helping to find placements. This is usually a good way to start if you have never had an international counselor in your camp.
6. Put signs up. Believe it or not, many host families first learn about the opportunity to host through signs posted around the agency building or registration site.
Make it exciting and be specific:
Indicate countries, time frame, contact person, telephone number, benefits to hosting.
Emphasize that becoming a host family provides an unbeatable educational experience for their children and it is fun for the whole family.
7. A written HOST FAMILY manual
should be prepared and available for review by potential host families. Policies, procedures, expectations and support network should be
clearly outlined in this booklet. ICCP can supply a sample.
8. Do interview all potential
hosts. Do visit their homes and see EXACTLY where the counselor will be staying.
9. Follow up! After a placement, don't disappear from the scene. A telephone call to check on things is meaningful and necessary part of your job.
Many little problems can be solved before they become major difficulties.
10. Recognize host families.
They are special volunteers. Be certain they are acknowledged in some formal way. (Mid- or
end-of-summer Barbecue/dinner with awards/certificates). Take pictures. Give pictures.
11. Do a pre-camp orientation program for all
host families. Go over expectations. Enlist aid of previous hosts to lead discussions.
Let hosts know names/telephone numbers of other hosts networking. It is important that first-time hosts know they are not alone and
SUPPORT is there for them.
12. Finding homes for more than one staff
member becomes a time-consuming job. If you have a day camp committee or board who will agree to take on or share the responsibility, it
becomes a more manageable task. The spin-off benefits are great. Board or committee involvement sparks great interest in the camp.
Scholarship money is just one spin-off. Again, capitalize on opportunities as they present themselves.
13. It is essential that every host family
enjoy a POSITIVE EXPERIENCE. Many hosts will repeat summers and get "hooked" on the program. In
summers where they cannot host, they will usually recommend a neighbor or friend who has had positive contact while they hosted. Building this
network of host families is critical to the success of continued hosting and expansion of an international program at your camp. Get feedback
and USE their suggestions. If an experience is not positive, be certain you know WHY and correct
it.
14. Be willing to host yourself - even if not
for the whole summer. This goes a long way in giving credibility to the program. If you are unable to
do this, try to get someone in your family or a close friend to host. Tell potential hosts what you have done.
If they know you are doing it, it gives them the courage to try.
15. Host families become powerful ambassadors
in the community for you and your camp. If they enjoy a positive experience, they tell everybody.
This results not only in other potential hosts but in potential domestic staff and campers. Be sure all referrals are acknowledged and thank them for their help. Timely "stroking" encourages hosts to do more for you and your
camp.
16. In summary:
•
Trust yourself and your community. Take the plunge. Work hard at finding homes.
Stay positive, have a sense of humor. "If you don't place him, we are going to raffle him off (door prize) during staff training."
•
Build a support network.
•
Things will work out.
•
Many times a "homeless" counselor was placed during pre-camp staff training week.
•
When the chips are down, people will help you. Take heart.
GOOD LUCK! If you have any questions on this topic, call or write: YMCA INTERNATIONAL CAMP COUNSELOR PROGRAM, 5 West 63rd Street, New York, NY 10023, (888) 477-9622 OR (212) 727-8800
Thanks to Fran Mitilieri, for sharing these ideas with ICCP.
MORE HOST HUNTING TIPS:
1. Having an ICCP participant on
staff at your day camp is an excellent way to strengthen the linkage between your program and the local community.
Start your host family search by listing all possible connections you have: the volunteer board for your camp; families of last year's staff members; the volunteer board of the local YMCA; families from other international hosting programs; service
organizations such as Rotary, Lion's Club, Civitan; parents of last year's campers; the International Club at the local school; School Board members; youth organizations such as Scouts,
Little League; ethnic clubs; churches; etc.
2. Most people who host
international exchange visitors do so because they were asked.
Determine who is the best person to do the asking; for example, the camp director, the chairperson of the camp board, a committed staff person who supports
international programming?
Next, clarify what you are asking: does a family need to provide a bed and all meals; some meals; transportation?
How long is the commitment? How many families do you need to house the ICCP participant for the camp season?
ICCP recommends each family make at least a two week commitment.
3. Once you are clear on what you
are asking and who is doing the asking, start early to get the message of your need out to the community.
Send a notice to the local newspaper of your intent to include an ICCP participant in your camp program and mention your need for hosts.
This is a good way to gain publicity for your camping program in the off season. In the few days after this notice appears in the
newspaper, start making calls to potential hosts. Be sure to ask each contact whom else they might
recommend.
4.
Identify at least one "back-up family" to hold in reserve for the unexpected.
CRITERIA FOR HOSTS:
Before
accepting an offer to host, effort should be made to ensure that the family has a good reputation and character. The family should also be
capable of providing a comfortable, safe home environment. The family should also be accepting of differing values, customs, and practices.
ICCP has no strict requirements on how this criteria is to be met, but suggests that a camp representative interview all members of the household in the home and follow-up on local
references if the family is not well known to the camp management.
SUGGESTED HOST INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:
1. Tell me about your family.
This begins the interview with an open-ended question which is less threatening in that the potential host has some control in what is shared. Often information is given in response to this question that you might not think to ask.
2. Tell me about your experiences with persons from
other cultures.
Often the answer to this question can alert you to what the expectations are for the hosting experience on the part of the family. Be
wary of the family which relates mostly negative experiences.
3. Share with me a favorite family memory.
The answer to this question may alert you to a dysfunctional household. Adults who have difficulty sharing a favorite family memory may have issues that you would want to avoid placing the ICCP participant in the midst of.
Watch out for families who hope the ICCP participant will be a distraction or buffer to problems within the family. Problems with the
host family will effect the ICCP participant's performance at camp.
4. Why do you want to host?
Positive answers might include: To help out the camp, the international staff, the camp's sponsoring organization; to get to know
someone from overseas, to learn about another culture.
Watch out for hosts who want to host mainly to meet their needs for companionship, social standing in the community, or because they are feeling pressured to do so.
5.
In what activities do you expect the ICCP participant to join your family?
Most problems which arise between an ICCP participant and the host fall under two categories: The ICCP participant does not spend enough
time with the family causing the "she treats us like a hotel" complaint, or the ICCP participant seems too dependent on the host family causing the "I didn't know this was going to be so
intrusive" complaint. Clarifying expectations for levels of involvement early will help you concentrate on camp issues during the summer, not
hosting issues.
6.
Where will the ICCP participant sleep?
In most cases it is probably not wise to expect an ICCP participant to share a bedroom with someone of a different age group. In no case
should an ICCP participant be expected to share a bed. Space to put personal belongings should also be a consideration.
7. Do you have any reservations about hosting a
participant from a specific country?
Watch out for the family which makes excuses about hosting specific racial or ethnic groups. Phrases such as, "Although it wouldn't
bother us, our neighbors would have trouble if we hosted someone of a different race..." may be a polite cover-up of attitudes on the part of the potential hosts which lead to the
intolerance of difference.
8. What experience do you have with young adults?
Many potential host families have children. They may be unprepared for the independence or dependence level of the ICCP participant.
Extremes of expecting to treat the ICCP participant as they would the teenage members of the family or of expecting the total independence of a socially well-established adult in
the community can both be unrealistic.
9. What questions does the potential host have of
you?
Expect the potential host to ask you what will happen if the situation does not work out. Expect the host to ask to clarify who is
responsible for what.
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