The local Catholic school board’s homestay program is looking to expand its reach this year.
The program has Hatters open their homes to an international student, providing them with a caring home environment during their stay.
“We’re onboarding with a whole bunch more agents and districts,” says Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education international education supervisor Wanda Simmons. “We’re building and enriching our program.”
She said MHCBE is looking to recruit more students from Latin America, Japan and Europe, in addition to expanding its base of local host families.
Like students at Catholic schools, homestay participants don’t need to be Catholic.
They can stay short term for 3-6 months or long term for 10-12 months.
Host families receive a $750 per month stipend to provide for the student, as well as $100 for the trip to pick them up at the Calgary airport.
“They give them a residence that’s safe and secure – a warm and hearty residence – they have a police record check, and they give them a private bedroom, three meals a day and participation in their family activities,” said Simmons.
“They bring them into their home and treat them as their own children.”
There’s no specific deadline for prospective hosts to register, but she says the sooner they get in touch with her the better.
“The more we have looking for these applications the better it is for us, because then we can start placing these students within the homes,” Simmons said.
“You might not get a student right away, but you’ll get one eventually.”
She said she tries to match students with host families who share similar interests.
“I work tirelessly in this area, just to make sure that the family dynamic matches the person we’re going to send to them,” Simmons said. “We want them to have a great cultural exchange.”
Those who may be interested in becoming a host family can find more information at the MHCBE website under the section International Education.
