| Author | Message | ||
     Katherine Prussack Citizen Username: Kprussack Post Number: 1 Registered: 7-2004 |
I am a local coordinator for a long-established non-profit organization that brings about 2000 high school students a year to the US to study. We are looking for families to host these kids from all over the world. All you need is a place for them to sleep, study and a have an interest in opening up your home and your heart to help these kids fulfill a dream of a lifetime. If you are interested, please contact me through this board or at (201) 420-[edited out until organzation declares itself]. | ||
| Dave Citizen Username: Dave Post Number: 7722 Registered: 4-1998  |
What is the name of the organzation? What are the implications to local school districts combatting overpopulation, high taxes and illegal students? | ||
| sac Citizen Username: Sac Post Number: 1400 Registered: 5-2001 |
Presumably a like number of local students would go abroad to study and it would work out to more or less an even swap. I am acquainted with a family in town whose children (now grown) were able to go overseas on such a program and who also hosted students who came here to attend CHS and their experience sounded great. I think it would be a sad day if concerns about illegal students and related tax burdens caused us not to participate in legitimate international exchange programs. | ||
| Dave Citizen Username: Dave Post Number: 7724 Registered: 4-1998 |
True enough. My main concern is getting the name of the organization. | ||
| Joan Citizen Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 3350 Registered: 5-2001 |
SAC: I think Dave is concerned that this might not be a legitimate organization. A legitimate post on this subject would have contained more precise information. I would also like to know what the up front costs are of any to the families hosting these students and if your organization will make exchange slots available to students in the host communities. Finally, could you please tell us which countries these students will be coming from, their approximate ages and the length of time they would be in the US as part of this program. | ||
| Dave Citizen Username: Dave Post Number: 7732 Registered: 4-1998 |
Some "hosting" situations are disguised "sponsorships", which is a legal agreement to take on all financial obligations of the guest, including any financial penalties for crimes or not returning to home country after term of visit. I'm not saying this is the case here, but clearly the reputable organizations that do this have an online web presence. Not to mention the obvious security issues involved in importing strangers into the country. You can bet I've saved the IP address of this poster. If no organization name is forthcoming I will likely report it as suspicious to appropriate authorities. | ||
| sac Citizen Username: Sac Post Number: 1402 Registered: 5-2001 |
I certainly agree ... I was only responding to the latter portion of Dave's first post. | ||
| Katherine Prussack Citizen Username: Kprussack Post Number: 4 Registered: 7-2004 |
The name of the organization is Council on International Education Exchanges or CIEE. They have a web site: councilexchanges.org. The organization has been around for more than 50 years providing a US high school experience for students from all over the world. We do have a small program for US students wishing to study abroad but it is more limited than our program bringing students into the US. The organization is approved by the state department and the students are issued J-1 visas by our organization. The students are between 15 and 18 years of age, although most of them are 16 or 17. The host family is only responsible for providing the student with a home (shelter and food) and a loving family. The students provide their own spending money, insurance, transportation. Right now we have 42 kids who are scheduled to come to the Northeast region of the US this August who don't know who their host families will be. Many of them are from Sweden, South Korea, Brazil and a few from Russia, the Czech Republic and various other European countries. I am sorry that you feel so threatened by my original post--how sad that we have become so paranoid. One family in Maplewood is already planning on hosting a boy from Brazil and I was only hoping that this presumably open, caring and multicultural community would be interested in helping out. | ||
| Dave Citizen Username: Dave Post Number: 7742 Registered: 4-1998 |
The reason is that we've been hit by scammers in the past. Better safe than sorry. Thanks for clarifying by telling us your organization's name. | ||
| eab Citizen Username: Eab Post Number: 35 Registered: 10-2001 |
Kathy are you interested only in a family with a student at the high school? Next year I won't have anyone at the high school but I could be interested nonetheless. |
