February 14, 2025
Making Memories is What It’s All About! with Host Families
For many families, getting to know a young person from another country in their homes creates memories that last a lifetime. Some of those memories are of attending 4-H events, county fairs, club meetings, and 4-H socials with their visitors. 4-H exchange programs are with 4-H type programs, and their members hope to learn about 4-H, improve English language, see how Kansas families live, and make friends. Mostly they do what their host siblings do. They don’t expect to be entertained or travel around the state or country, but many families find hosting a good excuse to visit local attractions and historic sites. If a short vacation is planned, the exchange visitor may go along. Opportunities are available for family members in the right age groups to visit exchange partner countries for home stays on outbound exchanges in future years.
Kansas inbound exchanges this summer will bring teens from the following youth programs to our state for the dates listed below:
• Costa Rica’s 4-S, June 25-July19, 2025
• Norway’s 4H, June 25-July 19, 2025
• Taiwan’s 4-H, July 3-August 2, 2025
• Japan’s Labo and LEX, July 21-August 16, 2025
Youth coming from Costa Rica, Norway, and Taiwan will be 15-18. Host families for them should have a host sibling the same gender and within two-three years of their visitor’s age. The Japanese visitors are likely to be 12-16. There will be adult chaperones with the groups for travel. They can be placed with families with or without children at home, usually for half of the exchange period each for their own exchange experience while they support their exchange members.
Applications to host are now open on the States’ 4-H International Exchange Program website: https://states4hexchange.org/summeer-inbound/
Apply to Host Families who have hosted a States’ 4-H exchange previously should need only to update their applications and add exchange hosting preferences for 2025.
For more information on the first three Exchanges, contact Mary Kay Munson, Kansas International Exchange Coordinator, mkm2@ksu.edu, 785-375-3189.
For exchanges with Japan, contact Pam Van Horn, Japan Summer Inbound Exchange Coordinator, pvanhorn@ksu.edu or call 785-828-8917.
Japanese applications should arrive in Kansas in late February. Applications from the international partners for Norway, Costa Rica, and Taiwan will be arriving at the national office in March. Host family assignments are made on a first come basis when we have the information on available incoming exchangees. Contact the coordinator with questions and complete your applications now to secure a good match for your family.