Italian student exchange program seeking host families

by | Feb 18, 2012

Ergon, an Italian-based student exchange program, and its partner, NorthWest Student Exchange, are looking for Seattle families to host an Italian high school student next year.

The Ergon approach is more personal than many exchange programs, and focuses on making a good match between the student and the host family. Ergon’s local representative will meet with you to learn about your family and your preferences for a student, and use that information to choose the best student match. The host families often form lasting friendships with the Italian student and their families. If the host family desires, the Italian family will in turn host the host family child during summer vacation.
The Italian students are 16-17-years old and speak English.They are excited to be part of an American high school experience, practice their English, eat new foods and find out what living in American is really like. They are fully insured for any medical emergencies, and bring their own spending money.
Ergon places Italian students at many Seattle high schools, currently including Roosevelt, Garfield, Mercer Island and Nathan Hale. Past host families have loved the experience, many travelling to Italy to meet their exchange student’s family and get an intimate view of life in Italy. As one local host family says, “Marco became a second son in our family, and a brother to our two children. He taught them how to make real macaroni and cheese, and they taught him about teriyaki! They shared many laughs together and when we went to Italy, we were treated to experiences we would never had access to otherwise…We learned more about living in Italy this way than we ever could have otherwise.”

For more information or to apply to be a host family, email [email protected].

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