Japanese children looking for host families in Cache Valley for summer program

The Mountain West Cultural Exchange program is looking for families in Cache Valley to host Japanese “delegates” between the ages of 10-18 for a short, two-and-a-half week stay from July 25-August 14.

“These delegates come to experience whatever your family enjoys,” said Lisa Kent, Placement Coordinator. “They don’t come for the language, they come for a home state, to see what a family does and how they live.

The statewide non-profit program was formed in 2017 and has partnered with UTREK to place Japanese children in Utah homes. The requirements for hosting a Japanese delegate are few. For the summer program, host families must have a child in the home of the same gender as the exchange delegate and within two years of the same age. For the spring program, the host family does not have to meet those requirements. Families are expected to pass a basic background check and share two references. It doesn’t cost anything to be a host family apart from having an extra child in the home to feed and care for.

The program gives a $100 Visa gift card to show their appreciation to the host family and delegates come with spending money for things a family would expect their child to pay for.

“Please plan on treating them as you would your own children when it comes to things like going out to dinner or family bowling,” Kent said. “If you take your kids to Lagoon, and pay for their ticket, be kind enough to pay for your delegate’s ticket, too.”

Japanese delegate offers gifts from Japan to host family.

But host families are not expected to become an entertainment committee.

“If you have your child do chores, your delegate should be doing chores. Many of the kids love going to Walmart because they’ve never seen anything like it before. The kids are here to experience your normal family life,” Kent explained.

The program’s website features personal bios of each child, and what that child hopes to do while in America. Things like attending a barbecue, eating an Idaho potato, or working on a farm are examples of experiences these Japanese children hope to have while they are here.

Kent has been hosting Japanese delegates since 2006 and said her whole family has fallen in love with the experience. “Instead of going to Japan, we brought Japan to us.”

She said it has helped her kids learn to deal with people with totally different values, food, and culture.

“Over there, it isn’t required they say please and thank you, it’s just a totally different outlook on life,” Kent said. “I think it has helped my kids be more accepting of those different nationalities.”

The idea that it takes up too much time is the number one thing that keeps families from hosting. But Kent said it’s a misconception that you must play ‘cruise director.’

Kent also pointed out that even if the adults have a hard time bonding to the delegate, the children in the home almost always gain that positive relationship. “Kids will communicate. The families that have hosted have said it was the best experience they’ve ever had.”

The delegates bring gifts for their host families and are required to purchase something to take back home with them. The delegates are also required to make a meal for their host family, bringing their own ingredients from home or go to a store here to purchase the ingredients.

Kent reminds people that although problems are rare, they are still children. “You take 38 American children from all over the country and how many problems will you have? They’re kids. The problems aren’t huge, but sometimes they come up,” she said.

Problems include kids not wanting to come out of their rooms, especially at first as they adjust to the time zone difference. Other problems might come from a teenage girl talking too much on her phone.

You just have to set boundaries and you’ll be ok. Never give them access to the wifi password. Make them come out of their room and join you for things. Keep them busy those first few days so they can adjust,” Kent suggested.

Each group of delegates is joined by chaperones and a translator so if issues arise, they can be resolved quickly. “Since 2006, I’ve only had one incident where the head of UTREK had to call the child and talk to him,” Kent said.

The Mountain West Cultural Exchange website offers more information about becoming a host family. The deadline to sign up for the summer program is July 20, but Kent said the sooner the better so the delegates know what family they will be joining when they get here.

Visit www.mwce.website to register and for more information.

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