In Our Community

Foreign Exchange Programs

A life-changing experience

By Natalie Slieter | Photos by Kelly Middlebrooks

Opening your home to provide housing and food to a stranger for a year could seem difficult, yet that is precisely what host families worldwide do for foreign exchange students. Greenheart Exchange Local Coordinator Angie Baack works with families and students participating in foreign exchange programs. As a liaison between the schools, host families, and students, Baack checks in with families and students at least once each month and always remains available to offer support. She has a spare bedroom available for respite care if needed. Baack explains, “If there were a family emergency, or if host parents just want to get away for a weekend, I can provide temporary care for that student.”

According to Baack, most host families do so because they have a personal tie to exchange; either their parents hosted when they were younger, were friends with an exchange student in high school, or know someone who hosted. She admits that it’s hard for those with no experience to take that step. Yet Baack encourages them to consider. “By hosting, you are literally changing your life and the life of the student by giving them the experience of a lifetime! “

Lacy Steinberg, a current Host Mom to Marina, explains her foreign exchange experience by saying, “It’s an ongoing experience for your family, your extended family, and the whole school, which fosters curiosity about the whole world and how others live. Our family has two younger girls, so they get the experience of having an older sister. We have created a lasting bond with Marina and have given Marina the growth opportunity of a lifetime! The skills she acquired during this past school year will impact her for the rest of her life.”

Fellow host Tara Johanneson echoes that sentiment, saying, “Choosing to host international students has honestly been one of the best decisions we have ever made. We wanted our children to experience the world, yet wouldn’t be able to take them everywhere, so instead we decided to bring the world to them. It has really helped us be open-minded, see things through different perspectives, appreciate cultural differences, and instilled in us a desire to continue learning more. We would encourage everyone to give hosting a try... it’s worth it!”

Baack feels that one of the most significant benefits of the foreign exchange experience is that host families gain another family member. Often, host families stay in contact with their students after they’ve left; some even go back and forth to visit each other. She adds that when families include children, they learn about other countries, cultures, and ways of living while teaching the student about the culture in the U.S. It gives their children a global mindset and an education they can’t get from a textbook. Lastly, Baack talks about the changes the experience makes within participants, as she comments, “Since people tend to fear what they don’t understand, with this experience, there is a greater understanding of differences among people, which leads to greater empathy.”

Jason, Taylor, Francesca Capretto (exchange student), Jadon, Tara, Jaxon Johanneson

Marina Canga (exchange student), Aleah, Lacy, Jason, Luna Steinberg

Clockwise: Julia Gondim Goncalves (exchange student), Kelly, Danielle, Laikyn, Lachlan, Lucca Baker. Photo courtesy of the Baker family.

Greenheart partners with other upstanding exchange agencies in foreign countries. They recruit students for the U.S. who have teacher recommendations, show academic success, prove English proficiency, have full parental financial support, and demonstrate emotional maturity. Students are fully vetted, and only those capable of having a successful experience are selected. Baack says, “I match students with family interests. After everything is complete, the students and host families can communicate to get to know each other before the student arrives.”

Baack wants people to know that host families are not limited to families with teens. They can include single people 26 and older, hetero or same-sex couples with or without children of any age, or empty-nesters who miss being involved in their children’s activities. To become a host family, applicants must apply, pass a background check and provide meals, a bed (sharing a bedroom with someone of the same sex and close in age is acceptable), and a supportive environment. Baack adds that students bring their own spending money and insurance. n More information can be found at www.hostwithgreenheart. org or by contacting Angie Baack, Local Coordinator, at 605.610.9870 or GreenheartExchangeAngie@gmail.com

STAY POSITIVE AND BE KIND

Mike and Sarah Schulte of Schulte Subaru are focused on encouraging positivity and kindness not only in their employees and customers, but also across the entire Sioux Falls community. The defi nition of positive (noun) is “a good, affi rmative, constructive quality or optimistic outlook.” Kind (adjective) is defi ned as “having or showing a friendly, generous, and considerate nature.” In a world where bad news is a constant, it can be diffi cult to be positive and show kindness to those around us. But choosing to exemplify these qualities can truly change your life and the lives of others.

Being positive means choosing to see the potential benefi ts or lessons to be learned in a situation instead of sinking into negative thoughts and doubt. It means encouraging and uplifting others instead of dragging them down. It means looking at each day as an opportunity to grow as a person. Being kind means being friendly with everyone you meet and thinking of others before yourself. Like positivity, showing kindness is uplifting to others and will likely lead to those around you also choosing to be kind. So, what does this look like in your day-to-day life? Wake up each day with a positive attitude. Choose to make it a great day and take each task as it comes, whether expected or unexpected.

Stay positive by believing the best in others. You can show positivity to others by sending an encouraging message to a friend or telling a co-worker how great of a job they have been doing lately. Showing kindness is so easy and doesn’t require that much effort. Smile and say hello to a stranger as they walk by, buy coffee or a meal for the person behind you in line, or tell the cashier you appreciate their time as you checkout at the store.

By choosing to be positive fi rst thing in the morning, it will lift your spirits and lead you to feeling an overfl ow of joy that you want to pour out onto others, leading to you being kind. Schulte Subaru is so passionate about staying positive and being kind because they know what a difference it can make at home and in the workplace. “Being positive is so important because with a few simple words and a smile, we can brighten someone’s day and lift them up. So let’s all come together as a community and make a difference in someone’s day,” Sarah said. In the words of Mike Schulte, “Stay positive, be kind, and think Subaru.”

Learn more about Schulte Subaru at subaruofsiouxfalls.com or by visiting their dealership at 7601 S. Minnesota Avenue.

BE KIND STAY POSITIVE THINK SUBARU

SchulteSubaru.com

7601 S Minnesota Ave. 605-275-4040

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