A lesson on the recorder.
NIU’s International Training Office is seeking families in DeKalb and Sycamore to serve as hosts for 24 high school-aged students and four adult leaders from the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.
The home stay dates are Sunday, April 21, through Friday, May 3. An orientation session for host families will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in Ellington’s restaurant at the Holmes Student Center.
In its 10th year at NIU, the Philippine Youth Leadership Program (PYLP) is a four-week leadership training institute funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs.
This year’s program will emphasize environmental leadership in the Philippines with the goal of developing youth as agents of change and ecological activism. The participating youth and adult leaders are selected through a competitive application process, have outstanding academic credentials and are fluent in English.
State Department-funded youth exchange programs provide for a home-stay portion so that American families have the opportunity to experience another culture without leaving home. Additionally, the Philippine participants have the opportunity to learn about American culture by briefly being adopted into an American family. This is a unique chance for all to become better global neighbors.
Participants are placed in pairs in the homes. Families are expected to provide breakfast and most dinners during the home-stay dates, and provide transportation to and from the university for the daily sessions. The weekend dates of Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28, provide totally free days for the Filipino members to spend with their host families.
Interested families should contact Leslie Shive, host family coordinator for PYLP, at (815) 753-9546 or lshive@niu.edu. More program information and a host family application are available on the International Training Office website.
