Countywide : Host Homes Sought for Foreign Youths

The Camarillo chapter of the American Field Service is accepting applications from local families to host foreign students in their homes for one year.

“It’s a marvelous experience for students,” said Libby Voll, a volunteer for AFS. “There is a fostering of international good will through these students who will, hopefully, become leaders in their own country.”

American Field Service students come from all over the world, Voll said. This year, there are applications for the first time from students who live in the republics of the Soviet Union, such as Latvia, and the Balkan States.

The deadline for families to apply to host students is May 31.

Host families need to supply a bed for the student and “a place at the table. We are looking for loving families that will treat the student like one of their own children,” Voll said. Students pay for air transportation and insurance.

Host families can express their desire for a student from a certain country and their preference as to whether the student be a boy or girl.

“They will then get to review the packets from the students,” Voll said, “which includes a picture of the student, their family, their likes and dislikes, their expectations.”

Families then fill out an application form and are interviewed by representatives of the American Field Service. For further information, call Voll at (805) 987-6060 or Alan Seder at (805) 987-1455.