Time is running out as organizers look for 10 additional homestays to accommodate Japanese students this year.
A group of 24 students from a private girls’ school in Japan comes every summer to study English and learn about life on the Sunshine Coast. This year the program will run from July 21 to Aug. 7.
The girls study English for three hours each morning at Elphinstone Secondary School in Gibsons, and then enjoy afternoon activities such as kayaking, baking and nature walks. They are busy from 8:45 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day. The girls are 15 to 17 years old, are lively but sometimes shy, and desperately need practice speaking English.
The program welcomes families, empty nesters, retired couples and others who would like to be hosts. You will receive compensation of $600 for food and accommodation.
For more information about this program or if you would like to host a student, contact homestay coordinator Ceri Bowles at [email protected], 604-989-4017, or register online at www.mlihomestay.com.
This program has been running for 16 years, is highly regarded and is a lot of fun for all participants.
– Submitted by Wendy Morris
