With less than a month before the students from across Canada, China and Mongolia arrive, Canada World Youth organizer Terrance Lowe is still scrambling for host families.
The exchange program has been to the Coast before, but has never experienced such trouble in securing housing for the exchange students.
Maybe summer schedules are getting the better of Coast residents, but these students are set to arrive on Aug. 27 and over a dozen of them still need a place to stay.
The exchange students will put in approximately 7,000 hours of volunteer work in our community during the three months they are here.
CWY is looking for community work for the students to do as well. These 24 exchange students could read to children at the library, help seniors get their shopping done, visit seriously ill people who need to see a friendly face or help organize community fun fairs and special events.
These students are ready, willing and able to better our community. All they need is a place to sleep and food to eat. Lowe says students are to be considered family while they stay with host families, so there's also help with chores and someone to go to the beach with on those sunny Saturdays.
There is even a living allowance supplied to host families for the students' food and lodging, but still there are only a few who have come forward.
This is an opportunity for the Coast to open its doors to another culture, to learn from them and share Canadian perspectives and philosophies.
It's a chance to broaden horizons and make lasting friendships, but we seem unwilling to participate.
Lowe is worried he may not get enough host families signed up before students arrive and doesn't even want to think about the possibility of not being able to house the visitors, who are between the ages of 18 and 23.
We're sure there are at least six homes on the entire Sunshine Coast that could take part in the Canada World Youth exchange program. We ask Coasters to step up to the plate and extend the welcoming hand for which we are so well known.
Contact Lowe at 604-886-4509 or email [email protected] if you'd like to help.
