Embrace New Cultures While Sharing Your Own!
Semi-annually the World Trade Center hosts groups of professional foreign delegations sponsored by USAID. These delegations travel to the U.S. in order to learn best practices in their field and experience the U.S. culture. Their most memorable experiences are created with their host family making new friends and exchanging stories. Help share the warmth and hospitality of Baltimore by volunteering as a host family.
“My husband and I thought it was a great opportunity to expose our kids to a culture that they might not have otherwise been exposed to, the whole family loved having our visitor in our home,” said Amy Kaplan Stern, Federal Hill host family.
Exciting Summer Homestay Opportunities Available THIS SUMMER!
This June WTCI will be hosting a delegation from Moldova. Ten professionals will come to Maryland to stay from June 4th through June 25th and learn from public acquisition specialists. The program will focus on best practices in government purchases including transparency, efficiency and innovative methods.
The World Trade Center Institute is currently looking for volunteers for this group.
Interested?
Contact Ms. Nina Bankova by email at nina@wtci.org or call at (410) 576.0022 X 103
How it works?
Participate in the following ways:
1- Become a Host Family
Hosting a visitor is a fantastic way to learn about other countries, expose your family to new cultures, and make lifelong friends. Hosting a visitor entails that you provide him/her with a private room, a front door key as well as breakfast and several evening meals depending on the program’s schedule and other offers of home hospitality. Meals should be what they normally are in your home. Encourage your visitor to join in family activities. Although they are guests, their participation in normal family activities is a part of their experience. Indeed, living with your family gives participants the opportunity to get acquainted with American family life. It is not necessary to alter your schedule in any way as regular activities are usually novel enough. Please note that the World Trade Center Institute works to provide the best possible match for each homestay host and guest. Prior to the group’s arrival in the US, each homestay host receives a short bio on their guest, general information about the region they are coming from, as well as a homestay host manual. Homestay hosts meet their guest at a Welcome Reception and from there the guests travel with the homestay hosts to their home.
2- Volunteer in other ways
(i) Spend a day with a visitor outdoors
Cultural component is an important part of the Community Connections Program. While the World Trade Center Institute incorporates cultural activities into the visitors’ schedule, we encourage interested parties to share activities with a few guests.
(ii) Share laughs over a home made meal
If you are unable to take a visitor into your home and offer room and board, please note that you still have the opportunity to offer them a home cooked meal and learn about their country that way.
(iii) Become a volunteer driver
The World Trade Center Institute provides transportation for the visitors to their daily activities. However, volunteer driver are always appreciated.
(iv) Provide an informational session that relates to the professional field of the delegation
If your field relates to the topic of visit, please contact us to volunteer to be a professional appointment and included in the visitors’ professional program.
Past programs hosted by the World Trade Center Institute
Improving Quality and Accessibility of Maternal-Child Healthcare in Uzbekistan – July 1 through August 11, 2006
Advancement of the quality, diversity and accessibility of business education and training in Belarus - August 1 through August 22, 2007