FAQ

The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the Public Affairs Sections (PAS) of the U.S. Embassies in countries of Sub-Saharan Africa support the participation of secondary school youth and adult educators in intensive, substantive three-week exchanges in the United States. The exchange activities will introduce the participants to a comprehensive survey of civic education, community service, and youth leadership development. Activities will focus on building their knowledge and skill levels in these areas. The students will participate in workshops, community service activities, meetings with community leaders, and discussion groups and will have opportunities for substantive interaction with each other and their American peers.

We typically ask hosts to be responsible for breakfast, dinner, and some lunches on the weekends. Hosts are not responsible for meals when their guest is with the VCWA. Hosts are asked to provide pick-up and drop off for guest(s) Monday - Friday, typically around 8:30am - 9:30am and 4:30pm - 5:30pm.

Hosts are also required to offer their guest(s) a safe, clean environment to call home. Each visitor requires their own bedroom with a clean bed and necessary supplies, such as towels and toiletries. If you are hosting more than one participant, they can share a bedroom as long as they each have their own bed.

Although ideally, we would love for our hosts to be able to take participants for the full duration of the program, we do understand that prior commitments can overlap with programming. We are open to and welcome part-time hosting, please just inform Jennifer of what dates work for you!

Most of our hosts are within a 30 minute drive of Burlington, Vermont. If you live farther away, please contact the VCWA as we would love to hear from you and discuss transportation options.

Our international visitors typically spend Monday-Friday (9am-5pm) participating in professional programming. Your guest will spend the evenings and weekends with you. We encourage you to include them in your daily activities and show them the beauty of our state.

PAYLP participants come from different countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and may represent a variety of ethnic groups and political parties, as well as cultural and religious backgrounds. Youth participants are high school students between 15-18 years old. All youth participants are accompanied by an adult mentor from their country.

The Vermont Council on World Affairs will inform you of any dietary restrictions and/or allergies your guest might have prior to their arrival.

The program participants are from Anglophone countries, so they all speak English.

The best advice here will be to keep your eyes and ears open and not to be afraid of asking questions or explaining basic things “just in case.” Remember that your guest may not be like others from his or her country you met or previously hosted. A sense of humor always helps!  

Please be aware that some guests are more religious that others and may express interest in attending a local religious or spiritual event. Guests may also be intererested in learning about your own spiritual practices!

Current hosts will receive forms to fill out that enable us to match participants and hosts to the best of our abilities.

Hosts will receive a formal Hosting Packet on March 27th, 2024.