Students from 1st and 2nd grade Senior Area took part in an informative talk led by YFU Chile, focused on the experience of becoming a host family for an international exchange student. The activity was held on Monday, July 13th, at the school auditorium, inviting students to reflect on intercultural learning, hospitality, family life, and the value of opening a home to someone from another country.
During the talk, students learnt what it means to be part of a host family and how this experience can become much more than simply receiving a student at home. It is also an opportunity to share Chilean traditions, everyday routines, family customs, and school life, while discovering a new culture through daily interaction. One of the most meaningful ideas presented during the session was that intercultural exchange does not only happen when someone travels abroad; it can also begin at home, when a family welcomes an international student and creates a space for understanding, respect, communication, and mutual learning.
The experience of being a host family also offers important learning opportunities for children and young people. Through this type of exchange, students can broaden their view of the world, strengthen their intercultural skills, learn about other languages and cultures, and create bonds that may continue long after the exchange period has ended. In this sense, the talk also became a gentle invitation for our school community to consider the possibility of becoming part of an international student’s journey. Behind every exchange programme, there are young people preparing to travel to Chile, hoping to find a family willing to welcome them, share everyday life, and help them experience our country not only as a place to visit, but also as a home.
As part of this invitation, our school community will also be able to see pictures of some of the international exchange students who are preparing to travel to Chile, some of whom are still waiting to be welcomed by a host family. These images remind us that exchange programmes are not only about countries, languages, or institutions, but about real young people hoping to live a meaningful cultural experience through the warmth of a family.
For our school community, activities like this are valuable because they help students understand that language learning is connected to real people, real stories, and real opportunities for communication. English and other languages become part of a wider experience where culture, identity, friendship, and global awareness come together. We thank YFU Chile for visiting Colegio Concepción and sharing this meaningful experience with our Senior Area students, reminding us that opening the doors to another culture can also mean opening new ways of seeing, learning, and connecting with the world.
We invite our school community to learn more about this opportunity, explore the gallery, and reflect on the meaningful impact that becoming a host family can have, both for the international student and for the family who welcomes them.
