Short-term hosting

Episode 35: Part 1 – Homestay Expertise and Building Relationships with Jennifer Wilson from the Canada Homestay Network

How do you build a successful relationship with homestay students? You ask the experts. In this episode, we chat with Jennifer Wilson, the Managing Director of the Canada Homestay Network. As a second-generation leader of the Canada Homestay Network, Jennifer is passionate about creating opportunities for building relationships and believes that homestay offers a unique opportunity for all of us to break down cultural barriers and make the world a smaller place.

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Episode 32: Impact and Benefits for Your Kids

Homestay families can be any structure you can think of. Older couples with room in their home, singles, parents with or without kids; as long as you have a spare room and are welcoming to people into your home, you can host! However, if you have kids, hosting students can really be a way to include teachable moments for your own children.

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Episode 31: How to Start Hosting International Students Today

Hot town, summer in the city! This time of year is perfect for heading outside, exploring our natural playground, and taking in all the great summer events that are ideal to be a tourist in your own hometown with your international student. If you’ve been wanting to get your feet wet with becoming a homestay host, this is the ideal time.

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Episode 29: Building Student Connections Through a Foundation of Boundaries with Dean Fox

Today, we chat with Dean Fox, a veteran homestay host with his wife and two kids. Dean shares with us his perspective of being a homestay Dad with a very practical and matter of fact frame of mind. He describes how miscommunication can happen even when no words are being used and how his family even vacationed to Disneyland with another student.

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Episode 28: Encouraging Students to Make Friends

With new students coming into your home, it’s always tough for them to adjust to a new culture. One way we believe that will help support your students in having better success at achieving a great experience, is to make friends.

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Episode 27: Homestay Family Mindset with Jodi Johl

Being a homestay parent comes with many challenges and rewards. If you are new to hosting or considering taking on this gratifying experience, you’ll want to listen to our chat with seasoned host parent, Jodi Johl.

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Episode 25: Food Culture and Improving Your Food Relationship with Carla Beer-Carpenter

Food brings people together, but what if food becomes a barrier? Eating disorders are mental health issues and some students arrive with a negative dependency on food, without you even noticing. So what are the clues? Today, we chat with Carla Beer-Carpenter, a registered dietitian for almost 30 years with a passion for helping people improve their relationship with food while working towards their health and nutrition goals.

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Episode 24: Financial Reality of Hosting Homestay Students

Okay let’s get real. One of the top or main reasons families participate in a homestay program is so that they can make some money or at least they think they can. Heck, it’s why we both started looking into the opportunity for our own families. However, over time it becomes more than that.

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Episode 23: Positivity, an Open Heart, and Hosting in Toronto with Rosalyn Benatar

How do your intentions bring out the best in your family to have a successful homestay experience? What differences do the big city of Toronto and the west coast of Canada provide to an international student? In this episode, we chat with Rosalyn Benatar, a recent transplant from Toronto to Victoria, BC. 

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Episode 20: Top 5 Reasons to Host an International Student

In this episode, we share our top 5 reasons for hosting an international student. There are so many points, but these 5 things are the core of what we do and love. They encompass our own personal values and how those desires play a significant role in our everyday lives.

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