The Community Representative Position
A Community Representative (CR) is provided with complete training and support. The basic responsibilities include the following:
- Surveying local high schools to determine space availability and any special policies for enrolling exchange students. Attend any meetings required by your school system in order to place students. Maintain regular contact with high schools where you have students placed.
- Recruit host families through community outreach and local program promotion. AYUSA training will provide many creative suggestions for finding quality families in the community. AYUSA provides all the material you will use for your recruitment efforts.
- Conduct the host family interview, visiting with all family members and assessing the home environments. We need safe, supportive, stable host families for our students. Maintain contact with your host families, before and after the students arrive.
- Join host families in greeting their students at the airport arrival. Participate in student and host family orientations. Mentor and guide students and host families as needed during this time.
- Visit with students and host families monthly, either by phone or in person. Complete monthly progress reports on each student. As a trusted adult in the student’s life, Community Representatives maintain open lines of communication with their students, families and school administrators.
- Provide assistance and support to students, host families and schools throughout the length of the program. Act as a back-up host in the event of an emergency.
- Complete all required online training, which consists of six sections, each requiring about a half hour. Attend all required conference call trainings.
