Families Needed for Friendship Program
Are you interested in different cultures? Other countries? Meeting new students? Please read on and fill out the following form and we will get you connected. Join International Programs at Gooseberry Park for the kick off of our new friendship and family program with our international students on Sunday, September 27 at 5 p.m.
This will be a potluck supper, so we ask that you bring an item to share with everyone – hot-dish, salad, fruit, buns, pickles, chips, etc. International Programs will be providing the silverware, plates, and beverages. What’s it all about and how do you get involved?
What is the Friendship Family Program?
The Friendship Family program is an opportunity for international students to experience American life. To create that extended family through social bonds bringing the members together through, communication, daily activities, outings, sports, etc. It is also an opportunity for Americans to have cross-cultural experiences and learn information about different countries and cultures from natives of those places. The objective is for international students to see a typical U.S. home. Students do not stay within the home, but participate in activities and outings.
Why make a family?
International Students come from a distance and do not have easy access to their extended family or this kind of family in the U.S. Some of the ways friendship family interacts together are the different roles, personalities, strengths, etc. that provide an interesting and perhaps more helpful environment for the student. They can share ideas with each other and work as a team to be more helpful. If there are children in the home, it may help to relieve tension and also provide another cultural experience for international students. This family provides a nurturing role in a natural way that may be helpful and help make life in this new culture less stressful.
Who can participate?
This program is open for all interested MSUM international students.It is open for University faculty and staff, Fargo-Moorhead alumni and other interested FM residents to participate as a host family.
What are the responsibilities?
There will be an annual Fall Picnic in which the friendship family participants meet their international student(s) or become reacquainted with them after the summer. This friendship family is expected to have the international student over a couple times the first month and a minimum of once every six weeks after that. The friendship family is expected to support the international student and attend one event related to his/her MSUM international student. This could include sports activities, concerts, drama presentations, or Student Academic Conference presentations.
Optional Activities
Students and friendship family participants are not limited to the previously mentioned responsibilities and will most likely come up with many of their own activities. Some ideas that other friendship family participants have done in the past include: being available over the holidays for a traditional meal, providing a place to stay over holidays or before school starts, picking up the student from the airport, having the student over for a meal more often, or attending Celebration of Nations.
For more information and an application to participate in MSUM’s Friendship Family Program, go to http://www.mnstate.edu/intl/studentservices/studentservices.cfm