Teen Study Abroad
Sep 14th, 2008, 04:16 PM
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Teen Study Abroad
We are looking into teen study abroad programs for our 16 year old son. Next summer.
Anyone with a good or bad experience?
We are looking at a program through Amerispan. Seville Spain.
Thank you.
Anyone with a good or bad experience?
We are looking at a program through Amerispan. Seville Spain.
Thank you.
Sep 14th, 2008, 05:52 PM
#3
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It depends on the structure of the program and the maturity/sophistication of the young man involved.
At that age some are children - and this would probably not be appropriate. But many are mature - just a year before starting college - and it would be a good experience.
At that age some are children - and this would probably not be appropriate. But many are mature - just a year before starting college - and it would be a good experience.
Sep 14th, 2008, 07:33 PM
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I have no idea whether your son is ready for this experience or not, but I will relate some experiences my daughter has had in the short 2 weeks that she has been in her college junior year abroad in Ireland.
When she landed, she had to locate an ATM machine in the airport to get Euros to pay for a taxi to her dorm. (The program met her at the airport, but did not provide transportation.) Then the person who was supposed to meet her and show her to the dorm (in an out-of-the-way location) did not show up for some time. After waiting a sufficient amount of time, my daughter hauled her luggage along the street until she found a shop where she hoped to get some help. They knew nothing about the dorm, so she returned to the pre-arranged meeting spot and finally somebody showed up. She has had to share a room which is half the size of her dorm room in the States; she has had to figure out (on a hit-or-miss basis) where to buy required college items (no Targets!); she has had to navigate a new city and a new transportation system. Fortunately, none of these was really problematic for her because she's a very mature 20-year-old who has lived overseas for almost half of her life and who speaks the language of her host country.
While your son may be living with a host family instead of on his own in a dorm, he will likely encounter many situations similar to that which my daughter has experienced. Can he manage if he's not met at the airport? Can he get about in a strange city on his own and use public transportation? Is he familiar with Spanish culture and comfortable with the differences between their culture and ours? Would he feel OK living with strangers? Can he speak Spanish?
If so, then I'd say that he's ready for a study abroad program. If not, then I'd consider having him wait a few years.
When she landed, she had to locate an ATM machine in the airport to get Euros to pay for a taxi to her dorm. (The program met her at the airport, but did not provide transportation.) Then the person who was supposed to meet her and show her to the dorm (in an out-of-the-way location) did not show up for some time. After waiting a sufficient amount of time, my daughter hauled her luggage along the street until she found a shop where she hoped to get some help. They knew nothing about the dorm, so she returned to the pre-arranged meeting spot and finally somebody showed up. She has had to share a room which is half the size of her dorm room in the States; she has had to figure out (on a hit-or-miss basis) where to buy required college items (no Targets!); she has had to navigate a new city and a new transportation system. Fortunately, none of these was really problematic for her because she's a very mature 20-year-old who has lived overseas for almost half of her life and who speaks the language of her host country.
While your son may be living with a host family instead of on his own in a dorm, he will likely encounter many situations similar to that which my daughter has experienced. Can he manage if he's not met at the airport? Can he get about in a strange city on his own and use public transportation? Is he familiar with Spanish culture and comfortable with the differences between their culture and ours? Would he feel OK living with strangers? Can he speak Spanish?
If so, then I'd say that he's ready for a study abroad program. If not, then I'd consider having him wait a few years.
Sep 14th, 2008, 07:47 PM
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I can't speak for the Boy Scouts--but Girl Scouts have excellent opportunities for girls to travel both nationally and internationally through the Destinations program (www.studio2B.org). These opportunities provide for cultural experiences in a supervised program.
Sep 14th, 2008, 07:50 PM
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Our son went on a program with AAVE to Costa Rica when he was 17. The program was designed for high school kids and included Spanish, community service and adventure. He had a very enriching experience and I highly recommend it.
AAVE is accredited by the American Camp Association. They gave us a full list of people who went on the program the previous year with contact information. The organization has been around for decades. It is well chaperoned. These are the things to be looking for in a program. There are many excellent programs out there.
Why did we do it? We knew we were going to be unable to go on a family trip that summer. He had always gone to camp for a few weeks every summer, but was the age he'd have to commit to spending the whole summer as a counselor and he had other things he wanted to do in the summer.
We felt he would learn a lot through experience and that the program would be a confidence builder. The program was expensive but it was well worth it. Learning Spanish, ziplining though a rain forest, living with two host families, community service, surfing, and more...It was a great experience and we don't regret having sent him for a minute.
AAVE is accredited by the American Camp Association. They gave us a full list of people who went on the program the previous year with contact information. The organization has been around for decades. It is well chaperoned. These are the things to be looking for in a program. There are many excellent programs out there.
Why did we do it? We knew we were going to be unable to go on a family trip that summer. He had always gone to camp for a few weeks every summer, but was the age he'd have to commit to spending the whole summer as a counselor and he had other things he wanted to do in the summer.
We felt he would learn a lot through experience and that the program would be a confidence builder. The program was expensive but it was well worth it. Learning Spanish, ziplining though a rain forest, living with two host families, community service, surfing, and more...It was a great experience and we don't regret having sent him for a minute.
Sep 14th, 2008, 07:52 PM
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Here's the AAVE website. There are many other similar programs out there for high school students:
http://www.aave.com/
http://www.aave.com/
Sep 14th, 2008, 08:00 PM
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At age 16, I spent a summer in France with an American school program, living with a French family and traveling for a few weeks with the group. It sparked a lifelong love of France and the language. I eventually got an international MBA because of the experience.
16 is not too young at all! It's essential to enroll the boy in a reputable, proven program with adequate supervision and an academic curriculum. Only a parent can judge a child's maturity level, but the challenges and rewards that a program abroad can do wonders for encouraging a child to mature. Also, nowadays, it's so much easier for parents and children to keep in touch - my mother still keeps the fragile air mail folding letter forms I sent regularly. Now you can just email or even call at a reasonable price!
16 is not too young at all! It's essential to enroll the boy in a reputable, proven program with adequate supervision and an academic curriculum. Only a parent can judge a child's maturity level, but the challenges and rewards that a program abroad can do wonders for encouraging a child to mature. Also, nowadays, it's so much easier for parents and children to keep in touch - my mother still keeps the fragile air mail folding letter forms I sent regularly. Now you can just email or even call at a reasonable price!
Sep 14th, 2008, 08:05 PM
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I am guessing this is a home-stay program. One suggestion I have to is check very carefully how they select host families. We were a host family for a student from Spain for 6 weeks a few summers ago.
How were we checked out - we filled out a form with name and address. The end. No criminal record check, no home visit, no determining if we were axe murderers. We were not paid to be a host family, but most often host families on both side of the Atlantic are. I would be more concerned about motivation of those accepting money to be a host.
As a host family, it was fine. But half way thru the session we ended up with a second student in our home who had been "thrown out" of his family. And then a third for the final weekend since the host family decided to go on vacation. The organizers/chaperone of the group did not facilitate the home transfer - the kids found us as a new host family on their own.
This was enough to scare me half to death when our 16 year old dtr wanted to do a summer program in Spain. Instead, she spent a few weeks visiting our former student at her home - much better.
As longhorn indicates, transportation is not an inconsequential issue. Our dtr had to change planes in Madrid after a 4 hour layover. She had been told that "everyone in Madrid speaks English". Wrong! Fortunately she had enough Spanish to read signage, change gates, deal with a flight time change.
It would most likely be a positive experience - but some things to consider.
How were we checked out - we filled out a form with name and address. The end. No criminal record check, no home visit, no determining if we were axe murderers. We were not paid to be a host family, but most often host families on both side of the Atlantic are. I would be more concerned about motivation of those accepting money to be a host.
As a host family, it was fine. But half way thru the session we ended up with a second student in our home who had been "thrown out" of his family. And then a third for the final weekend since the host family decided to go on vacation. The organizers/chaperone of the group did not facilitate the home transfer - the kids found us as a new host family on their own.
This was enough to scare me half to death when our 16 year old dtr wanted to do a summer program in Spain. Instead, she spent a few weeks visiting our former student at her home - much better.
As longhorn indicates, transportation is not an inconsequential issue. Our dtr had to change planes in Madrid after a 4 hour layover. She had been told that "everyone in Madrid speaks English". Wrong! Fortunately she had enough Spanish to read signage, change gates, deal with a flight time change.
It would most likely be a positive experience - but some things to consider.
Sep 14th, 2008, 08:48 PM
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I looked at the website briefly. Good prices! I'd suggest you ask for the list of students from the previous year and call their families.
Also, think about Costa Rica for Spanish. Hosting foreign language students is a major industry there. There is a language school in Monteverde that my son went to. The people are very friendly. The whole area is set up for this so if there are any problems, a teen would be able to find help easily. It wouldn't be the same experience as living in Spain, but might be "cozier," if you know what I mean.
Also, think about Costa Rica for Spanish. Hosting foreign language students is a major industry there. There is a language school in Monteverde that my son went to. The people are very friendly. The whole area is set up for this so if there are any problems, a teen would be able to find help easily. It wouldn't be the same experience as living in Spain, but might be "cozier," if you know what I mean.
Sep 14th, 2008, 10:19 PM
#11
My DD was a week off her 17th birthday when she went to the US for a year's schooling. Travelling on your own from a small place like New Zealand, I was very worried but she managed to negotiate airlports, find her way to the domestic terminal from LAX to fly to Columbia Maryland without any major drama.
She went as part of the STS student exchange programme. We arranged the host family, an internet penpal who we had never met but had exchanged hundreds of e-mails and quite a few video tapes.
DD had a great time, she fitted into the senior year, loved her host family, and host brother, and made many friends. 10 years on, she is back living in the US with her husband.
She went as part of the STS student exchange programme. We arranged the host family, an internet penpal who we had never met but had exchanged hundreds of e-mails and quite a few video tapes.
DD had a great time, she fitted into the senior year, loved her host family, and host brother, and made many friends. 10 years on, she is back living in the US with her husband.
Sep 15th, 2008, 03:04 AM
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Great responses.
Thank you for the information.
Our nieces have all done a study abroad program or two and have had good experiences.
The result of their trip has been (1) the opportunity to grow/mature individually, (2) learn a language, and (3) because of their language skills improve their college admission possibilities. Oh yeah, to have fun too.
I can see the possibility of some hiccups along the way. Try as you might you can't plan for everything. Forums like this sure help though.
We have looked at Costa Rica and that is a strong possibility.
Thank you.
Thank you for the information.
Our nieces have all done a study abroad program or two and have had good experiences.
The result of their trip has been (1) the opportunity to grow/mature individually, (2) learn a language, and (3) because of their language skills improve their college admission possibilities. Oh yeah, to have fun too.
I can see the possibility of some hiccups along the way. Try as you might you can't plan for everything. Forums like this sure help though.
We have looked at Costa Rica and that is a strong possibility.
Thank you.
Sep 15th, 2008, 03:27 AM
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Our experience was as a host family and similar to Gail's. Someone did visit our home to check us out but probably we got a home visit simply because it was a last minute effort to find a family or the student wouldn't be able to get on the plane. Another family had recommended us. There were scheduled weekly programs/field trips which our son could go. Most of the kids had homes in the city but we were one of the few in a rural suburb. I don't think our student felt isolated and one of the other students on a farm begged to have her stay extended (lucky kid got a horse farm). Almost all the students were well behaved and I think only one was booted for bad behavior. Sorry I don't remember the name of the program but I also would recommend how carefully they screen families. I got the impression that most of the students came from priviledged backgrounds and a few were in the program who didn't want to be. Since my husband and I had full time jobs, we weren't able to provide full time supervision during the day. Our student was the same age as our son and they got along well enough. I think our student enjoyed his visit with us but our son didn't want to repeat the experience.
Sep 15th, 2008, 05:58 AM
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So much depends on the program. At least here in the US, some exist only to make money. I know a number of families that have hosted through Rotary Club and AFS, at the high school level. If my child were the one going, I'd research like crazy. Brings back memories of taking in a 7 year old girl from Belarus for 6 weeks in 1995. She was part of a group that came over here- about 20 kids of all ages. I learned of it when my daughter's school was begging for host families- kids had already arrived and were sitting at a Russian immigrant's house. 10 had no families to stay with and it was December 22nd. There were no background checks at all, no shared information, nothing. We took in the youngest, who spoke no English. We know absolutely nothing about here except her name. I couldn't imagine parents sending a 7 year old away to the unknown like that, not knowing the language, over the Christmas holidays etc. It got to be a long 6 weeks. We met her father a year later- a very wealthy man who just thought it would be a good experience for her. Oh my God!!
Nov 12th, 2008, 09:53 AM
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Talk to Jill Tipograph at www.everythingsummer.com. She is the expert at these kinds of programs.
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