We are currently accepting applications to host a delegate this summer! Please apply by March 31.

Host Family Application Portal

• Each summer, youth delegations (ages 12-18) from other countries stay in NC for about 3.5 weeks during the summer to experience daily American life and culture. Based on a complete cultural immersion model, youth are matched with a volunteer American family who wants to share their life with an international visitor! Families apply through NC 4-H.
• Adult chaperones travel with the groups to provide guidance during the international travel, and they check in and provide counseling as needed by phone during the program. Each chaperone is responsible for 10-14 youth. Adult chaperones and youth delegates are never placed in the same household–host families choose if they would like to host an adult or a youth.
• Special trips and tourism are not required to host a delegate. These young people are here to be a member of the family for a month, not a tourist. Take them to the grocery store and around the local area, let them do chores like feeding the animals, and introduce them to people in your community, such as your 4-H club!
• Participating countries are subject to change each year, but typically include Japan (every year), Norway (on hiatus until 2028), and possibly Taiwan and/or South Korea.

2026 Inbound Exchange Details

In summer of 2026, we will have the following groups during the listed time frames:

• June 30 - July 25: Taiwan (National 4-H Club Association, R.O.C.), two youth delegates
• July 20 - August 15: South Korea (Korea 4-H Association), two to four youth delegates
• July 24 - August 16: Japan (Labo International Exchange Foundation and LEX Language Project), 32 youth delegates and three adults

What are the requirements for a family to host?

To host a youth delegate, there must be a “host sibling” within the host family to match with the delegate. Our staff carefully consider the age, gender, interests, hobbies, personalities, allergies, and other medical conditions when making a delegate/host match, with the goal of facilitating a strong friendship between the two individuals.

Age Requirements:

• To host a youth delegate: the Host Sibling must be between 9-18 years old
• To host an adult chaperone: Any age! Even families with young children/no children/children who have aged out can host a chaperone.

Host Family Checklist

• Host sibling must be same gender and within 3 years of age of the delegate
• Provide delegate with their own bed (can share a room with kids of same gender, but needs their own bed–air mattress is OK)
• Provide delegate with three meals a day
• Will have an adult or older teen around at all times
• Friendly, safe, welcoming home
• Interest in learning about another culture and sharing yours with your new “family member”

Applications will be accepted until March 31, 2026 or until all students are placed. Host family selection is subject to the completion of the online application, an in-home interview, a background check, and delegate availability.

• Host Family Frequently Asked Questions

The 2026 Outbound Exchange Programs are closed and no longer accepting new applicants. Please check back in late summer for 2027 information!

• The Outbound Exchange programs provide 4-H youth and volunteers with the opportunity to travel to foreign countries for a cultural immersion experience.
• Outbound delegates live with volunteer host families and engage in experiential learning about a different way of life. Delegates experience aspects of daily life that allow them to more deeply understand both their host culture and their own culture.
• Our network of like-minded international partners recruit host families and plan enrichment activities for the delegations. Some Outbound programs may include language classes, camps, or outdoor excursions in addition to the host family experience.
• All Outbound delegates participate in pre-departure orientations and post-return departure debriefings held in the US. Delegations are accompanied on the international flights by adult chaperones who remain in-country to provide support during the exchange. Delegates attend an in-country orientation upon arrival and prior to departing for their host families.
• Experienced 4-H volunteers and extension staff members are eligible to apply to be chaperones.

Age Requirements:

• Japan 8-week program - ages 15-18
• Japan 4-week program - ages 12-18
• South Korea program - ages 12-18
• Taiwan program - ages 12-18
• Costa Rica program - ages 15-18
• Argentina program - ages 15-18
• Norway program - ages 15-18 (This program is paused until further notice)
• Chaperone (all programs) - age 21+

Please note that age is counted as of the date of departure. Applicants must not be in college (this does not apply to dual-enrolled high school students).

Applications for 2027 will open in late summer and are due by November 1. Selections for the national delegations are made by January 15.

Application Portal for 2026-2027 School Year

List of 2026-2027 AYP Students

• The AYP program allows NC 4-H families the opportunity to bring a Japanese or South Korean high school exchange student into their family for a whole school year (10 months, August-June).
• These students participate in an arrival orientation in Seattle prior to flying to their host states.
• States’ 4-H is CSIET-certified and has been welcoming AYP students on J-1 visas through this program since 1987!

Students enroll in public high school and participate in school activities as members of their host families. State coordinators and local representatives in the host community provide support services for host families and exchange students throughout the school year. AYP students are provided with medical insurance, have their own spending money, and are eager to immerse themselves in American life.

Host families come in all shapes and sizes and reflect the diversity of the United States. What they have in common is their eagerness to open their homes and hearts to a young person from another culture. Our host families are warm, welcoming people who are proud to share their culture and lifestyle. Although students must attend a tuition-free high school (typically a public school), they can stay with homeschool or private school families!

AYP students from Japan and South Korea are selected to participate in the program based on their performance on the ELTiS test, their application materials, and interviews conducted in English. Some of these students previously visited the USA as part of States’ 4-H Summer Inbound programs.

The Ideal AYP Host Family...

• Has a genuine interest in hosting an exchange teenager
• Has the emotional and financial resources to accept a teenager into their home
• Is able to provide three meals a day and a private bedroom or shared room with a child of same gender and similar age
• Is able to provide an opportunity to experience life as a member of the family
• Wants to involve the student in family and community activities
• Is willing to monitor the student’s school progress
• Will offer guidance to the student in budgeting and spending money
• Will be willing to help the student with transportation for school and extracurricular activities

Applications will be accepted until March 31 or until all students are placed. For best chances, apply as early as possible. Some school districts have very early deadlines (some as early as Dec 15 of the previous year) for foreign exchange student enrollment.

Host family selection is subject to the student’s acceptance in a local public (or tuition-free private) high school, completion of the online application, an in-home interview, background checks, and delegate availability.