Host Family Testimonials
Nothing beats the “been there, done that” experiences to help you learn more about a great opportunity! Below are just a handful of testimonials Up with People has received just in the past 18-months when we’ve asked host families to provide feedback about their experience.
Complete our COMMENT FORM below if YOU have been a host family for Up with People and would like to provide a comment for us to share here on our site, or simply want to provide feedback of any kind. We would love to hear from you!
Kudos from Past UWP Host Families
“Our family had the best experience hosting several UWP students! We were lucky to host young people from Finland, Switzerland, Japan, and even our own Texas, and each time was filled with wonder and joy. This is an amazing program and I hope you are able to continue for many years to come. We learned so much about other cultures, and yes made friends for life. I love your program and recommend it to anyone who even has the slightest interest in joining or hosting. Our time hosting was some of the best times in my life.”
Dave from Tucson, AZ USA
“Greetings from Ruidoso,
Thanks so much for the opportunity to host 2 wonderful young men, Shawn and Jimbo! What a blessing it was to become their family for 10 days. We hope to stay in touch with them throughout their lives. We truly enjoyed having them as our “sons”. Up with People is such a great organization and we are honored to have a small part in the tour in Ruidoso.
Thanks and many blessings as you tour the world and touch many lives!
All the Best!“
Nancy and Jim (Mom and Dad) from Ruidoso, NM USA
“‘Hosting foreigners is out of the question’ was our first reaction when our eldest daughter of eight children asked us 3 years ago, but last year (2010) we were forced to host 3 lovely ladies (2 from the USA and 1 from Belgium) because our daughter promised she will help with expenses because she graduated from college then and was working already. The experience was wonderful. The 3 Up with People delegates worked so hard serving the depressed area in our country that it made us feel part of the community work, even if we just provided their home to sleep and provided a few meals. They came home sun burnt ,tired and hungry. They were like our extended children. We nursed 2 of then from fatigue from the extensive work that they were doing. Our host daughters encouraged our daughter to join the UWP 2011 tour and even contributed to the cost of the tour (Thank you Madelaine, Lily and Meg). My daughter is now employed with UWP after the tour and is gaining so much more than what we offered. This year (2011) we hosted again and will probably host again and again….The learning is never ending, it enabled us to know our community better, it gave us an opportunity to know the world in our backyard and to be able to share the world as well to friends and family. It has brought old friends together, it made us get our government (local government) involved and participate…..and the list goes on and on….
Lina from Marikina, PHILIPPINES
“We really enjoyed the experience and have created four new life long friends! We did not anticipate getting as attached as we did after only 6 days, but we did, and when it was time for them to leave, there were lots of tears. This is an amazing experience for us.”
Louie from Bullhead City, AZ USA
“My children had never heard of UWP, and were not sure what I had agreed to, so the exposure to the program and people from different places was a great learning experience. At least two of my children are very interested in UWP for their future.”
Shaleigh from Denver, CO USA
“The only problem with hosting these students is that we didn’t want them to go! It is amazing that they become part of the family so quickly and we really missed them when they were gone. They are wonderful role models!”
Michelle from Maquoketa, IA USA
“It was great to experience our city through our student’s perspective. Her curiosity fed our own all over again.”
Kyle from Washington D.C. USA
“We were able to share our life experiences with the 3 students and learned that they were not much different from our own children at their age. It was very self satisfying to see young people willing to give of their lives by doing projects, meeting with students, then performing so well. Kudos UWP!!”
Carl from Salisbury, MD USA
“Anytime you help anyone in life especially young people that are on a cultural mission that is this important, you get far more from it than what it costs you. If you’re on the fence about whether to host, stop thinking about it right now and take immediate action, many more blessings will be returned.”
Phil and Cindy from Dallas, TX USA