Area
residents say YES to other cultures
GOFFSTOWN - Dolores Siik wants three local families
to say, “YES” to participating in a new State Department
initiative to build understanding between the United States
and the Muslim world.
Siik, a Goffstown resident, is the Youth Exchange and Study
Program cluster leader in charge of interviewing families in
Southern New Hampshire interested in hosting a foreign
teenager.
“We now live in a world where people need to understand each
other and get along,” she said. “Exchanges are a chance to
make lifelong friends.”
YES is a federally funded exchange program aimed at building
understanding and trust between citizens of the United
States and citizens of predominantly-Muslim countries such
as Malaysia, Iraq, Egypt, Ghana and Indonesia.
The program was created in the aftermath of 9/11 by the U.S.
State Department in recognition of the important role youth
exchange can play in bridging gaps between cultures.
In 2003, the first group of 53 YES students came to America
from Egypt, Turkey and Indonesia. Last year, more than 300
participants were placed throughout the country.
In her own home, Siik has hosted students from more than 35
different countries. She began hosting international
students in 1971 when her own six children were still living
at home. Now she has 10 grandchildren and three times that
many host children living around the globe.
In 1974, she began coordinating exchange programs for the
Program of Academic Exchange (PAX), a nonprofit educational
foundation. When the YES program was formed in 2003, the
U.S. Department of State selected PAX to serve as the
placement organization for participating students. Siik is
now the coordinator for the YES program in New Hampshire.
Siik recalled a boy from Saudi Arabia who stayed in her home
for three weeks before he was permanently placed with a
family. She had recently bought a dog, a 1-year-old
Australian Shepard, and the boy spent his time in Siik’s
home adjusting to having a dog around the house as a pet. In
Islamic thought, dogs have been seen as impure animals, and
contact with dogs is sometimes prohibited in legal
tradition.
“In orientation he learned it was OK to pet the dog, and he
would try, but that would get the dog even more excited. It
was pretty hysterical,” Siik said. “Once he went to live
with the new family though, he always asked me how the dog
was doing.”
Southern New Hampshire has been chosen as a host community
for three foreign teenagers enrolled in YES, now in its
third year in the state. The students arrive in August and
will live with a local family for 10 months and attend the
public high school.
Siik said she has placed a boy from Iraq in a New Ipswich
home, a girl from India in Hopkinton and a boy from Lebanon
in Milford, but is still searching for three more families
to house teenagers.
There is no specific definition of what a host family is:
single parents, young couples, widows or retirees are all
welcome to apply.
Siik said the best host families are curious and warm
people. Hosts are expected to provide housing, meals,
guidance and support. There are no monetary stipends for the
host family.
Donna Shekleton, a Nashua resident, has hosted students
almost every year since 1985. Last year, she hosted a girl
named Sadeekah from Ghana, who attended Nashua High School
North, as part of YES. Shekleton said she had a very good
exchange year with her.
“After arrival, that first few months can be difficult so it
takes patience and understanding,” Shekleton wrote in an
e-mail.
Shekleton said the adjustments could be as small as the
student not eating pork or as large as strict fasting during
the holy month of Ramadan. She said encouraging students to
get involved in school activities or sports is important so
they feel like part of a community.
“Our favorite part of hosting [is] the friendships we have
made,” she said.
According to the PAX Web site, “Students who participate in
the YES Program are selected in an open, merit-based
competition and reflect a wide range of socio-economic and
cultural backgrounds within their own countries. The
three-tiered selection process includes a written
application, in-person interview, and final screening by a
national selection committee. Students who are accepted are
provided a full scholarship to study in the U.S.”
Siik said the scholarship includes the airplane tickets and
orientation costs, and allows the student a $125 monthly
allowance. YES students are placed in clusters in the same
areas so they can participate in program activities
together.
Looking for a host
The Pacific Intercultural Exchange, another nonprofit
international student exchange organization, is looking for
a host family to welcome a Muslim student into their home.
Ahmad, 15, comes over from Kuwait on the YES program and
loves to play soccer and basketball. For more
information, contact Mary Armstrong, PIE Regional Manager,
at 978-685-2732.
If you are interested in hosting a YES program student in
your home, contact Dolores Siik at 497-4702.
For more information about PAX and the YES program, visit
www.pax.org.
