What inspired you to work for Youth For Understanding?
My first hosting experience was what everyone could want. Our German daughter fit into our family and brought so much joy. She gave me reasons to feel as though our family had been expanded, along with my heart.
My volunteering and subsequent staff role have always been intended to share that with others. Thanks to YFU, I sent both my stepson and step-grandson to exchange experiences with other good families in Germany (2000) & Greece (2014).
Describe a typical day at work.
Hope every day to identify, guide, and close the deal for other families to host, for other American teens to consider going abroad, and for more globally-minded people to join as volunteers. My work includes contacting schools to nurture those critical relationships along with managing and cultivating a substantial volunteer force.
Creativity to find ways to make networks for outreach is important, and some days I surprise even myself. YFU is a highly compliant organization under the Department of State regulations, so checking on our compliance pieces is part of the role.
YFU USA Staff 2023
Why do you do what you do?
1. It pays the bills.
2. I've built a global family thanks to this work.
3. Seeing the students and families laughing together brings me joy.
4. Peace on earth truly begins with me.
I am able to expose many communities to children on other corners of the earth. I like to think that if those people were allowed to rule the world, war would be an embarrassing thing of the past for all humanity.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Finding fun people and putting the right pieces together. Watching these amazing teenagers become even more amazing as they stretch themselves across the complexities of being a "regular" teen while also taking part in a social experiment that such a small percentage of humans have or will ever experience.
Let's fly together!
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
All of my education is from life, with a small sampling of college involvement. Internationally, I'm only aware of the world because of my beautiful work.
I share all the wonderful things that I've learned and seen over all these years. People love hearing stories of my laughter, and how I became #nobodysmothereveryonesmom #jamieinternationallyknown.
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
Closed schools. One piece of legislation that I would back 100% is the idea that every high school in America could accept 10% of their student body as an exchange student percentage.
Schools with 1,200 students taking only one exchange student is ridiculous.
Other lower-performing organizations give the industry a bad name. I don't understand how so many other programs seem to not adhere to the regulations, or create placements with little to no support.
What are some current projects you are working on?
2024-2025 placements. Organizing an annual volunteer luncheon to plan our next cycle's calendar. Looking forward to a group outing with several students, host families, and volunteers.
Working to encourage and engage more volunteer outreach to help with recruitment. School presentations, festival table events.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Know that you are the strongest person you know. Breathe through the ugliness, let them walk themselves away. Not everyone has your heart. Not everyone is worthy of your beautiful kindness. There are many levels of heaven and hell. Your own attitude about yourself will walk you along one path or another.
Happy to meet you!
Why should someone choose Youth For Understanding over competitors?
Our heart. We genuinely believe in the mission and the power we have together to bring a positive experience to others. Also, YFU is one of the Department of State's fellow partners in shaping the processes and oversights to keep our children safe. Great efforts to train host families and volunteers.
What hopes do you have for the future for Youth For Understanding?
Growth. Re-growth. Viral awareness to people who are looking for something fulfilling to become part of. Generations more. Greater opportunity to share awareness of seeing the world through the eyes of an exchange experience. Partnerships on a national/global level to continue feeding that growth.
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Our Mission at YFU advances intercultural understanding, life-long learning, global competencies, mutual respect, and social responsibility through transformational educational exchanges for generations of youth, families, and communities, supported by dedicated volunteers and professional staff. How do we work towards it? See all the above answers.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
Growth. Self-fulfillment. A sense of being empowered by making a choice that so few others will make. A worldview that will help them to provide great adult leadership further down the line.
The ability to see more perspectives than staying in their box. A love of adventure and a hope to share that with others.
Wings over Matera.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
The world is too big to think you don't need to see more than your neighborhood, your small community, your city where everything comes to you. Going out builds stronger people.
Our immune system is thicker, and we can breathe when the air in one place is polluted because we know there is cleaner air in another part of our world and our heart.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Being with people who can share their cultures and show you the real parts of their homes, not only the touristy places. Interacting with local people to share and show kindness. And having a secure sense of home, no matter where you are. This is terribly important. Our children need to know that adults want them to be safely loved.
