By Marilyn Miller
Pam Strange Jenkins, a mother of four living with her husband, Ken Jenkins, told their daughter, “NO,” when she first asked if they could host an Exchange Student three years ago.
“My daughter, Kyndal, was 15 and she didn’t remember ever having a sibling that she felt close to (because of age differences), so she wanted to have an Exchange Student,” Pam explained. “I was DEAD SET AGAINST IT.” It wasn’t that she had anything against the programs, she just couldn’t see cooking more meals, washing more clothes, hauling more kids around…The Jenkins had already brought up children of 37, 35, and 27. Their daughter was the last one at home…alone.
“Finally, she convinced me to do it,” Pam said. “We got our first student in June of 2021-22 (right after COVID). She actually got to stay with us for 11 months because three weeks before she was supposed to fly home, she came down with COVID.” The government made her stay another three weeks.
“We hosted an Exchange Student for nearly a year, and absolutely loved it,” Pam said. “In the meantime, other people were asking me about the program, and I didn’t know it but a quarter of a mile from our house in Shongaloo, another family was hosting a student through another organization.”
Pam and Ken work through EF (Education First) Student Exchange Program, headquartered in Boston. The organization has centers in 15 locations throughout the world. Today, Pam is an IEC (International Exchange coordinator) for EF.
In 2022-23, the Jenkins welcomed another TWO girls into their home for a school year. “I had THREE 16-year-old girls in the house at the same time,” she lamented, laughing. There was a total of 24 exchange students in the Webster Parish area at the time.
In 2023-24, “We only had one selected, but at the last minute, we got another girl, from Sweden. So now I have three 17-year-old girls in the house.” Today there are only 14 Exchange Students in the area, which is why it is so important to have families who are willing to host young people from other nations.
“We are always looking for host families,” Pam said. “Minden is hosting only one…only one!”
Of course, there are qualifications a family must meet. “A family cannot receive any government assistance, they must be able to provide three meals a day, and a bed. And they (the family) must have transportation.” And, of course, they must undergo a background check.
“You don’t have to take them to Disney World,” Pam commented. “They just want to be safe and loved…to feel like they are a part of your family.”
There is proof of that. In November of 2023, because of a faulty gas line, the Jenkins’ house burned to the ground. The family and exchange students lost EVERYTHING! A friend provided the family with a furnished house for five months while they built a new home on family property.
“I asked my exchange kids if they wanted to move to another family. They said ‘NO!’ They just become a part of you. They say you open your home and life to teach them about our culture. But they’re helping you as much as you help them. A 16-year-old in Sweden or Norway is a 16-year-old in America, with different cultures. It’s very interesting to learn about all those things.”
To date the Jenkins have hosted Yara (Switzerland), Molly (Sweden), Ainhoa (Spain), Liddy (Germany), and Silje (Denmark). This upcoming Fall, they will host Djamilla (the Netherlands) and Julia (Sweden).
Yara commented that “A lot of kids think it’s nice to be somewhere quiet, where they can think. It’s quiet, calm…you can see the stars. The sense of community is different…everybody comes together for each other. Transportation is different. In the cities (where most of the exchange students live), you have trains and buses to get around, while here it’s different. That’s a big change for European kids. And you can have PETS.” Not so in the apartments where she lives.
The Jenkins recently returned from a trip to Norway, which was awarded to them for supervising 15 kids. To their surprise, three of their “exchange children” flew in to visit with them.
“It was lots of fun,” Pam said, with joy in her voice.
To sum it up, Exchange Students pay their own way, host families are not paid, kids come from Europe through Asia, and there is no typical host family. For more information, contact Pam at 318-453-3740 or look online at efexchangeyear.org\iec\pamjenkins.