Host Family Webinar Series*
30 minutes | Flexible session dates available | Increase your cultural awareness as a host family
Webinar Topic 1
Practical Strategies to Rev Up Your Cultural Competency:
“Viewing the World Through Your Au Pair’s Cultural Lens”
- Ever wonder why your au pair sometimes says “yes” even when she may not understand?
- Curious why some au pairs take more initiative than others?
- Puzzled why your au pair only hangs out with au pairs from her country?
- Do you want your next match to have an even more open communication base to start?
Webinar Topic 2
From Day 1 to 365: Using 5 E’s to Support Your Au Pair’s Cross Cultural Journey
Building on the success of the first host family cultural webinar, please join us for the all-new cultural webinar. In it we will explore ways in which the host family can best support the au pair over the passing of her time on the program. By overlaying the place in the culture shock curve she finds herself in with her current stage of the DMIS (developmental model of intercultural sensitivity), we will give practical advice for families wanting to hold their au pair’s hand as she journeys through time on this emotional roller coaster of cultural adaptation. Please note: This webinar is ideally intended for families who have completed Webinar 1.
Join us for a 30-minute webinar with Q&A to learn additional cross-cultural competency skills so that you and your au pair can have the most successful exchange possible.
*Exclusively offered to all placed and active APIA host families ONLY.
These webinars are offered by Global Awareness, a program developed
by Au Pair in America to highlight the cross-cultural aspects of the
exchange experience, which is the heart of the au pair program. For more
information please visit www.globalawareness.com.
System Requirements
- PC-based attendees: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
- Mac®-based attendees: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer
- Mobile attendees: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet
Your webinar leaders
Kim Van Cleave Michaels
Tanja Carroll
Kim and Tanja’s Story
Kim Van Cleave Michaels and Tanja Carroll have created the host family cultural webinars together and alternate hosting these webinars. They both have MA degrees in Intercultural Relations, have lived overseas numerous times around the globe, as well as sat in your seat as a host family.
Kim first experienced the power of international exchanges as a host sister to a Mexican exchange student. She has lived and worked in Spain, England and Japan and has overseen U. S. Department of State J-1 visa exchanges for over 20 years, 15 of which have been with the American Institute of Foreign Study. Kim is currently a Senior Community Counselor and the Western Field Representative for Au Pair In America.
Tanja, a native from the Netherlands, but has lived in Egypt, Peru, England, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Spain, Belgium, and India. She has extensive travel experience through South Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. After completing graduate school she settled in Rhode Island. She started out at Au Pair in America in 2014 as a Community Counselor and is currently a Global Awareness Representative.
Their webinars weave intercultural theories into the most common cross-cultural scenarios au pairs and host families experience during their program, highlighting the opportunities for learning and growth that these exchanges bring our US American host parents and children.
They would like to thank you for your participation and for allowing them to be a part of your Au Pair in America cross-cultural competency journey. The heart of our program after all is cultural exchange…
What families learned from the webinar
..understanding culture
"We've been a host family for over four years with three different au pairs from three different countries and we love the cultural exchange. Webinars like these, though, are always good to hear to provide additional strategies on understanding culture."
.. comparing cultures
"I'm considering au pairs mostly from Latin America, and I have little experience with cultural values from Brazil and Colombia. My cultural exchange has mostly been with Israelis, and this will be different. The specifics on the comparison charts were really useful."
..put myself into my au pair's shoes
"It makes sense to put myself into my au pair's shoes and try to see our life the way that she would. That's not something that I put into practice often enough. I take for granted that she is comfortable in her surroundings. Our intention is to give her the best experience she can have in the US, but in our busy lives, it's hard to remember that this is her experience as much as the exchange helps us as a family."
.. reach out to her more personally
"We have been trying most of the strategies listed and still feeling as though there are a lot of barriers to communication, following certain rules and connection. My spouse has been getting discouraged, but this seminar encouraged me to reach out more personally and directly, especially when things are not going well. It has been very difficult, but we are trying to remember that it has only been a month and no two au pairs are the same."
