Get Involved!
Host an Exchange Student in the 2007/08 Academic Year

For 2007/08, IRIS will be bringing over 50 students from Africa- 30 from Nigeria and 20 from Tanzania. As a result, we are looking for caring, capable volunteer host families in IA, MN, NB, MO, IL and WI willing to open their hearts and home to High School students from Africa.
 

Become an IRIS Associate

We are looking for motivated individuals to assist with our YES High School Exchange student program with Nigeria and Tanzania. A small compensation fee would be offered to those that meet the requirements of the program. For more information click here.

Become an IRIS Partner

We are looking for businesses and civic organizations that would be willing to accept our High School exchange students as volunteers to provide them opportunities for community services and mentoring.

To download our flyer to send to a friend, click on the image below.

Program Goals

IRIS is pioneering an effort to help students from Sub-Saharan African countries with significant Muslim populations participate in a traditional high school exchange program.

This effort is through a U.S. State Department program known as Youth Exchange and Study and has been developed to help these youth learn about the United States and its people. IRIS has been a leading player in this effort and has focused it's attention on

Click here to fill a host family application form.

Nigeria and Tanzania. Nigeria’s future is critical to the success of peace, democracy and development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria has the largest population in Africa with one of every five Africans being a Nigerian. It also has the largest mix of Christians and Muslims of any country in the world. Since 1999, 10,000 Nigerians have been killed through ethnic and religious conflicts. Tanzania represents the largest Muslim population in East Africa and has a growing tourism industry. The program also provides an opportunity to stimulate interactions between East and West Africa.

Peace, Respect, and Development

This program helps young Africans understand that Christians and Muslims can live in peace and respect one another’s religion. It also exposes these students who do not normally travel outside their region to the rest of the world. Fifty-five Nigerian students have already attended Iowa high schools in the last three years, nineteen Nigerian students are currently in Iowa high schools and twenty Tanzanians and thirty Nigerians are expected to attend high school in the US in the coming academic year. 

One of their goals while in the US is to develop practical action plans that would be implemented when they return to Africa to enhance civil peace and to promote an atmosphere of tolerance and development. Alumni of the program have already established Peace Clubs in their high schools in Nigeria. Recently, in some Nigerian states where the students have come from, alumni learning centers have been established to provide opportunities for youth employment and to bridge the information gap between developing and developed countries.

Contact Information

If you would like to join in this effort, and would appreciate the chance to open your home to a student and learn more about African culture, please contact Del Christensen at 515-292-7103 or email: del@iris-center.org

Click here to fill a host family application form.