The Alliance Française de Pasadena and La Route des Langues USA are seeking local families to host French teenagers this summer as part of their cultural exchange program. The initiative, which has over 25 years of experience facilitating international student exchanges, aims to provide immersive cultural experiences for both French students and American host families during the summer of 2025.
“Our program is a life-changing experience, both for the young French people who come to share the life of an American family for a few weeks during the summer, and for the families who host them,” said program representative Dr. Nicolas Duhaut.
“It’s not only an opportunity to discover another culture and way of life, but also a chance to make new friends for life.”
The program utilizes GUESTBOOK, an online platform designed to match host families with French students based on shared interests and preferences. Host families create detailed profiles about their family members, pets, hobbies, and interests, while indicating preferences for their guest’s gender, age, and their availability period. Young French people also fill in their profiles and use the search engine to find the right family using different criteria.
“Just like on a house-hunting website, families matching their criteria appear and they can send them an application. For example, a young French person can say: I want to go to California in July with a family who likes basketball and has a dog, and Guestbook will propose a list of families who match these criteria,” Dr. Duhaut explained. “Thanks to Guestbook, placements are a success because French students and American host families choose each other based on shared criteria and common interests.”
La Route des Langues USA, which opened its Los Angeles office in 2021, currently operates primarily in California, with host families in Los Angeles, Pasadena, San Diego, Sacramento, and San Francisco. The program was first developed in California, thanks in particular to the support of the Alliances Françaises, including the one in Pasadena. The program has since expanded to Arizona, Oregon, and North Carolina, with plans to launch in New York.
“Our aim this year is to significantly increase the number of host families, as the program is very popular with young French people and we need more host families,” Dr. Duhaut said.
“During these early years, we were struck by the warm welcome and generosity of the American families. We work with French and American families who share the same values: open-mindedness, curiosity, a willingness to learn about other cultures and to share their own.”
A structured vetting process for all participants is a core component.
“Safety and well-being are our number one priority, and we have put in place a highly structured procedure to ensure this,” Dr. Duhaut assures.
The organization meets each family in person, visits their home, and conducts criminal background checks. Families and guests undertake to behave in a caring and respectful manner. All French guests are covered by health and liability insurance during their stay, with 24/7 emergency assistance available if needed.
Host family responsibilities include providing three daily meals, offering a private bedroom and study space, ensuring safe transportation to school and activities, integrating the student into daily family life and cultural experiences, and being responsible for the student’s welfare and safety during their stay.
Various types of households are welcome to participate, including “families with teenagers, families with young children, empty nesters, retirees,” according to Dr.Duhaut.
The hosting period typically runs from late June to early August 2025.
Dr. Duhaut noted that long-term relationships often develop between participants.
“We’re delighted to see that the American and French families who met through the program are still in touch many years later, continuing to keep in touch and see each other,” he said. “For example, we often have American host families who decide, after having hosted a young French person with our program, to send their own child to France with the family of the young French person they have hosted.”
The organization has over 25 years of experience and sends more than 1,500 students abroad annually.
An online information session is scheduled for March 19 at 6:00 p.m. for families interested in learning more about the program.
Registration is available through the Alliance Française de Pasadena website by clicking here, and additional information can be found at www.laroutedeslanguesusa.com.
If you wish to become a host with La Route des Langues, visit www.laroutedeslanguesusa.com
