Becoming a host family in Cologne for international young people - one school year

Discover the world at your home: host families wanted for exchange students

From summer 2025, the non-profit exchange organization Youth For Understanding (YFU) is looking for open-hearted host families for more than 200 international exchange students who will be arriving in August/September from over 30 countries, including many countries in Europe, Latin America and Asia as well as the USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa.

The young people are between 15 and 18 years old and would like to spend a school year in Germany, getting to know everyday life. Being a host family means:

✅ Experiencing a new culture in your own living room - without traveling.

✅ Making international friends for life.

✅ Giving your own children an intercultural experience.

✅ Making a valuable contribution to tolerance and understanding.

There are not many requirements for host families: The most important things are openness and willingness to welcome a young person into your own family. Host families provide bed and board, and allow their exchange student to participate in their own family life. The young people attend a local school like their peers. During the exchange year, international friendships are often formed that can last a lifetime.

The most important thing is to warmly welcome an international teenager into your family - all you need is a bed, a place at the table and an open heart! Patience, empathy and composure are needed, especially at the beginning. A sense of humor helps to laugh together about intercultural misunderstandings!

Host families can register with YFU from summer 2025 for a full or half school year. It is also possible to start the program for three months as a "welcome family".

All host families and exchange students are personally looked after by our YFU volunteers from the region, who are happy to answer any questions you may have.