Local college seeks host families for international students

FSCJ's SEED Program supports women in Central America

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida State College at Jacksonville is looking for host families to participate in the SEED program. SEED stands for Scholarships for Education and Economic Development. It is a program designed to help women in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

FSCJ, through a partnership with Georgetown University, works with these women on a two-year training program in "Small and Medium Enterprise Management and Marketing for Women," which is critical to the social and economic development of their countries.

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The students of Cycle 2013 will arrive on August 7 to begin their two-year course of study at FSCJ. FSCJ is looking for host families for the students first crucial year in the United States. The students would remain with their host family from August 7 to July of 2014.

The program incorporates technical training, leadership skill enhancement, and English as a Second Language (ESL) with a focus on civil society, volunteerism, free-market economy and democratic participation as practiced in the United States.

SEED Program activities aim to:

· Build human capital in key sectors to support USAID's regional economic and social development efforts.

· Create a cadre of change agents and future leaders with an understanding, experience, and appreciation of democratic processes and U.S values, especially free market economics.

· Provide participants with skills/knowledge to actively and responsibly participate in democratic societies.

· Strengthen local capacity in a wide range of technical fields that are critically needed in their home countries.

· Support U.S. public diplomacy efforts by creating a cadre of future leaders who have been immersed in American culture and have an understanding and appreciation for the United States.

SEED scholarships provide training to youth and community leaders from economically disadvantaged and historically underserved populations. The Program significantly enhances public diplomacy efforts of the United States. Countries currently participating in the program are the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua.

If you want to learn more about becoming a host family you can find more information contact Gina Federico, SEED Program Coordinator at 904-633-5895 or rfederic@fscj.edu or Anna Marie Siegel Director of International Student Services at 904-632-3248 or asiegel@fscj.edu.