Impact international relations from your home
Host families needed for 9-day home stay for BFTF student-scholars
Volunteer families are needed to host 55 top high school scholars from Europe and the United States who will attend a U.S. Department of State (USDOS) program at Purdue University this summer.
Funded by the USDOS’ Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the 2025 Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship (BFTF) program will take place at Purdue – the only U.S. university hosting this annual summer program. The BFTF program is designed to build relations among future leaders. At Purdue, it will be hosted by the College of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
“We are looking for families to host BFTF 2025 Fellows,” said Anatoli Rapoport, director of the Purdue summer program and professor of social studies education. “BFTF Fellows will be staying in host families from July 9-17, 2025. All BFTF Fellows are well-educated, responsible, English-speaking young men and women 16-18 years of age from Europe and the United States who went through a rigorous selection process.”
Fellows will discuss important issues in global and Transatlantic politics, mass media, global citizenship, and community service. The Fellows will stay in a residence hall for part of their time at Purdue, but from July 9-17 they will stay with local families.
On weekdays, Fellows will take classes on campus or participate in community service, social, and cultural events. Host families are responsible for transporting students to campus by 8:30 a.m. and picking them up around 4:30 p.m., providing breakfast and dinner, and interacting with them in the evenings. On the weekends, families will be able to take them to Tippecanoe County events and sites and, in the case of the European Fellows, introduce them to family life in the United States.
“The deeper discussions actually happen outside the classroom,” said Dr. Asta Balkute, BFTF administrator/mentor. “At the BFTF at Purdue University, learning goes beyond lectures. In the classroom, students are task-oriented—but it’s in the moments beyond, during late-night conversations and cultural experiences, where true growth happens.”
“I really loved the week that I stayed with my host family,” said a past participant. “They were amazing people. Also, it was a great chance to learn about American families.”
Interested families should complete an online Host Family Application form. A welcome reception for host families will take place before the home stay and a Farewell Reception for host families and Fellows will happen at the end. Another cultural highlight is an International Food night, a delicious and filling experience.
Families will provide separate beds for each Fellow, but private bedrooms or bathrooms are not needed. Family members over 18 years of age must complete a simple online criminal background check at no charge as the program will pay the background check fee.
“Successful, great, amazing, wonderful, unique – I cannot even find the appropriate word to describe my stay in the USA, which turned out to be one of the best experiences in my whole life,” said another former participant. “I regard the whole trip as the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
“This fellowship isn’t just about what happens in class—it’s about how those lessons shape perspectives, spark meaningful dialogue, and create lifelong connections,” Balkute said.
Host families can help make this happen!
More info: Anatoli Rapoport, professor of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education
Jeremy Bloyd, program administrator/homestay coordinator
Host family information: https://www.education.purdue.edu/ben-franklin-institute/host-families/
Source: Anatoli Rapoport