Monthly Archives: October 2011

Au Pair in America Scavenger Hunt in NYC

On October 23, 200 Au Pair in America Au Pairs went on a Scavenger Hunt in NYC.  They searched all over Manhattan for the items on the list snapping pictures by smiling policemen, in front of Mood fabric store, visiting Tiffanys and so much more!  Fun for everyone and the top 4 teams even won cash prizes!scavenger hunt 011

Global Awareness Peace Contest Results Announced!!

International Day of Peace was celebrated by countries around the world on Sept 21.  In recognition of this day and 9/11, Global Awareness, a program of Au Pair in America sponsored a peace contest. Au Pairs answered the question, ‘What does Peace mean to you?’  Paint a picture, take a photo, write a poem, or sing a song.  Entries were received from young women participating in the Au Pair program and were judged for creativity and message.

306955_10150367909088792_684258791_9986715_489977307_n[1]Tatiana Dulcey from Colombia, an Au Pair for a family in East Hampton, took 3rd place in the Global Awareness for her painting “No Borders, No War.”  no borders no war

 

 

 

 

You can see all the painting and poetry entries at 

http://www.globalawareness.com/art/gallery.asp

Fall Festival in Sag Harbor

 Special Needs Family

Fall Festival

 

Was held on

 October 15

  Lots of families visited the Au Septa Fair 2011 007Pair in America Booth fo learn more about the program.  The children enjoyed creating their own passports with flag stickers from the countries that the au pairs are from around the world.  The kids colored Global Awareness placemats.  The globe tattoes were a big hit with all the children!Septa Fair 2011 013 web    

 

Top 10: Communication Tips for Au Pairs

Effective communication with your Host Family is the key to a successful year:

  1.  If you don’t understand something your host family has said, tell them. They will be happy to help you. Nodding and saying yes if you don’t understand will only result in a problem later on.
  2. Sit down with your host family and review your responsibilities, schedule and house rules as soon as possible.  Make sure you understand them.
  3.  Sit down with your host family at the end of every week to review how the week went. This is the perfect time to evaluate how things are going and to decide if changes are necessary. 
  4. Speak up! If there is a problem, a concern, something you don’t understand, tell your host family about it immediately. 
  5. Talk to your community counselor.  Sometimes it’s helpful to have a neutral person to “bounce an idea off of.”  The counselor is here to help you as well as the host family. Everyone wants this to be a successful match. 
  6. Try to resolve conflicts as they arise.  TALK, TALK, TALK! No one will know you are upset if you don’t say something. 
  7. It is important to try to see the other person’s point of view. You may not agree with it, but it’s helpful to understand how the other person views the situation. 
  8. Don’t expect your HF to read your mind!  Speak up!  Don’t say, “The Host Family should know how I feel!” No one can know unless you SPEAK UP! 
  9. Do not keep your negative feelings to yourself.  No one will know what’s troubling you unless you SPEAK UP!! 
  10.  In Conclusion: Talk, Talk, Talk!!