Over the past 20 years, YFU programmes have brought together more than a thousand students, host families and volunteers. Each person has taken away something different: a new perspective on the world, a second home, lifelong friendships or greater confidence in themselves. Yet all these stories have something in common. They show that when we step outside our comfort zone and open ourselves to the unknown, we can discover much more than a new country. We can discover ourselves.
YFU has never been just about travelling. From the very beginning, it has been about understanding between people. The story of the organization began after World War II, when American John Eberly realized how deeply the war had affected Germany's young generation. He believed that young people could be the key to change and to building a better future. His idea was later developed by Dr. Rachel Andresen, the founder of YFU, who believed that connecting cultures, mutual respect and personal experience could help change the world. Thanks to this vision, YFU now operates in more than 55 countries and, over 75 years, has influenced the lives of hundreds of thousands of students, families and volunteers.
Volunteers and host families are at the heart of the entire organization.
Without the people who open their homes, give their time and share their hearts, YFU could never exist. Host families give students something that cannot be learned from textbooks or taught through online lessons: a sense of home. They welcome a young person from another culture into their everyday lives, learn from one another and often build relationships that last long after the programme ends. It is not simply about sharing a household. It is about sharing traditions, values, everyday moments and important life experiences.
Our volunteers are equally important. They are the people who dedicate their free time to supporting students, organizing events, helping families and creating the unique community that makes YFU what it is. Many of them have experienced an exchange themselves, which inspires them to pass that experience on to others. Thanks to their energy, enthusiasm and humanity, YFU is not just an organization, but a community of people who believe in openness, respect and the power of intercultural understanding.
An exchange programme is not simply a year abroad. It is an experience that teaches independence, empathy, respect and the ability to see the world from a broader perspective. Students learn to navigate a new environment, communicate in another language, overcome uncertainty and adapt to differences. And it is often in these moments that the greatest personal growth takes place.
Many students return home more confident, open-minded and ready to face new challenges. They discover that the world is not as distant as it may sometimes seem, and that despite our cultural differences, we have much more in common than we might think.
Over the past 20 years, YFU Czech Republic has built a community of incredible people. People who decided to say “yes” to a new experience. People who were willing to open their homes to a student they had never met. People who dedicated their time to helping others grow. And it is thanks to them that YFU CZ has been able to fulfil its mission for two decades: connecting the world through young people.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has been and continues to be part of this story – students, host families, volunteers, partners and everyone who supports us and believes in our mission. Thanks to all of you, YFU CZ has spent the past 20 years changing lives and building bridges between cultures.
And although we are now celebrating 20 years of YFU Czech Republic, we know that the most beautiful chapters are still to come.
Thank you for being part of the journey!
