The Host Nation
Definition of Host Nation:
A nation that receives the forces and/or supplies of allied nations, coalition partners, and/or NATO organizations to be located on, to operate in, or to transit through its territory. Also called HN. (From the freedictionary.com)
From the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) website:
“The Host Nation program provides DoDDS elementary school students with a cross-cultural and language acquisition focus to develop an appreciation and understanding of the culture and language of the country in which they are located.
Host nation education is a unique feature of the Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DoDDS) K-6 school program and is designed to provide elementary school students with an introduction to host nation languages, taught by host nation teachers, as an essential experience of the DoDEA curriculum. In addition, with host nation teachers as guides, students participate in activities which build appreciation and understanding of the culture of the country in which they are located.
As DoDEA endeavors to provide opportunities for students to communicate in multilingual and multicultural societies, the host nation program offers students language skills and cross-cultural understanding that they need in the 21st century.
The goals of the Host Nation Program are:
- Students will achieve personal, social, vocational competency and environmental adaptability in the host nation country
- Students will achieve functional proficiency in the second language.
- Students will have an opportunity to implement locally social studies selected themes.
- Classroom and host nation teachers will develop intercultural collegiality.
- Parents will have an opportunity to grow interculturally with their youngsters.”
Host Nation Programs are found in the following countries:
- Belgium
- Cuba
- Germany
- Italy
- Japan
- Bahrain
- Korea
- Spain
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- Portugal
- Netherlands
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