A WARRINGTON youngster has set sail for France as he follows in the footsteps of his two older brothers and embarks on a unique six month cultural exchange programme.
Ten-year-old Dominic O’Hara left parents Simon and Diana to travel to Lanester, south Brittany, to begin his trip of a lifetime.
Older brothers Sebastian, 17, and Nathan, 15, completed their six month exchange programmes in 2002 and 2007.
Charity group ALLEF, which organises six month foreign exchange programmes for children aged between 8 and 12, has been relaunched at a time when the number of students studying a modern language in British schools has slumped. The dearth of linguists is also harming British job prospects, recent reports show.
Simon O’Hara, 47, said at first he and his wife Diana, were more enthusiastic than their eldest child, Sebastian, about the lengthy exchange. But after seeing how exciting his trip was, both Nathan and Dominic jumped at the chance to do the same.
Dominic is in the early stages of his exchange and naturally, as with most youngsters on an ALLEF exchange, the first few days are the toughest.
His father said: “His brothers had both done exchanges, so he was determined to too, with no pressure to do it from us. However he is the youngest of our boys to go but with ALLEF’s support we have every confidence he will settle and come back proud.
“This experience is not suited to everyone. You have to have a strong family unit to begin with and you all have to want to do it, but the long-term benefits far outweigh the possible short term difficulties.”
