Northern Ireland’s reputation has not been a positive one with a checkered history of terrorism and recent social unease, but a youth host program is determined to foster friendship and understanding between the U.K. region of 1.9 million people and the U.S.

The Ulster Project of Greater Milwaukee, according to its web site, is marking its 40th year bringing Irish and American teens between the ages of 14 and 16 “together to promote trust, respect, tolerance and understanding among future leaders from different faith traditions.”

Host family coordinator Colleen McGuire Schmitz told Fox 6 Milwaukee during a recent episode of WakeUp that the program is one of 12 in the country. She was joined by local participants Elaine Fraser and Charlie Mitchell, who each hosted a teen from Northern Ireland.

Mitchell said it was “absolutely amazing” to host a young man.

“It’s just like having another brother in the house, and I got to know [him] really well,” he told the station. “It was just great to learn about his life in Northern Ireland, how it is different and the same to mine.”

Fraser said that while her family is not Irish, she always had Irish culture in her background.

“It was really nice to meet someone from there and just get really good relationships with all of them,” she told Fox 6 Milwaukee.

Ulster Program members will host teens from Northern Ireland from the end of June to the end of July, according to the organization’s site. A dozen Catholic and Protestant teens and two counselors from Belfast are paired with 12 teens and two counselors in the Milwaukee area for a month of activities.

According to the program, active families have developed lifelong friendships with their guest teen and gained plenty of knowledge about Northern Ireland.

Host teens, in turn, travel to Northern Ireland the following year to live with a family there. Past participants called the experience the best summer of their lives.