A group of teenagers from Belarus are set to discover what life is like in the north east of England on a trip to Gateshead.
As part of their month-long stay in the region, 15 youngsters, aged between 15 and 18 will take part in a series of events held at Highfield Community Centre in Gateshead.
The centre has been allocated funds from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to provide a week of activities such as canoeing, orienteering, mountain biking and hill walking.
The trip marks the 21st anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which affected Belarus as well as large areas of the Ukraine and Russia.
Belarus is considered to still have high levels of radiation and every year teenagers from the country travel to the north east to live with host families in Gateshead for a month. This is part of the Chernobyl Continuity scheme that suggests that living in England can add years onto people's lives and boost the immune system.
Edith Ridley, of Rowlands Gill, is a volunteer at the community centre and has been a host family with her husband Bob for three years. It was through Edith that the community centre first became involved in holding events for the youngsters from Belarus.
She said: "I really appreciate the support that Highfield Community Centre have provided in organising the activities for our visitors. Last year the centre arranged for the group of teenagers to go biking and it was fantastic fun and everyone had an excellent time."
Harry Matthews, Youth and Community Learning manager at Gateshead Council, said: "This is the second year that we have organised activities for young people from Belarus. Last year we organised a day of activities but this year we have extended this to a week and we hope that it will be as successful and enjoyable for our visitors this time."