For one month, dozens of young exchange students from Ireland are spending time in Upstate New York. While it seems like a short stay, as our Karen Lee reports, Project Children teaches adults a very important lesson.

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"We just got picked out of the hat and I was the first one picked and I said yes, I want to go," said Lachlan Burnett, a Project Children participant.

Lachlan Burnett, Robert Robinson and Grace Murphy are part of Project Children. It's where youth from Northern Ireland spend four weeks with an American family. On this weekend, they're at the Sterling Renaissance Festival.

"We're not just Central New York. We're all parts of every part around the world and my children should know about other cultures," said Ellen Kotzin, a host mother.

The three children are enjoying American culture so much that they don't want to go back.

"It's sunnier and warmer," said Gracey Murphy, a Project Children participant.

"The food, the food is different. Much bigger," said Robert Robinson, another participant.

Other than their accents, you can't tell them apart from anyone else their age, but they carry the weight of a recent conflict. In the seventies, severe fights broke out in Ireland between the Catholics and Protestants. While much of it has died down, as Robinson can attest, sparks still ignite.

"When he was a little younger, he was in the car with his mom and they were caught in a cross fire," said Kellie Ellis, Robinson's host mother.

For children, religious and cultural spats are of little significance. They say there are more important things in life, like pizza and amusement parks. The project is to make adults feel the same way and make sure that these youth don't change when they return home in a few weeks.

"We were crying when we had to say goodbye last year. We were comforted when we found out we would be able to bring her back this year and I know it'll be just as difficult," said Mark Kotzin, Murphy's host father and a Project Children volunteer.

Forty four children from Northern Ireland are currently spending time with host families in Central New York.

The organizers and actors of the Renaissance Festival have been putting on the festival for 34 years now. They say they've come as close as they can to transporting people back in time.

"Not everything is perfect to the period but I think more so than a lot of other Renaissance festivals and as much as we can, every image and experience is the most period we can make it and what you find is, over time you walk through the festival and you do tend to forget that you're in the 20th century. We get you that far,” said Gary Izzo, festival creative director

The festival runs every weekend now through mid-August.