ROTARY INTERNATIONAL YOUTH EXCHANGE

A Rotary Youth Exchange student spends a year, or perhaps just an extended period of time, hosted by families of a Rotary club in another country.

During this time the student may learn a new language, learn a new way of living and develop new skills though experiences not necessarily available in the student’s home country.  While the student is learning, the host family learns too — about the student’s country, culture, and ideas. It is a win-win relationship that helps bring the world closer together.

Students and host families all over the world have had their horizons broadened and their lives enriched by the generosity of Rotary's Youth Exchange program. Administered by Rotary clubs, districts and multi-district groups, the program today involves more than 82 countries and over 8,000 students each year.

The first documented exchanges date back to 1927, when the Rotary Club of Nice, France, initiated exchanges with European students. Exchanges between clubs in California, USA, and Latin American countries began in 1939, and exchange activities spread to the eastern United States in 1958. In 1972, the RI Board of Directors agreed to recommend Youth Exchange to clubs worldwide as a worthwhile international activity that promotes global peace and understanding.

Each year, local Rotary districts and clubs worldwide arrange thousands of international exchanges for high school-aged students. The primary goal of the program is to foster world understanding by way of intercultural exchange.

There are two principal types of exchanges:

Long-term exchanges: These exchanges usually last a year in the host country, during which the student lives with more than one host family (usually four families for three months at a time) and attends school.

Short-term exchanges: These vary from a few weeks to three months. They often take place when school is not in session and usually do not include an academic program. Short-term exchanges usually involve a home-stay experience with a family in the host country, but also can be organized as international youth camps and tours that bring together students from many countries.

Photo caption: Japanese Youth Exchange student Yoko with her Rotary hosts.