Rotary Youth Exchange
To download the Youth Exchange application, CLICK HERE.
OPPORTUNITIES:
THE TUALATIN ROTARY CLUB sponsors outbound and inbound exchange students each year in cooperation with Tualatin High School. This program gives local high school students a chance to study in a country other than their own, make new friends and bring the world closer together. You may learn a new language, a new way of living, and a great deal about yourself. While you are busy learning, the people you meet will be learning as well, about your country, culture and ideas.
OUTBOUND STUDENTS
Students may apply to be an exchange student in the fall of their sophomore year and, if selected, typically spend their junior year living with one or more host families while attending high school in a foreign country. As the oldest exchange program of its kind, Rotary Youth Exchange takes pride in choosing students who are academically above average, articulate, and demonstrate leadership in their community. Ideal candidates also possess qualities - like flexibility and a willingness to try new things - that will enable them to become excellent cultural ambassadors. You do not have to be involved with Rotary in any way in order to apply, although children of Rotarians are more than welcome to participate.
WHAT ARE THE COSTS?
Rotary Youth Exchange is one of the least expensive international exchange programs open to high school students. Because volunteers in Rotary clubs and districts administer the program, you will not have to pay fees to an agency to arrange an exchange.
Room and board while you are away will be provided by your host families, and your host Rotary club will finance the tuition for required academic programs. Your host Rotary club will provide you with a modest monthly allowance. Other than that, you and your parents are responsible for:
ØRound-tripairfare to your host country
ØHealth andaccident insurance
ØAll traveldocuments, such as passports and visas
ØClothing andspending money
ØAn emergencyfund for your use during the year
WHERE WILL I GO, AND WHO WILL I STAY WITH?
When your plane lands in your host city you will be greeted by members of your host Rotary club and your host family. Typically you have some time to be shown the city and get acclimated, and you will learn how to get to school and get organized for your school year. Your host Rotary club will be very involved in your stay and it is common to see a lot of your new country with your Rotary contacts, your host family and with fellow students and their families. For the school year you will be a student in the local high school participating in the Rotary Exchange Program.
While the country to which you would like to visit is not guaranteed, the countries with which our students exchange include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and Thailand.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A HOST FAMILY?
Each year the Tualatin Rotary Club sponsors an inbound exchange student from a foreign country to attend Tualatin High School, and local families participate in the exchange as host families. Their role is to treat the visiting student as one of their own children and involve him or her in daily household chores and activities. It is your responsibility to provide room and board for your exchange student. However, most host families’ involvement with their student does not stop there. The families often share their native background while also learning about their visitors’ culture. This does not mean that you have to arrange elaborate entertainment, but simply make the student a part of your family. Give him or her opportunity to share in the same aspects of your family life that most teenage students experience here.
Other suggested host family activities include:
Ø Meeting your exchange student on arrival and making them feel like part of your family;
Ø Helping the student achieve language mastery;
Ø Involving the student in obligations similar to those established for your family members;
Ø Helping the student meet Rotary obligations, including attending Rotary functions;
Ø Seeing that the student meets other young people;
Ø Providing a safe environment for the student and ensuring the student’s safety;
Ø Being tolerant of differences and willing to change your own ideas.
For additional information, please visit our District 5100 website by clicking here
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