The Long and Short of Rotary Youth Exchange

The program offers two types of exchanges:

A long-term exchange is of almost a calendar year's duration, during which the student generally lives with more than one family and must attend school with acceptable grades.

A short-term exchange may vary from several days to several weeks. They often take place when school is not in session and usually do not include an academic program. Short term exchanges usually involve a stay with one host families, and sometimes more. Some districts only have reciprocal exchanges for short term, so the hosts also have outbound short-term Exchangees. Contact your Rotary District Youth Exchange Officer to find out what kind of Rotary Youth Exchange Hosting opportunities are offered in your area.

We are always eager to find host families. If you are located in the area of SCRYE, whether a member of your family is a Rotarian or not, and you are interested in becoming a host family, please Contact your Rotary District representative. Potential host families will be interviewed by representatives of the Rotary District and the host Rotary Club as part of the selection process, to help assure a rewarding experience for the exchange student and for the host family.

Hosting a Rotary Youth Exchange Student can be as rewarding as being one. Involvement with an Exchange Student challenges a host family to become familiar with another culture, while providing the opportunity to share a young student's hopes and ambitions. The challenges and opportunities promise to enrich the lives of every member of your family. It is an opportunity to make a personal contribution to advancing world understanding while expanding your own horizons and those of your family. And it is a change to build a relationship with someone special, someone will will be a part of your life for a long time to come.

If you have children of your own, you can appreciate the responsibility that comes with hosting a Youth Exchange Student. You will be expected to provide parental guidance and supervision for the student as well as room and board during his or her stay in your home. To facilitate the student's assimilation into the culture and to allow more families in the community to participate in the Youth Exchange experience, long-term exchange students usually stay with three or four families, for three to four months each, during the year of their visit.

What types of families open their doors to Rotary Youth Exchange? All type. Rotarian and non-Rotarian families - with young children, grown children or no children at all. All it takes is the willingness to care and a heart that is ready for a touch of adventure.

While Rotary International offers support to local Rotary Youth Exchange programs through publications and suggested guidelines, each Rotary District and Rotary Club operates the program independently of Rotary International. Therefore, each District will have its own specific rules for students to follow. Students accepted into the program sign and agree to abide by a list of program rules prior to their departure from home. While the student's hosting Rotary Club will discuss all program rules with both you and the student, you may wish to review the program rules with the student yourself to be sure that everyone has a clear understanding of what is expected. Program rules consist of common-sense stipulations, such as no driving of motor vehicles, and the need to obtain special permission for international travel while on the exchange. In addition, romantic entanglements are discouraged (although companionship in accordance with cultural standards in the host county is encouraged).

Just as there is no perfect exchange student, there is no perfect host home. Each young person who comes to us from abroad is an individual; each family is unique. But just as there are certain criteria which make it more likely that a student will be a good exchange student, there are certain criteria which make a family more likely to provide a unenjoyable and beneficial experience for the student.

• Warmth: an easy affection within the family and respect for all members by each other
• Breadth of interests: a real curiosity about things outside the home - not necessarily busy or extremely intellectual, for many students will fit into a more quiet and simple atmosphere better
• Flexibility: the family must be secure and confident enough to be able to adapt their rules to make for room for individuals
• Humor: a laugh often bring perspective to a problem that might otherwise appear to assume undue proportions
• Motivation: the family must be realistic about why they want to host an Exchange Student in their home; not because they think it is something they should do; not as a solution to the family's own domestic problems; not out of desire for prestige or social acceptance - all members of the host family must want to participate; one uncooperative family member can make for an unhappy experience for all involved
• Health: if there is a serious emotional or physical problem in the family, the extra strain of adjusting to a long-term guest can make for a difficult situation
• Wealth: the family need not be extremely wealthy, but there are certain expenses involved and the family must feel comfortable in meeting those expenses without undue strain
• Space: the student must have a bed of his or her own; if a room is to be shared, it should be with a child of the same sex and of similar age
• Transportation: the student may not drive, so the family must be willing and able to see that he or she gets to school and various other activities with reasonable convenience
• Religion: differences in religion are rarely a problem, but the family must be prepared to respect beliefs of others and not to require participation by the exchange student in their own church or religious life
• Chores: the exchange student should not be treated as a special guest - the value of the program is the acceptance by both students and hosts that the student will be one of the family and not receive any special attention - it is expected that the exchange student will perform chores as do the other children in the family

If you're still interested, please take the time to learn more about Rotary Youth Exchange.

Host Family Information:

Becoming a Host Family

When does all of this happen