RYE Needs Host Club!

YOUTH EXCHANGE NEEDS a club to host a student for the 2018-19 school year!

District 7930 is being assigned 6 inbound Rotary Youth Exchange students for the coming school year, and we have only 5 clubs so far who are able to host.  Would you like to join the team?
How does the Rotary Youth Exchange long-term program work?

In the long-term exchange program, a student from another country is coming to the US for an entire school year – from September until June the following year. Similarly, we are sending a high-school student from one of our communities abroad for an entire school year. 

This exchange year provides a wonderful cultural exchange and language learning opportunity for the student, and also exposes them to various service opportunities through the Rotary Club that is hosting the student. The student typically participates in the Interact Club meetings, and also comes to Rotary Club meetings at least once or twice per month, thereby also enriching the lives of club members, who get to meet a student from another country.

Rotary Club Responsibilities
In order to participate in the program, the Rotary Club needs to have two of its members volunteer as Youth Exchange Officer (YEO) and Counselor for the club. The club must also support the inbound student with a monthly allowance of $125 and interface with the high-school in town.

YEO & Counselor Responsibilities
The YEO acts as the administrative contact for the youth exchange program at the club, searches for host families, conducts host family interviews and trainings, and is the main administrative contact for the inbound student. The YEO is also the main liaison with the high-school and potentially with the Interact Club.

The YEO should also participate in a monthly district-wide YEO meeting. For District 7930 this meeting is on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 7:30 AM at Panera at the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers. The meeting usually lasts an hour, and we discuss upcoming events, the status of all our inbound and outbound students, and relevant news about the youth exchange programs.

The counselor is the main contact for the student, if there are any inter-personal concerns, homesickness, concerns with the host family, or health issues. The counselor needs to be the same gender as the inbound student they supervise.
Both counselor and YEO need to go through a quick online application process, fill out a criminal background check form, and go through some State Department online training. This is designed to protect the young people entrusted in our care.

How to get started?
If your club would like to get more information about the program and to get started with the process, please contact a member of the District 7930 Youth Exchange team: