Rotary is one of the world’s greatest secrets, and Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) is an even bigger secret. But RYE is one of the best programs in Rotary that serves both the local and international communities. The U.S. needs to improve and broaden the education that we provide to our children. RYE allows a high school student to grow and thrive through a challenging international experience. That experience involves our students going on exchange to a foreign country, and foreign students coming here, for a full academic year. Exchange students are totally immersed in the culture, language and family life of a teenager in their host country. Host families play a significant role in the exchange student’s life, while bringing their exchange student’s experience into their homes for their own children to experience and to be encouraged to take on the challenge themselves.
We Rotarians have the opportunity to educate and develop leaders of tomorrow. We must not let that opportunity slip away from us. We need more clubs to offer their communities and their students the opportunity to participate in this great program. There are students in every Rotary community who would like to take advantage of this program, and there are families that will host the inbound exchange students. We just have to reach those students and families. The more we put the word out there, the easier it will be to find them.
For more information, contact RYE District Chair Bob Ford at rpf@fordlaw.net or 978-681-0066. For general information about District 7930's RYE Program, click here.