ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE

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ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE
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What is Rotary?

• Rotary is a non-profit international service
  organization
• Formed in 1905 by four men in Chicago
• It has now grown to over
• 1,200,000 members worldwide
• 33,000 clubs
• 520 districts (groups of clubs)
• 200 countries and geographical areas

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What Does Rotary Do?

• Rotarys service projects address such critical
  issues as
• Poverty
• Hunger
• Illiteracy
• Medical needs (artificial limbs, wheelchairs,
  eyeglasses, eye surgery, and many others)
• Eradication of polio
• Providing safe drinking water to citizens of
  developing countries
• Service to YOUTH is a major emphasis of Rotarians
  worldwide

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Rotary Programs for Youth

• Interact / Rotaract (high school / university)
• Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA)
• For high school juniors
• Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship (23,000)
• Year abroad at a university
• Rotary Youth Exchange
• For high school students eager to be ambassadors

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What is Rotary Youth Exchange?

• Rotary Youth Exchange is a program that provides
  thousands of young people with the opportunity to
  meet people from other lands and to experience
  their cultures.
• Each year, over 9,000 students from over 80
  countries travel abroad on an exchange through
  Rotary.
• The exchange program plants the seeds for a
  lifetime of international understanding.

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Who administers the Rotary Youth Exchange program?

• Rotary Youth Exchange is administered by Rotary
  Clubs and their districts.
• All persons involved in administering the program
  are non-paid volunteers.

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Who regulates exchange programs in the United
States?

• The State Department
• The Council on Standards for International
  Educational Travel (CSIET)
• For our exchanges, Rotary International
• Note If we do not comply with the regulations
  of any one of the above, then we lose the right
  to have exchanges.

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Why Rotary Youth Exchange Is 1

• Careful interviews
• Thorough orientations
• Local support group (Rotary club)
• Activities provided by Rotary
• Low cost

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Youth Exchange Program Summary

• Two Programs
• Short Term Program
• Long Term Program
• Opportunity to experience new culture
• Opportunity to be an ambassador
• Opportunity to make friends for a lifetime

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Qualifications of a Rotary Youth Exchange student?

• High school student ages 15-19
• Good student with above-average grades
• Willingness to adapt, learn a new language, and
  learn a new culture
• Initiative to get involved in activities
• Willingness to speak to groups
• Attitude of giving to others
• In short, have the traits of an ambassador

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For how long willthe student be gone?

• It depends
• There are two programs
• Short-term 3 to 6 weeks in the summer
• Long-term full school year plus optional tours
  after the end of the school year
• The student will leave about August 1
• The student will return about the end of June

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Short Term Program

• One on one exchange during summer with another
  student
• No school attendance
• Hosted by exchange students families
• Normally 3 to 6 weeks in each country

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Long Term Program

• For one school year
• Total immersion in the culture
• Will become fluent in the language
• Hosted by 3 families (on average)
• Supported by Rotary club and two Rotary
  counselors one here and one abroad

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What will the student doon the long-term
exchange?

• Live with two or three host families
• Attend school
• Make friends
• Get to know the area of the country in which he
  or she lives
• Obtain a greater understanding of the host
  countrys culture
• Become fluent in the language of the host country
• Speak at Rotary Club meetings

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What are the students responsibilities?

• Abide by all program rules of the host Rotary
  club and district
• Accept the supervision of the host district, host
  club, and host family
• Act as an ambassador for the sponsoring club,
  district, state, and country
• Be open to new experiences and cultural
  differences

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Where will the students go?

• Our Rotary District 5890 has working
  relationships with the following countries
• Argentina Ecuador South Africa
• Belgium France Sweden
• Brazil Germany Taiwan (China)
• Czech Rep. Japan Thailand
• Denmark Poland Turkey

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Costs of the RYE Programs
Long Term -- 4,500 - Air Fare - Insurance -
Orientations - Language camp - Monthly
allowance - Blazer, pins, slides Host club
provides an allowance.

• Short Term - 1800
• - Air fare
• - Insurance
• - Incidental costs abroad
• Costs for hosting
• here for student from abroad

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Does it really cost 4,500 to send a student
abroad for a school year?

• How much might be saved while the student is
  abroad for a school year
• Cost of food for about 10 months
• Cost of car insurance (premium could be reduced
  while the student is gone)
• Cost of gasoline for the student for 10 months
• Other day-to-day expenses for the student

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How can the student work the long-term exchange
into his graduation and college plans?

• Most exchange students will be juniors or seniors
  - some will have completed high school
• With careful planning with his counselor, it is
  possible to take required courses in advance so
  that when he returns he graduates on time
• If he has been accepted to a college, it is
  possible to defer admission for one year
• Since people enter college at different times in
  their lives, there is no inherent disadvantage to
  entering a year later.

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High schools in District 5890 with students going
abroad

• For the year 2008-2009
• Austin High (Ft. Bend) Klein Oak
• Challenge Early College Pasadena Memorial
• Clear Lake St. Agnes
• Cypress Creek St. Johns
• Cypress Woods Strake Jesuit
• Home schooled Terry High (Rosenberg)
• Klein Collins
• Klein High

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Exchange Schedule

• Long Term
• Club interview Nov 8
• Dist InterviewDec 6-7
• Orientations Jan, Mar
• Orientation camp - June
• Departure - August
• Return -- following June / July

• Short Term
• Club interview Nov 8
• Dist Interviews Dec 6-7
• Orientation -- May
• Exchange -- Jun - Aug

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For More Information

• Willowbrook Rotary Club Contacts
• Gary Aguren
• 281-469-2956 (home)
• gaguren_at_yahoo.com
• Anais Watsky
• 281-469-2956 (home)
• awatsky_at_yahoo.com

Web Sites scrye.org rotaryyouthexchange.net
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Exchange for Teachers

• Group Study Exchange
• Rotarian leads team of 4 young professionals to
  another country for 4 weeks, to serve as good
  will ambassadors
• Training conducted for team members
• Often trips occur during summer when teachers
  might have the opportunity
• For more information
• http//www.rotary.org/en/ServiceAndFellowship/Fell
  owship/GroupStudyExchange/Pages/ridefault.aspx

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Changing the World Through Rotary