Youth Exchange

Youth Exchange
Building World Understanding

Youth Exchange is a Rotary International sponsored program for youth aged 15-19. It is a program supported by District 5870. It is not a program of the Rotary Foundation, but is facilitated by District volunteers and SCRYE, a multi-district consortium that helps manage this program and trains the District volunteers.

The Youth Exchange program in our Central Texas area has grown to 9 incoming and 8 outbound students in 2005-2006. All of these were long-term (more than 90 days) youth.

So, what role do you play in all of this? Listed below are the four main players and links to the pages relevant to each group.

• The outbound student
• The Rotary Club hosting an Outbound Student
• The Rotary Club hosting an Inbound Student
• The host family (for inbound students)

HELPFUL FILES:

  Application - This is the application form for long-term outbound exchange students.

   ClubCommittment - Here is the club commitment form for clubs considering sponsoring youth exchange students.

  VolunteerApplication - This is the volunteer application including the background check form for anyone who will be working one-on-one with youth.

Youth Exchange - Heads Up to Incoming Officers!

Youth Exchange, as its moniker suggests, means exchanging students from our country to another country for a period of time. There are two programs that our district supports. Short term takes place between 4-12 weeks, usually during the summer. Most of the time there is an exchange of youth between families, though it is not required. Students come in on a tourist visa. Long term is a school year exchange, with no less than one semester in attendance. The youth come in on a J-1, or student, visa. Priorities are given to full year exchanges.
While it is easy to bring kids in, finding host families is the toughest part. If you are interested in pursuing Youth Exchange as an international program, it is not too late to start planning now.

Sending the kids out
Start promoting youth exchange to your area high school!  An Interact Club, high school counselor, and language teachers are great places to start!  The deadline for applications will be in October, which leaves less than four months to talk to the youth in school. The club will be asked to interview the outbound candidate; an interview form will be provided. Contact Clare Gromoll at claregromoll@yahoo.comif you’d like a presentation or information about the outbound youth process.

Bringing the kids in
Host families.  As mentioned above, the hardest process is finding host families. There is an assumption that the host families have to be Rotarians and have to have their own youth in the house. This is not true.
Most of the host families in our district have not, curiously, been members of Rotary. And, not all have had youth living in the house, particularly the 2nd or 3rd host family for long-term exchanges. While it is preferable to have a youth in the house for the first family, it isn’t as critical for the 2nd or 3rd family.

A host family serves in this role for 2-3 months, with two to three host families lined up for a long-term exchange. Due to changes in federal law and youth exchange processes, a club will need to have at least two host families, including the first host family, lined up before we can arrange an exchange.

Hosting club. As part of finding host families, the club will need to be a host club as well.  This requires one club member serving as the club counselor, an “aunt” or “uncle” role, for the year. The club will also need to budget $100.00 minimum per month as an allowance for a long-term exchange. The club will host a student from August through June. The students leave for home in July, but they’ll spend part of June and July on a tour of the U.S. It is not required to send out a youth to receive a student. It is also not required to receive a student if a U.S. student wishes to go overseas.

Fall of 2008 seems very far away, but the planning takes place now. Please consider hosting a student or recruiting a student to go to a far-away world. Contact Dale Ricklefs, Youth Exchange Chair, at              dalericklefs@austin.rr.comor Judy Duer, Incoming Chair, at jduer@ci.temple.tx.usif you are curious about this program. And, if you like to travel and believe strongly in international good will, please consider joining the committee.

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Oh, The Places Our Youth Exchange Students Will Go!”
 
By Clare Gromoll, District 5870 Youth Exchange Outbound Coordinator
LaGrange Rotary Club

The winter months bring excitement to the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.  Two youth embarked from our district this past summer to spend an academic year studying abroad.  Andrea Heredia went to France (sponsored by Temple Rotary) and Elissa Osburn went to Austria (sponsored by Lakeway/Lake Travis Rotary).  They have now lived abroad for a semester, attending high school, learning a new language, and experiencing cultural immersion.  They will celebrate the winter holidays with host families and friends in Europe.  Similarly, our three inbound students from France, Belgium, and Italy have experienced one semester of life in in our area and will celebrate the winter holidays here in the United States with their host families and friends.

On November 10th-12th, District 5870 Rotary Youth Exchange held a retreat for outbound candidates and our three inbound youth exchange students.  Four outbound candidates, who had been carefully interviewed and selected by their local Rotary clubs, experienced a second screening and interview at the retreat.  Our district committee observed them in interaction with peers and adults throughout the weekend and engaged them in interviews before eventually accepting them into the program.  The retreat offered the youth an opportunity for growth and fun through shared experiences.  They roasted marshmallows over a campfire, canoed down the Colorado River, engaged in group-building activities, and shared special talents with each other.

Our district committee has selected four fine youth to participate in the Youth Exchange Program.  Nick Orozco (sponsored by Bastrop County Rotary) and Nick Sanford (sponsored by La Grange Rotary) will spend the 2007-2008 academic year studying abroad.  Kyle Kaspar (sponsored by Shiner Rotary) and Crystal Batlin (sponsored by South Austin Rotary) will spend four to eight weeks of Summer 2007 abroad on a short-term cultural exchange.  During the winter months, district Rotary Youth Exchange committees worldwide work with each other to set up exchanges between Rotary clubs that have committed to sponsoring teens to serve as youth ambassadors for their communities and Rotary International.

If you would like to serve on the District Rotary Youth Exchange Committee, please contact Dale Ricklefs at dale@round-rock-tx.us.  We need people of all skill areas including but not limited to facilitating trainings, communicating and organizing through e-mail, and working with youth.  We look forward to your participation as individuals and clubs!

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Youth Exchange

Youth Exchange processes for 2007-2008 are well on their way, with an October 31 deadline for applications and selections made during the weekend of November 11 and 12.  Due to certification requirements effective this year, NO LATE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.  Outbound interviews and retreat will be November 11 and 12.  An applicant MUST attend this weekend event.  The age requirement for outbounds is 15 -18 years and six months on August 1st of the year they go to their countries. 

This year, North Austin, Temple, LaGrange and Lake Travis are hosting youth from France, Belgium and Italy.  We have two going out - one to Zell am See Austria and one to France.I have five eager committee members willing and able to talk to you about Youth Exchange.  Two of our members are former exchange students themselves.

The Outbound Youth
 

There are two types of outbound youth: Long term and short term. It is important to keep in mind that Rotary Districts and each nation has its own specific rules, but what follows is generally the case. Please visit the Rotary International Youth Exchange website www.rotary.org/programs/youth_ex/index.htmlfor detailed information about the responsibilities of outbound youth.

Short term is for a stay of less than 90 days in the United States. However, most of the countries receiving US citizens limit it to 2-4 weeks. There are exceptions, but there should be no expectation that a stay can go beyond 4 weeks, but we’ll ask up to three other districts with whom we have a good working relationship to see if they will be able to accommodate longer stays, but less than 90 days. Also, most of these stays take place only during the summer.

Long term is for a full school year. Almost every country requires a full school year of attendance, so we will not try to secure a semester only exchange. Generally, a school year runs from September-June, once more depending on country.

COSTS

OK. Here is the high-low-close. As this is a volunteer run program, there aren’t a lot of costs. But, it does mean that sponsoring clubs, parents, and youth have to spend a bit more effort than those who are paying big bucks with the private companies.

Costs :                                                                                                          

$900-$1500 airfare WITH A RETURN TICKET, depending on country and our fuel costs
$100-$150 (or going rate) for Bolduc insurance (this is medical and liability insurance designed for this program)
$300 (or close to it) for emergency funds which will be managed by the receiving club

Other costs, depending on many variables:
RI YE jacket (to be worn at all Rotary events and orientations)
Pins, stickers, etc. to give to others overseas (purchase ahead of time)
Passport and Visa (if any fees on the latter)
Spending money for side trips, clothing, meds not covered by the deductible, books and school supplies, land line costs, internet access—things you would not expect the host family to pay (would you want to pay it?)
Training sessions that may be required by the district in the foreign country (varies from none-?)
Long term trip sponsored by the foreign District at the end of the school year (may be optional—depends on country)

Optional:
Language courses or orientation courses in the receiving country (varies, depending on country)—may not be optional
Cell phone costs—that depends on ya’ll

OUTBOUND 2006-2007 CALENDAR

November 15: Applications due to 5870 Youth Exchange Officer. If we have limited placement opportunities, the order of receipt of applications will be a consideration. Once more, a preliminary review and acceptance by the sponsoring club is required by November 15. Don’t forget those signatures (not just the names of the officers)!

November 15-April 1: Potential Youth Exchange matches will be taking place. The number of outbound students allowed will depend on the number of inbound students from other countries taking students.

December 31: District will make a preliminary selection based on applications received.

February 18 and 19: Retreat for prospective outbounds will take place (this has been confirmed, but we are also looking at an earlier January date and should verify by November 1)

February 28: Selections announced. The matching process will continue until April 1.

(PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT US ABOUT POTENTIAL LOCATIONS UNTIL APRIL 1! The process is not that quick, depending on country and the availability of host families in the other countries. Selection does not guarantee a slot in another country.)

Selection of youth + AVAILABILITY of host families in the other countries = a happy camper
(and relieved YEO).

Early April: Orientation for Outbound Youth who have been matched with a receiving district, AND THE PARENTS OF THE YOUTH, will attend mandatory orientation in order to be part of the program. The orientation will be a 2 day weekend session for youth, and a 1 day session for parents (same weekend) and take place in Central Texas.

Late August/early September: Depending on receiving country, youth begin to leave.

Monthly thereafter: Letters to the Long Term Exchange Coordinator, and one article in December for this website.

May-June: Back to the U.S. and hot Central Texas

July-August: Do a presentation to the club that got ya there.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Dale Ricklefs

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Rotary International Youth Exchange:  

SCRYE 

Contact the Youth Exchange Officer, Dale Ricklefs