In Estonia, a student from the USA gets a taste of life in a newly independent nation; in Japan, a South African student makes an earnest, whimsical attempt to eat with chopsticks; in the USA, a group of students from around the world comes together to help clean up after a hurricane; and in Finland, a Brazilian student makes a snowman for the first time. All of these scenarios were made possible by Rotary Youth Exchange. Exposure to new cultures and ways of life can foster a better understanding between people from different lands. That understanding can be the foundation upon which lasting peace and harmony can someday rest.
Youth Exchange provides thousands of young people with the opportunity to meet people from other countries and to experience their cultures, thus planting the seeds for a lifetime of international understanding.
Since 1927, students and host families all over the world have had their horizons broadened and their lives enriched by the generosity of Rotary's Youth Exchange programme. Administered by Rotary clubs, districts and multidistrict groups, the programme today involves more than 82 countries and over 8,000 students each year.
The first documented exchanges date back to 1927, when the Rotary Club of Nice, France, initiated exchanges with European students. Exchanges between clubs in California, USA, and Latin American countries began in 1939, and exchange activities spread to the eastern United States in 1958. In 1972, the Rotary International Board of Directors agreed to recommend Youth Exchange to clubs worldwide as a worthwhile international activity promoting global peace and understanding.
The Rotary Youth Exchange Long-Term Programme is a 12 month secondary education exchange programm for 15 to 17 year olds, wanting to travel to another country, whilst attending full time school, being hosted by a number a different host families, learning a different way of life as well as a new language and culture
The Rotary Youth Exchange Short-Term Programme is a 6 to 8 week family to family exchange, for 15 to 18 year olds, whereby you host a student either in July/August (for students coming from the Northern Hemphisphere i.e. Europe) or December/January (Southern Hemphisphere i.e. South America). All students from Southern Africa depart November/December of any given year.
If you are ready for the challenge and the rewards of living in another land as an exchange student, then you are ready to discover new worlds through the Rotary Youth Exchange.
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and are for informational purposes only.
Updated: September 2009