Will It Build Goodwill and Better Friendships?

Yes, it will. More than any other Rotary program, Rotary Youth Exchange promotes goodwill between nations regardless of race, religion, politics, culture, and even cuisine.

You can help interview potential outbound students, vet host families for inbound students, promote the program to outbounders and help secure enrollment for inbound students in your local schools, assist your club’s inbound students with transportation and events, and much more.

Whether you’re already familiar with the program, have a desire to promote international friendships, or have even just seen the benefits of international travel in your own life, consider joining the Rotary Youth Exchange team in some capacity.

Interested in working with Rotary Youth Exchange? Consider these activities and positions.

Assist Your Club’s Youth Exchange Committee

A great way to experience the Rotary Youth Exchange for the first time is to help out with your club’s committee. Interview students who are outbound candidates. Vet host families for your club’s inbounders. Work with schools. Drive students to and from your club’s meetings. You can even take them out to dinner or invite them to participate in activities that will enrich their exchanges and experiences here in Colorado.

If your club doesn’t have a youth exchange committee, start one!

Become a Club Counselor

Serving as the liaison between the student, Rotary club, host family, and community at large, the Rotarian Club Counselor plays a crucial role in the success of the Youth Exchange program. The counselor serves as the student’s primary Rotary contact, easing his or her transition into the country and the community through regular personal contact throughout the year.

The counselor should enjoy working with young people and be prepared to advocate on behalf of the student should any issues arise during the exchange. Members of a student’s host family are not eligible. Also, if possible, the Rotarian Club Counselor should not be a close friend or relative of other volunteers involved with a particular student (e.g., school principal or host family).

The counselor has the following additional responsibilities:

  • Establishing contact with the student before departure or arrival, explaining the expectations of the club and the district and maintaining and documenting regular contact (at least once a month)
  • Counseling the student in matters such as choosing classes, making friends, and participating in activities
  • Helping the student adapt to the culture and language
  • Working with the community and the student’s school to ensure that the student is involved in positive activities and community life
  • Informing the student about abuse and harassment prevention and creating a supportive atmosphere in which the student feels comfortable discussing any concerns
  • Serving as an advocate for the student in any matter
  • Contact the Host family once a month to check in on how things are going with the student & the exchange

The Rotarian counselor should be trained to respond to problems or concerns that may arise during the exchange, including allegations of abuse or harassment.

Become a YEO

Becoming a club YEO, or Youth Exchange Officer, is a great and rewarding commitment. YEOs are critical for locating and vetting host families, securing enrollment in local schools, and for managing the entire inbound exchange for students hosted by that club. For outbound students, the YEO is in charge of guiding potential candidates through the application process at the local level.

The YEO has the following additional responsibilities:

  • Serving as liaison between the student and the RMRYE district committee
  • Serving as liaison between the host family and Rotary
  • Managing all aspects of an inbound exchange including host families, schools, transportation, travel, and discipline as needed
  • Counseling the student in matters such as choosing classes, making friends, and participating in activities
  • Helping the student adapt to the culture and language
  • Working with the community and the student’s school to ensure that the student is involved in positive activities and community life
  • Informing the student about abuse and harassment prevention and creating a supportive atmosphere in which the student feels comfortable discussing any concerns

YEOs are generally seen as the driving force for Rotary Youth Exchange at the club level.

Join the District Committee

The Rotary Youth Exchange District 5450 Committee, or Rocky Mountain Rotary Youth Exchange Committee, is a group of Rotarians dedicated to the Rotary Youth Exchange program. When you join the district committee, you get a broader view of all aspects of the program and receive opportunities for greater engagement.

Members of the committee can participate as:

Country Contacts manage relationships with overseas exchange partners in particular countries or districts. This involves coordinating visa requirements for both inbound and outbound students to those particular locations, as well as managing those exchanges from a district level. Country Contacts are required by the U.S. State Department to make contact with the inbound students under their supervision at least once a month and are encouraged to do the same for outbound students.

Inbound and Outbound Program Chairs manage and oversee both the inbound and outbound programs respectively. For inbound students, this means managing the entire class of students and the coordination of all associated events. For outbound students, this includes managing the entire application, interview, and orientation process for the class.

The Overall Program Chair manages the entire Rotary Youth Exchange program for District 5450. This commitment includes local planning and coordination, as international conventions and commitments.

General Volunteers are always needed and are welcome to attend any district events. We are always looking for interviewers in December to help question potential outbound students when considering their acceptance to the program. You can attend RMRYE events at the district conference. Or you can even join us in January/February for our annual ski weekend.

When you engage Rotary Youth Exchange at the district level, you get to know all of the students in the district. Meeting students from diverse cultures around the world – and seeing how close they all become – is truly one of the most rewarding experiences of the entire program.

Reports

District Committee/Country Contact Forms:

YEO Forms:

Club Counselor Form:

Other Club Volunteers

  • Club Volunteers Application & Background Check (coming soon!)

Access all internal District Committee documents with your user name and password

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