Youth Exchange - Outbound

This program is for full-year travel (including school) in another country, where you will be hosted by a Rotary District and Rotary Club and live with a family or several families in the nation you are visiting. Learn about the 2010-2011 interview status. Exchanges usually start in August and the student returns home in July. Some exchanges are available from January through December to a short list of southern hemisphere countries.

Club Host Sponsor List

2010-2011 Outbound Student Sponsor Clubs

Do not use Rotary International application.

Student must first contact a local Rotary Club, or ask the Outbound Coordinator to find you a local club. A club interview is required.

Club Short Form

Please use the online application, sections A: #1-6, B

Timeline

October = Club Interviews
November = District Interviews, $1,650 application fee
December = Accepted student application sent to Central States
January = Country assignment announced first orientation session
March = Second orientation session
April = Rotary District Conference
July = Grand Rapids Youth Exchange Conference (pictures)
August = Eleven month exchange begins

Refund schedule
Central States Application Rules

Download Adobe 9 Reader for our interactive forms.

Application

Complete the 2010 Outbound Student Long-Term Program Application. View instructions.

Submit “short form” (A: 1-6, B) to local Rotary Club, pictures optional. Ask your local Rotary Club about application deadlines.

Countries Participating

Through a consortium of 17 districts, District 6270 is currently able to send students the following countries:

European
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey

Asian
India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan

Central American
Mexico

South American
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru

Southern Hemisphere
Australia

Africa
South Africa

Students cannot choose their destination. They are asked to prioritize the above list of 39 countries and then are assigned to one that is high on their list, which is almost always one of the student's top ten choice - often even their first choice.

Qualifications

1. Be between the ages of 15-1/2 and 18-1/2 when they arrive in the host country.
2. Be in the top half of their class academically.
3. Be interested in trying new things (food, culture, ways of looking at the world, etc).
4. Be willing to be a good will ambassador for your country.
5. Be well adjusted, particularly in their family relationships.
6. Have well rounded personalities with an ability to think through their problems.
7. Be above average in maturity.
8. Parents must be 100% supportive of their student's desire to participate.

If you are a vegetarian, a smoker, on prescription medication for depression, subject to eating disorders, or other similar problems, the exchange may have difficulty placing you with host families. This may impact your ability to participate in the program. Please discuss this with the Outbound Coordinator listed below.

Rules

In addition to these general rules, please review the overall rules.
1. Student must be sponsored by a local Rotary Club.
2. Student must obey the laws of your host country.
3. Student must sign, agree, and abide by the Rotary Youth Exchange Rules.
4. Student must attend school and school activities while in the host country.
5. NO DRIVING any motorized vehicle (accident insurance does not provide coverage).
6. NO DRINKING of alcoholic beverages (except where legal and within the host family).
7. NO DATING on steady basis (you're there to make many friendships).
8. NO DRUGS unless prescribed by doctor (foreign countries are much stronger in their enforcement of drug laws - hard time in jail for offenders).

Host Club Provides

1. Monthly stipend (varies, approximately $75-$100 in current purchasing power in USA)
2. Counselor who will be the student's advisor for the year
3. Generally a great deal of interaction with club members and their families

Host Parents Provide

1. Room
2. Food
3. Participation in family activities (vacations, trips)

Cost and Application

Application Fee: The basic application fee is $1,650, beginning for District 6270 Outbound applicants in 2010-2011. (Sponsoring Rotary Clubs may offer a scholarship.) This fee covers the cost of two orientation meetings and world wide health insurance under Central States Rotary Youth Exchange. In addition to this, there will be round trip airfare to your host country (roughly between $2,000 to $2,500). We require families to purchase an “open-ended ticket” and these are more expensive.

The applicant can cut and paste for:
Section A, page 2, 7 (district fields)
Section G, page 1, D (district fields)

Health Insurance Coverage: Some countries have their own national health insurance coverage and require Inbound students to purchase the national health plan coverage. Such coverage may cost up to $750, depending upon the country.

Language Orientation Camp Fee: Some countries require language orientation camp and the cost varies but is generally between $300 to $400. In South Korea it can run to about $1,500.

Application Fee: The Outbound fee is due along with the application. The District 6270 Outbound Coordinator will work with student applicants to complete the application correctly, and to advise them, and their parents, as to their responsibilities to the program.

Who pays

That depends. Some clubs in our district pay the application fee and some share the application fee with the parents. In some cases, parents pay the entire fee. Travel expenses are the responsibility of the student and their family. Host families provide room and board. Host clubs and districts provide a monthly allowance.

Benefits for Exchange Student

1. A new maturity, typically reaching the "emotional age" of someone in their mid-20's
2. A new confidence in oneself and a new personal world-view
3. Proficiency in a second language
4. World-wide networking.
5. Student has become a natural recruit for an international company
6. The opportunity to promote peace through understanding - our main goal!

High School Credit

Many public high schools will grant credit for your exchange. Thus, if you decide to go before graduation you must check with your school's guidance counselor to determine what policies are in effect for your individual school because each is different.

Who benefits?

Everyone benefits, the student, the parents sending their student abroad, the host parents, the host club, the host country, the sponsoring club, the sending country, the people who meet the student abroad, the people who meet the student after they return home, those who direct the Rotary Youth Exchange program - yes, perhaps even the whole world.

More Info

For additional information or help in contacting your local Rotary Club, contact the Outbound Coordinator.

District Co-Chair
Karen and Robert Stauffer
1641 S Main St
Oshkosh, WI 54902
Work - (920) 426-6370
Home - (920) 233-7910
Fax - (920) 426-6369

RYE District 6270 Outbound Coordinator
Dennis Swetlik
4614 Columbus Street
Two Rivers, WI 54241
Home - (920) 794-8345
Work - (920) 684-6668 x116
Cell - (920) 905-3115

Central States Outbound Information

Outbound Index
Outbound General Info
Outbound Application
Getting Ready
Outbound Downloads

Submit “short form” (A: 1-6, B) to local Rotary Club, pictures optional. Ask your local Rotary Club about application deadlines.

Do not use Rotary International application. Online form or typed form only. No handwritten versions accepted. Complete Central States application, no pieces from prior years applications, or RI applications.