Cowboy Country Youth Exchange
District 5440
STUDENT CLUB COUNSELOR - GUIDELINES
Club Counselor
In compliance with the District Youth Protection Policy, all club counselors must meet the selection and screening guidelines of Rotary International. They must:
- Complete the District 5440 Volunteer Affidavit. This form must be returned to the District Protection Officer for review.
- Undergo personal interviews.
- Provide a list of references for District 5440 to check.
- Be subject to criminal background check
- Meet Rotary International and District 5440 eligibility for working with students.
- Understand and comply with Rotary International and District 5440 guidelines for the Youth Exchange program.
He/she will act as a confidant to the student during his/her stay in the United States. The counselor should be the same sex if possible and must not be a host family member. The counselor must be prepared to take an interest in the student and must maintain liaison with the student, the club, the host families and the school. The student is expected to go to the counselor for guidance on any problems that arise. Counselors shall be trained in responding to any problems or concerns which may arise during the exchange, which may include instances of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or harassment.
The counselor is also available to help host families with any problems they may encounter in hosting the student. If you do not have a Club counselor, a ministerial member of your club works great. This is the first person in the chain of command for the student to talk to if he/she has a problem.
Choice of Counselor
The counselor, or mentor, selected should be one who is genuinely interested in young people and appreciates the value of the Youth Exchange Program. He/she should be able to easily relate to young people so that he/she can gain their confidence and respect and so be in a position to assist and advise them. He/she should fully understand his/her responsibilities and have the time to attend to them. The counselor should not be one of the host parents, high school principal, or club president.
Duties of a Counselor
Being a counselor for student is a task that different Rotarians will handle in their own individual way. Youth Exchange students grow in self-confidence and maturity during their exchange year and it is very satisfying for a Counselor, through his/her guidance, to have been a part of that process.
Listed below are some important points to help Counselors in their task:
1)Before the arrival of the student
a)Establish early contact by e-mail or letter with both the student and his or her parents and give them some information on the area, the school and any information to assist in their final travel preparations. Obtain details of the student's anticipated date and time of arrival.
b)Visit the school which the student will attend to alert them know that you can be contacted to address any concerns.
2)On the student's arrival in the country the club counselor should:
a)Greet the student at the airport with the first host parents. If the Counselor cannot do this then he/she should arrange for another member of the Club to do so.
b)Visit the school with the student and introduce them to the Guidance Counselor, principal, etc. Ensure that student is aware of the choice of subjects available to them. Arrange for the purchase of any necessary school supplies, the cost of which should be borne by the student’s parents.
c)Check to make sure that the student’s passport and visa are in order.
d)Check the student's airline tickets to be sure that the student is in possession of a round-trip ticket and that the date of return is after school and District Conference end. A return ticket is necessary in emergencies or if the student must be returned home for disciplinary reasons. The return ticket should be kept by the counselor with the student’s passport and visa in a safe and readily accessible place in case of emergency travel.
e)Check the student has brought with them an emergency fund and arrange for this to be held on their behalf. Agree with the student how this fund is to be administered.
f)If necessary arrange for a bank account to be opened for the student and arrange for club treasurer to make monthly allowance payment.
g)Outline what is expected of the student, by Rotary in your Club and District. Review rules and guidelines with student and host family.
h)Ensure that the student knows how to contact the Counselor or Club YEO. Let them have phone numbers and/or e-mail addresses.
3.During their year in this country the Counselor should:
a)Know where to contact the student at any time – keep track of host families and out-of-town trips.
b)Meet regularly with them to discuss any problems they may have.
c)Contact host parents and teachers to ascertain that there are no problems – attend Parent-Teacher conferences.
d)Ensure that the student sends regular reports to their sponsoring District.
e)Approve any travel the student wishes to make according to the Rotary travel regulations. If the student is likely to miss school for a Rotary event, the Counselor should give them a note or call the school explaining the circumstances.
f)Ensure that the District is advised of change of address and contact numbers when student moves to a new host family.
g)Encourage the student to attend as many Rotary meetings as possible and ensure that the Club does not forget the student’s birthday and also remembers them at Christmas.
h)Start a wish list of what the student would like to do or where they want to go and encourage Club members to help the student fulfill their dreams.
i)Contact the student’s natural parents from time to time informing them of their son/daughter’s progress.
j)Counselors should be acquainted with the rules of the program and should ensure that the student abides by them; however they are there to guide and assist their student, rather than dictate each move they make.
4)Problems
It sometimes happens that the Counselor and the student cannot get along. If this happens, the Counselor should step aside in favor of another Counselor. The Counselor should not take this as an indication of failure as there can be times when personalities clash for no apparent reason.
There may also be a problem between a student and a host family. If this occurs, the Counselor should have another host family on standby or even move the student in with them, or another family who has passed the screening criteria in order to establish the cause of the problem.
If a student breaks the rules of the program they may need to be sent home. Before taking such action the Club YE Chairman and Counselor should meet with the club Board of Directors and a full explanation should be given to the District YE Chairman who will make the final determination.