Rotary High School Youth Exchange Program
For the adventure of your life 15May2015
The Rotary Youth Exchange program is a life changing opportunity to attend school and live with one or more host families in another country. It is one of the finest exchange programs available, carefully selecting and preparing students before departure and supporting them during their exchange. Most students are highly successful with their exchanges, although there are occasional problems.
There are two exchange programs: one for the entire academic year (long term), the other is a family to family summer exchange (short term). Students may apply for either or both of these programs. A third exciting opportunity is hosting a student. We ask all students interested in youth exchange to also recommend host families. This is an exchange program.
These exchange programs are coordinated through the Ohio-Erie Youth Exchange Program, which supports the Rotary exchanges of several states. Once a student is selected by our club, Ohio-Erie handles the work of the actual placement. They charge a student an administrative fee, most of which pays for required health insurance, which is due when the application of a selected student is forwarded to them. They have exchange agreements with Rotary districts in 30 or 40 countries. Students list their preferred countries for an exchange, but should be prepared to go anywhere. They also coordinate student air travel, directly to and from the closest airports, with an open return date (for long-term exchanges).
There is much more information on our exchange programs, and all the required forms, on the Ohio-Erie Web site: www.ohioerie.org. There is also lots of info on the Rotary International web site: www.rotary.org.
Our exchange students are our citizen ambassadors to the world, sharing with us our dreams of world peace and dedication to service above self.
The application process for these youth exchange programs is coordinated by your local Rotary Club. Additional info is available from the Black Mountain Youth Exchange (YEX) Officer Bill Bauman: , 686-8257. Or contact Bill Christy: , 230-7223, who is also on the District YEX Committee.
Rotary High School Long-Term Youth Exchange Program Application
(For an Entire Academic Year)
For the academic year program, high school students usually participate in their junior year or in the year following graduation. When they board the plane for departure they must be 15 1/2 (preferably 16 1/2) to not more than 18 1/2. For the academic year program, in the host country, the host Rotary club provides a Counselor, who helps with the settling in process and assists with any problems, which may arise. In addition there is a Country Contact, our District person and your Club sponsor and counselor.
Most countries available do not have English as their first language. Even when we send students with very limited skill in their host language, they are usually operative in November, fairly fluent by Christmas. That new language skill is invaluable to our students, and this experience is equally invaluable when applying for university admission. Graduating seniors should have no problem with delayed admission.
All costs prior to arriving at the host country are usually borne by the student. Once ‘in country’, our exchange students receive room and board with one or more host families and paid placement in a high school. Generally the host Rotary Club pays a monthly allowance, for some of the incidental expenses. There is often an end of exchange ‘field trip’, which students may pay to attend.
First draft of a time table for exchange student application (which is likely to change):
We would like to receive all of your application, except for the medical exams and transcripts by the end of October. We can review them together, deal with any questions that you may have.
1. September/early October: Students complete first round of application (Section A only).
2. October: Formal application, as required for the interview, submitted – by 29oct15.
3. Early November: Host Rotary Club interviews students.
4. 21 November: Rotary District interviews.
5. 04 to 08 December: Jabez, Kentucky, a weekend with many exchange students.
6. March +/- , Ohio-Erie District notifies accepted students as to where they are going.
7. District 7670 orientation session, late March usually.
8. July 8 to 10 Ohio-Erie orientation session.
9. August or September: fly away to adventure.
This time table is intended to give time to fill out the application with complete accuracy. That application can be completed and approved in a shorter time frame. However, the usual fixed date for sending the long term application to Ohio-Erie is the end of December. The process of approval, all the way to issuing your student visa (which may involve a personal interview at the consulate) and plane tickets usually seems to be finished only shortly before the take-off date. So it is important to give Ohio-Erie as much time as possible.
The Long-Term application process:
Initiation: Please request the Ohio-Erie Long-Term Application, customized for Black Mountain applicants, by an email to Black Mountain Youth Exchange (YEX) Officer: Bill Bauman, , 686-8257, or Bill Christy, , 230-7223. We will send you a copy of that application. Please ‘customize’ that application by adding your last name to the file name for the application. Please start working on that Long-Term Program Application. While that application is rather formidable, we think it is an excellent statement of our commitment to preparing you as well as we can for a successful exchange. As you complete each section, please email me your application, so that I may encourage your progress.
Also, go to the Ohio-Erie web site: www.ohioerie.org and download the information on the long-term application process. There is also a Country Preference Form, on which you will list, in rank order, your choice of countries, should you be selected. There is also a listing of countries presently available for exchanges, some of their special requirements, and expected costs of plane fares. We have high expectations for our exchange students, which you should find and download from the web site. You may also go to www.rotary.org, for more info.
Part One: Please fill out Section A (parts 1-7; see below for Rotary info in part 7) of the application as soon as possible, & email it to your local YEX Officer, Bill Bauman or Bill Christy. This will give us an initial idea of how many students are interested in applying. Your email address allows us to communicate with all of you. Since your application is a pdf ‘unit’, each time you email it, the whole application is included. If you have any questions or problems with the application, please email or call. Please note that the goal is for you to complete just one paper copy of your application, for your Club and District Interviews. We will turn that into an electronic version, which we will submit to Ohio-Erie.
Part Two: Please fill out all but Parts C and D that application, on line. In Sec.E, complete just page 1 (Rotary info below) Also complete Part F (except for the signatures – those are done at your interview). Please email your application to your YEX Officer as soon as possible, for review. Please also email the two letters (Section B) and all the photos (one for Sec.A, four for Sec.B) that you plan to use (individually). Please give your reference form to one of your teachers, ask them to mail it to me. Please ask them to write a personal letter of recommendation, as well as filling out the form.
Our Youth Exchange Committee plans to meet on Tuesday, 03 November 2015, to schedule our interviews, which are planned for the following week.
Part Three: Club Interviews
Your preparation: Schedule your medical (for Section C) and dental (for Section D) examinations, as soon in November 2014 as possible. Acquire the copy of your transcript and either a copy of your passport identification page or birth certificate (noted in the Application instructions). Except for Section C and D, assemble your entire application, with photos inserted into Section A & B. Please bring just one paper copy of everything in your application to your interview (except for Sec. C and Sec. D). Please also bring one paper copy of the Country Preference Form. If you will be only now be applying for a passport, please include a copy of your passport application, with the required photo – so that you are ready to submit that, if you are selected. The same photo required for your passport will be suitable for your Personal Info section (in Section A).
Your interview: We will email you and call you with your interview time. We will all together sign that Guarantee Form (Sec. E and F), at your Interview. Shortly after our interviews, we will notify those students, hopefully all of you, whom we would like to recommend to our District Committee, for District consideration.
After your interview: If we accept you, you should then have the medical and dental reports completed, one copy made and then signed (in blue ink), before the District interviews. We recognize that it is possible that someone might be disqualified because of that information – but that is very rare.
Next we send your application on to our District Coordinator, who schedules the District interviews for the exchange students. They usually don’t have serious reservations, presuming we have done a good job with our selection process, but that is possible. They also check applications for completeness – and they almost always find something that needs correcting or to be added. They will also tell you about various District level exchange student activities, which also revolve around the inbound students in the District. This gives you an opportunity to meet other students, who are in the midst of their exchanges, as well as others who are preparing to go out.
On approval at the District level, they will ask for the Ohio-Erie administrative fee, then send your application on to them. Ohio-Erie will seek a place for you, hopefully in the country of your first choice. They will coordinate the details of arranging the exchange, which can get rather complex. They also arrange a required orientation session, which has been at Otterbein College in central Ohio, in early July, for all their outbound students.
Other information you will need to complete the application: District: 7670
(pages 1 and 8, Long-Term; pages 4, 6, & 7, Short-Term, STEP):
Sponsoring Rotary Club: Black Mountain Club Number: 5998
District Chair: Bill Biggers, 79 Woodfin Place, Suite 211 Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: Home: 828-645-9560 Work: 828-258-0576 Cell: 828-230-5409 Fax: 828-258-9857
Club President: Richard Hudson, 106 Pleasant Dr. Circle, Black Mountain, NC 28711 email: , Phone: Home: 828-669-9399, Work: 828-669-5711, Cell: 828-777-5711
YEX Officer: Bill Bauman, 2 Chestnut Drive, Swannanoa, NC 28778
Phone: Home: 828-686-8257, Cell: 828-545-5612
Rotary High School Short-Term Youth Exchange Program (STEP) Application
Summer Family Exchange
The short term, Summer Family Exchange, features a three or four week stay for one student (USA students tend to travel first, but that is not required), with a host brother or sister of a family in another country, followed by a similar stay of the two students, at the home of the original student. All expenses for this exchange are born by the two families involved. This is usually a summer exchange, with the possibility, for cross equator exchanges, that the international student might come here at Christmas time. Students should be between 15 1/2 to 18 1/2 to participate – and there is some flexibility. Your application is coordinated by the Youth Exchange (YEX) Officer, listed above. For convenience, the time table for the short term applications is the same as the long term, but another round of Club and District interviews can be arranged in January, if there is interest.
The application process: Please start working on the formal Rotary Youth Exchange Short-Term Program (STEP) Application, which you are to request as instructed above for the long-term application. I will send you the STEP Application, Host Family Application and 2015 STEP – Info for Students and Parents. Also please go to the Ohio-Erie web site: www.ohioerie.org. There is other information on youth exchange on that site that you should find interesting, including a Country Preference Form, which you are also to complete. You may also go to www.rotary.org, for more info, but do not use their application.
Part One: Please fill out the Application (parts 1-6; see above for part 7 info) (pages 1-4) as soon as possible, email it to me, your local YEX Officer. This will give us an initial idea of how many students are interested in applying. Your email address will allows us to communicate with all of you. Since your application is a pdf ‘unit’, each time you email it, the whole application is included. If you have any questions or problems with the application, please email or call.
Part Two: Please fill out the rest of the application, pages 5-7 and the letters required for Supplemental Page A (except for the signatures – those are done at your interview). Please email your application to your YEX Officer as soon as possible, for review. Please also email all the photos (one for page 3, two for Sup.A) that you plan to use. Note also that a letter of recommendation is required. Please ask that this letter be mailed directly to me. There is also a Country Preference Form. First due date is 21 October, as noted above for Long-Term application. There will be a latter round of interviews as well.