History of Rotary Youth Exchange

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 program. Administered by Rotary clubs, districts and multidistrict groups, the program 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 RI Board of Directors agreed to recommend Youth Exchange to clubs worldwide as a worthwhile international activity that promotes global peace and understanding.

 The most powerful force in the promotion of international understanding and peace is exposure to different cultures. The world becomes a smaller, friendlier place when we learn that all people — regardless of nationality — desire the same basic things: a safe, comfortable environment that allows for a rich and satisfying life for our children and ourselves. Youth Exchange provides thousands of young people with the opportunity to meet people from other lands and to experience their cultures. This plants the seeds for a lifetime of international understanding.

Types of Exchanges

Each year, local Rotary districts and clubs worldwide arrange thousands of international exchanges for high school-aged students. The primary goal of the program is to foster world understanding by way of intercultural exchange.

There are two principal types of exchanges:

Long-term exchanges: These exchanges usually last an academic year in the host country, during which the student lives with more than one host family (usually three families for three months at a time) and attends school.

Short-term exchanges: These vary from a few weeks to three months. They often take place when school is not in session and usually do not include an academic program. Short-term exchanges usually involve a homestay experience with a family in the host country, but also can be organized as international youth camps and tours that bring together students from many countries.

For more info see http://www.rotary.org/programs/youth_ex