How does our program work?
As a Rotary Youth Exchange student, you will live abroad for one year as a full-time student in a host country.
Our outbound students depart each year in January and return the following January. We do not offer mid-year or short-term exchanges.
You will be supported by a sponsor Rotary Club in Australia and a host Rotary Club in the country in which you live. Your host Rotary Club will arrange your host families, a counsellor, and enrol you in a school.
Every Rotary Youth Exchange student will have a host club counsellor. This person will assist you with your exchange, including enrolling you in school and ensuring you get your monthly allowance, which your host Rotary Club will give you. Your counsellor is a volunteer who has been screened for suitability.
You will typically have 3 or 4 host families. Each of these families will be interviewed and assessed for suitability before you live with them. The host families are unpaid volunteers who will welcome you into their home, supervise your year and introduce you to their culture and lifestyle.
You will also have the support of many other Rotary members – at the Rotary Club and District level.
How do I qualify?
The Rotary District 9705 Youth Exchange Program is generally open to enrolled high school students aged between 15 ½ and 17 ½ as of 31 December in the year before departing on an exchange in the following January. Some countries have tighter age limits.
You must also be in Year 9, 10, or 11 in the year that you apply for a Rotary Youth Exchange. Due to state/territory government policies, we do not offer gap year (post-Year 12) exchanges.
Please review our Rotary District’s partner countries before selecting your preferred countries. While we ask you to nominate your five preferred countries, there is no guarantee that you will be placed in your preferred host country. We consider several factors when deciding which country to place you in. The factors include your age, your language skills, and your personality.
To qualify, applicants should be above-average students who have demonstrated leadership in their community.
Applicants should also possess qualities such as flexibility and a willingness to try new things that will enable them to fully experience life in another country and become excellent cultural ambassadors.
How are we different?
A number of things sets the Rotary Youth Exchange Program apart from others, but the most important ones are:
- A network of Rotary members in Australia and abroad who will support you – Rotary members are all volunteers who do not get paid for their time, are passionate about the programs that Rotary offers, and want to make the world a better place.
- Rotary International is a non-religious and non-political organisation.
- Several host families – we see this as a great thing, and if you speak to former Rotary Youth Exchange students, they will tell you that learning to live with new families is part of the learning experience, and generally, it’s great fun as well.
- The program’s cost can be kept much lower because of the number of volunteers involved.
What will I get?
This is largely up to you. Everyone’s experience is different.
- In your host country, you will learn another language, experience different foods, study different subjects and enjoy a new culture and a new way of living.
- A Rotary Youth Exchange offers you the opportunity to learn a great deal about yourself, gain confidence and self-sufficiency, as well as become an ambassador for your country.
- You will attend a school in your local community, as well as participate in Rotary Club and District activities and civic functions. At the same time, you will be make new friends, visit exciting places and experience adventures that you will treasure for the rest of your life.
In short, it should be a life-changing experience!
What’s expected of me?
As a Rotary Youth Exchange student, you’ll be a student ambassador for your sponsor Rotary Club and District, and your family, and you’ll be representing Australia.
You will attend school full-time in your host country and participate as a student of the school. It is not a gap year.
You generally cannot work while participating in the program due to visa, tax and insurance issues.
The Rotary Youth Exchange Program has rules designed to keep you safe and well while participating in the program. These include:
- Obeying the laws of the host country.
- Abiding by the rules and conditions of your host Rotary District, including travel rules. Parents or legal guardians must not authorise any extra activities directly to you. Any relatives living in the host country will not have any authority over you.
- Not operating motorised vehicles, including but not limited to cars, trucks, motorcycles, aircraft, all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles, boats and other watercraft, or participating in driver education programs.
- No drinking of alcoholic beverages (unless your host Rotary District state it’s permissible in some circumstances and you are over the country’s legal drinking age).
- No possession or use of illegal drugs.
- No romantic relationships or sexual activity.
- No body piercing or obtaining tattoos while on your exchange.
You will attend Rotary-arranged functions and events. How many will depend on your host club and host Rotary District.
Many Rotary Clubs enjoy having their host students attend club meetings each week, where they get to know the club members. Your host club will also appreciate your participation in club projects as a volunteer.
In our Rotary District, our inbound students get together 3 or 4 times during the year. These are always great opportunities to meet with all the other Rotary Youth Exchange students living in your host country.
You will be expected to help your host families with housework and chores. You’ll live in a home with your host family, so you will be expected to complete tasks and have responsibilities as a member of the host family.
Have a fulfilling and rewarding experience abroad!
How can you help us?
As part of your commitment to us, we ask that you help our Rotary Clubs meet the expectation of hosting inbound students as part of the Rotary Youth Exchange program.
To do so, our program and your sponsor Rotary Club, will need your help to identify any families (including your own) who can be approached to host an inbound student for three to four months.
Typically, this is from August to November, December to March, or April to July. Your sponsor Rotary Club will arrange the other host families for the inbound student.
