Embrace New Experiences and Cultural Differences
Rotary Youth Exchange provides an opportunity of a lifetime for Australian high school students to live & study abroad. Learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens.
An Opportunity to Study Abroad
Sponsored by Rotary Clubs
Rotary Youth Exchanges are sponsored by Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries. Exchange is for 12 months, and students get to live with 3 – 4 host families and attend the local school.
Supports Education
Rotary Youth Exchange is approved by the relevant state education authority to provide long-term secondary student exchange programs into and from that state or territory of Australia to provide a full-time education program at an overseas secondary level school.
Student Exchange
Rotary Youth Exchange Victoria is a Student Exchange Organisation approved in Victoria by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA). Students or their parents/legal guardians can contact the VRQA at:
vrqa.student.exchange@education.vic.gov.au
Exchange Information
Each year thousands of young people worldwide are given an opportunity to experience the cultures and accomplishments of people in other countries.
During your exchange, you will grow considerably in self-confidence, tolerance and self-reliance. You’ll also learn to accept greater responsibility in your everyday life.
You will have to adapt to unfamiliar and different surroundings and ways of life that are different from home. For some this will be the first extended period of separation from their family. This will bring about many trials and tribulations which you will need to overcome and by so doing develop many “survival skills”.
To live away from home for the 50 weeks duration of the exchange is a demanding yet rewarding experience. It is not always smooth sailing and requires a great strength of character, tolerance and an understanding of the acceptance personal responsibility.
The exchange provides a unique opportunity for young Australians to experience at first hand the many cultures of a different country, a new way of life and in some instances another language. Often, the friendships they make will be life long and important in achieving the aims of the exchange – the building of goodwill and understanding between countries.
Play the student video to learn more first hand.
This video was created by exchange student Keehlan after returning from 12 month exchange to the US
“My youth exchange year was one of incredible change and growth for me. In addition to seeing so much of the rest of the world, and making such wonderful friends, I changed in ways I never knew were possible. Thank you Rotary for the best year of my life!”
As a Rotary Youth Exchange Student, You’ll Have:
Rotary Youth Exchange is an opportunity for you to study abroad and to experience a year of personal development, in a wide choice of countries.
Rotary districts and clubs arrange this. The friendships you will make will be international, life long and important in achieving the aims of the exchange – the building of goodwill and cultural understanding.
The benefits are many and varied. Students develop and grow considerably in self-confidence, through the experience of living outside of their comfort zone in new surroundings. Studies have shown this experience to equate to as much as seven years of personal development. This will be invaluable for your future education and career development.
Eligibility
Applicants should be making sound progress at school and have a general interest in people and places and have an outgoing personality and be interested in cultural or outdoor pursuits. Students must be in years 9, 10, or 11 in the year that they make application. The preferred age of applicants is between 15 years 6 months and 17 years 6 months at the time of departure. This is in January of the year following application.
How to apply
If you are interested in Rotary Youth Exchange – request the application by completing the enquiry form. This will be sent to your nearest Rotary club
OR
Make a direct contact with any participating Rotary Club. The Rotary Club will conduct a personal interview and make a selection from the applications received.
Students have the opportunity to nominate preferred countries of exchange that are available. However, a preparedness to accept an offer in any of the available countries is necessary.
These countries can typically include but are not limited to: Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, USA, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Brazil, Taiwan and Japan.
Get excited! Get involved!
Make a difference!
Apply Now! Just need a few details to get the process started
Become a Host Family – Expression of Interest
Rotary welcomes your interest in hosting a secondary school exchange student. This is a unique opportunity for your family to experience first-hand the richness and diversity of a different culture.
Students are expected to become participating members of the host family. They are required to attend a local secondary school arranged by Rotary. At times there will be some commitments to attend their host Rotary Club and other Rotary activities.
As exchanges are reciprocal so as to select a local student to participate in the program we require families to host an inbound student. The student’s exchange is always during their home school year. Because of this variation from the Australian school year the inbound exchange commences from late July or early August.
The total hosting period to be covered is typically around 48 weeks. The hosting period is for a period of 12 to 16 weeks and is flexible both in duration and timing to be mutually agreeable to those host families involved for each student.
The host family and often the extended family plays an integral role in offering the student the experience of a new culture and language, whilst at the same time learning itself about a different culture from the student.
-
The answer to this question is all types.
Families do not need to be affiliated with Rotary to host Rotary Exchange Students.
Families with small children make great host families because young children get the experience of having a big brother or sister and the exchange students often enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of practicing their language skills with a younger child.
Families with high school age children are ideal because host brothers and sisters can quickly get the student involved in school and community activities.
Retired couples are good too because they can have more time to spend with their student than younger parents do and they often enjoy having a young person around the house.
A single parent host family with a child in the family also can make a great host family
These families will be then be interviewed for suitability and must be approved by Rotary and must satisfy all legislative requirements of working with children legislation, personal referees and Rotary International policy.
-
Rotary insists that students have a good academic standard, some spoken English as well as an ability to act as an ambassador for Rotary, themselves and their national country. All students will receive an orientation program, which prepares them for their year of exchange both prior to departure and after arrival. This training is provided in areas of public speaking, understanding cultural differences, getting on with people, etc.
-
The Rotary support network of Clubs, Student Counsellors and the District Youth Exchange Committee provide close contact and a team support structure second to none in student exchange programs. Each participating Club is your first contact and subsequent follow up for the many aspects of the program.
-
If you think that your family would be interested in assisting Rotary by volunteering to be a host family for a flexible period of twelve to sixteen weeks and at a mutually agreeable time or times please request the Host Family Expression of Interest Form.
Rotary will contact you to further discuss this offer and use these details as the basis for an approval interview.
Interested in hosting a student?
Just need a few details to get the process started