Welcome
The Rotary Club of Monroe participates in Rotary International's Youth Exchange Program in which a student from a foreign country is hosted by our club and one of our local students goes overseas for a year and is hosted by a foreign club.
This program involves spending a year in another country, living with local families, and attending a foreign school. Only students who will be in the 10th or 11th grade in the next school year will be accepted. Requirements include above-average academic ability, adaptability, independence, and maturity, plus an outgoing personality.
Salient Points of the program:
- Parents normally pay for transportation ($1,000 to $1,500), medical/dental insurance ($850 approx), provide an emergency fund ($500), and provide incidental spending money for gifts, souvenirs, film, and clothing.
- The cost of room and board is covered by the host Rotary club and host families.
- The hosting club will provide a monthly allowance they deem adequate for their area, and will pay for the cost of school and related expenses if needed.
- Students MUST attend school, and learn the language if other than English.
- Students are expected to do public speaking to their host club and to our club.
- Students are treated as members of host families, not as VIPs.
- Students will probably stay with two or three different families over the year.
- It may be that the student will NOT receive academic credit needed for graduation for school work in a foreign country. The student and parents should meet with their School Counselor to find out how their graduation is affected.
- Students must abide by strict rules: No Drinking or Drug Use, No Driving, and No Serious Dating. Violating these rules can lead to being sent home.
- We must be made aware of any medical or dietary issues that could be a problem in a remote area of a foreign country. Rotary will not knowingly put a student in harm’s way and will pull the student out if the situation is potentially dangerous.
The Student will be gone for approximately ten to eleven months. We discourage visitation by the parents because it takes away from the experience and immersion in another culture. When your son or daughter returns they will be a changed person.