Rotary International District 6970 s1
Rotary International
District 5650
Youth Exchange
Inbound Program
Information Book For
Inbound Students
(Rev. August 12, 2015)
Department of State Toll Free Number 1 (866) 283-9090
Table of Contents
Objectives Of The Program 3
The Rotary Support System 4
The Sponsoring Rotary Club’s Role 5
Sponsoring District’s Role 5
The Host Rotary Club’s Role 5
District 5650’s Role 6
Your Role 7
Your Host Family’s Role 9
Appendix A – What is Rotary? 10
The History of Rotary 10
Rotary Motto and Themes 10
Rotary in Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa 10
The Rotary Foundation 11
Rotary at the Local Level -- The Rotary Club 11
Appendix B - Program Rules and Conditions of Exchange 12
Additional Program Rules and Conditions for Inbound Students to District 5650: 13
Appendix C District Disciplinary System: Yellow Card & Red Card 14
Appendix D - Travel 15
Frequently Asked Questions About District 5650 Inbound Travel 15
Natural Parent Travel Permission Form 18
Host Family & Club & District Travel Permission Form for Travel Outside District 19
Permission For Family Members To Visit Exchange Student 21
Rotary Bus Tours 24
Appendix E - Questions for “First Week” with Host Family 25
Appendix F - How to Cope with Culture Shock 27
The Exchange Cycle 30
Appendix G –Youth Protection 31
Statement from United States Department of State 31
Rotary International Statement of Conduct For Working with Youth 31
Rotary International Youth Protection Policy 31
Rotary International District 5650 Abuse and Harassment Prevention Policy 33
District 5650 Youth Exchange Sexual Abuse and Harassment Allegation Reporting Guidelines 37
Appendix H Rotary International District 5650, Inc. Policy on Use and Disclosure of Confidential Information Obtained in Connection with the Rotary Youth Exchange Program 46
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Objectives Of The Program
o To further international goodwill and understanding by enabling students to study first hand some of the problems and accomplishments of people in lands other than their own.
o To enable students to advance their education by studying for a year in an environment entirely different from their own, and undertaking the study of courses and subjects not normally available to them in their own country.
o To give students opportunities to broaden their outlook by learning to live with and meet people of different cultures, creeds, and colors and by having to cope with day-to-day problems in an environment completely different from the one they have experienced at home.
o To have students act as ambassadors for their own country by addressing Rotary Clubs, community organizations and youth groups in their host country; by imparting as much knowledge as they can of their own country, its attributes and its problems to the people they meet during their year abroad.
o To provide sufficient time to study and observe another country's culture so that upon returning home students can pass on the knowledge they have gained by addressing Rotary clubs and other organizations and assimilate the positive aspects into their everyday living.
The Rotary Support System
What is Youth Exchange?
Rotary Youth Exchange is a country-to-country exchange of high-school age young people, between the ages of 15 to 18½ years old at the time of arrival in the hosting country, for a cultural and educational experience for both the student and those serving as hosts. The duration of the exchange is 10-12 months, and generally follows the school year as defined by the Exchange student’s home country.
What is Rotary?
Rotary International, as the sponsoring organization of this program, is an international volunteer organization comprised of Rotarians around the world dedicated to improving their community, both locally and world-wide, through service to others. A more comprehensive description of Rotary and its structure can be found in Appendix A of this Information Book. However, one term used throughout this Book warrants explanation here: District is the geographic organization of a number of local Rotary clubs for purposes of governance and support. We are Rotary International District 5650, consisting of 46 Rotary clubs representing eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.
Role of the Rotary District and Youth Exchange Committee
Rotary Youth Exchange is, more specifically, an exchange of students between two Rotary Districts in different countries. Conduct and administration of the Exchange program is the responsibility of each participating Rotary district under the authority of the respective District Governor, a Rotarian elected for a one-year term to provide leadership to the clubs and Rotarians in that District. All Rotary districts participating in the Youth Exchange Program agree to comply with Rotary International guidelines, but retain autonomy in conduct of the program. This responsibility is delegated in District 5650 to the District Youth Exchange Committee.
To assure a complete understanding of your exchange, the District 5650 Committee provides a comprehensive orientation for you shortly after you arrive in the United States. Even before your departure, the Youth Exchange Committee established and maintains communications with its counterparts in your sponsoring district. We expect to keep in regular contact with the District 5650 Committee and its Co-Chairpersons and District Counselor in particular. We also expect you to keep in regular contact with the District Chairperson or Youth Exchange Officer and District Counselor in your sponsoring District.
The District 5650 Youth Exchange Committee is a valuable resource for both you and your host parents. Its members are familiar with the conduct of the Exchange Program both here and in the country where you are headed. Feel welcome to contact any member of the District 5650 Youth Exchange Committee anytime you have a question or need help with a problem.
The Sponsoring Rotary Club’s Role
Your local Rotary club has been involved from the start of your exchange. Members of the club interviewed you and your parents in order to get to know you and to make an independent determination of whether you had the maturity and background necessary to succeed as an exchange student and to be a good representative of your community, your local Rotary club, and your country.
Your local Rotary club has a Youth Exchange Officer and Club Counselor. You should communicate regularly with these people throughout your exchange. If you encounter difficulties during your exchange, it is important that you promptly tell these people what is going on so that they can help you.
Upon your return to the your country, you are expected to visit the Rotary Club that sponsored you. You probably will be asked to give a short presentation about your exchange.
Sponsoring District’s Role
Your sponsoring District became involved in your exchange after your Sponsoring Rotary Club agreed to sponsor you and recommend that the District select you as one of its exchange students.
After you were notified of your selection, you should have participated in a day of orientation about the Rotary Youth Exchange Program that was put on by your sponsoring Rotary District. People you met at the orientation will continue to play a vital part in making your exchange successful. The Youth Exchange Committee members and in particular its co-chairpersons are resources who are available to help you if you encounter problems in the United States.
Keep in touch with the sponsoring District Co-Chairpersons and District Counselor by email. It is important that you let these people know about any problems or difficulties that you are having on your exchange. They are very willing to help but can do so only if they are told very early about emerging problems. We strongly urge you to seek their involvement before problems become too large for simple solutions.
The Host Rotary Club’s Role
Your Host Rotary club provides another level of support to you and the Exchange Program. Your local Rotary Club has identified an individual Rotarian who serves as the Youth Exchange Officer (or YEO) to administer the club’s Exchange program, including recruiting Host families. Another member of the Rotary Club has been designated as your Club Counselor for the duration of your exchange. The Club Counselor serves primarily as an advisor and advocate for you, but should certainly also be in contact with your host family on a regular basis, and be available to answer questions or direct host parents to the appropriate resource when needed.
The Host Rotary club has made arrangements for you to enroll in your community’s high school or a private school shortly after you arrive. The YEO or Club Counselor may assist you in selecting a course of study that should be neither overly-challenging nor boring for you.
Your Host Rotary Club provides another form of support to you in the form of a spending allowance. Each month the Rotary club will provide $100 directly to you to be used for incidental personal expenses, entertainment, school supplies, etc. Through the Rotary-provided allowance and parental resources, you are expected to be financially self-supporting in terms of personal expenses, clothing, entertainment, and travel when not part of a host family event. In addition, District 5650 requires you to deposit with your Host Rotary Club an emergency fund of $400. This fund is used by the club to pay for unexpected expenses when you are not able to do so. Please discuss any financial concerns with the Rotary club representatives.
The hosting club will regularly invite the exchange student to attend Rotary meetings and other Rotary events. Students are required to attend the following Rotary events:
1) One local Rotary meeting per month;
2) Get Acquainted Weekend in September;
3) Outbound Student Interviews in November;
4) Outbound Orientation in February;
5) District 5650 Conference in April or May. Exchange students are encouraged to attend other Rotary meetings and events as often as possible
6) The weekly meeting for the ______Rotary Club is on______at ______
Location: ______.
Interference with host family activities from Rotary events should not impose a burden on the host family and the YEO/Club Counselor should be advised before this can occur. Rotary Club members will be responsible for providing transportation for the student to these events and activities.
Rotary Support -- District + Club
This Team of the District Youth Exchange Committee, the local Rotary club Youth Exchange Officer and Club Counselor are here to help you and host family have a successful exchange experience. They are available to you, 24 hours a day, to provide you with assistance on any matters of concern. We strongly urge you to seek our involvement before problems become too large for simple solutions.
District 5650’s Role
District 5650 has Rotary Youth Exchange District Co-Chairpersons or Youth Exchange Officers (YEO). The District Chairpersons are responsible for the overall organization of the Youth Exchange Program in District 5650 including making arrangements for your orientation in the United States and for the Rotary Youth Exchange students in District 5650 to get together for group activities.
The specific job of the District Counselor is to help you if you have problems with your exchange including problems with your Rotary Host Club, your host family, or your host school.
The District Co-Chairpersons and the District Counselor are there to help you. You should not hesitate to contact them when you need help. They can only help you, if you ask for help. If they are not able to help you, there is yet another person you can contact--the District Governor. Sometimes it takes the political influence of the District Governor to resolve a problem. Do not hesitate to contact the District Governor if other Rotary officials don’t get the job done.
Your Role
Above all else, we expect you to be involved: involved in your family; involved in school; involved in the community in which you live; and involved in Rotary. To do this successfully, most Exchange students must do two things: learn to communicate in a new language; and learn to adapt.
Learning English
All students arrive with some understanding of the English language, and most can speak and understand our language well, having studied English for several years in school. But for most, considerable effort will be needed on their part to understand the English we speak, which is often different than the English they were taught in school. Practice by engaging in real conversation, reading, and writing our language. These steps are necessary to develop true proficiency. You can help by asking questions that require more than “yes” or “no” answers, having patience when communications are not clear, and consciously speaking slowly and clearly, with frequent checks for understanding.
Learning to Adapt
Learning to adapt means, for most students, being willing to try new things, do things differently, recognize the cultural basis for the environment they are used to, and accepting that our cultural differences are neither “better or worse”, simply “different”.
Comply with Our Rules
All outbound exchange students, and their parents, agreed to comply with the rules, regulations, and guidelines that are part of the Rotary Youth Exchange application. These are common sense conditions that are intended to insure their safety, comply with the standards of the international organizations monitoring exchange programs, and assure that their conduct does not impose a burden on the families who open their homes to these students -- you Host Parents. The Program Rules & Conditions of Exchange are located in Appendix B of this handbook for your information. A summary of the more important rules are listed below:
1. Driving: Exchange students are not permitted to operate motor vehicles, including motorcycles, boats, or any other powered device requiring an operators license as a condition of the medical and accident insurance.
2. Drinking and Drugs: Exchange students must comply with the laws of their host country, including those applying to possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages and controlled substances. If allowed by the laws of your new country and the rules of your Host District, you may, with the approval of your host parents, accept an alcoholic beverage offered by them in their home.
3. Smoking: Applicants are asked to indicate if they smoke on the application, and this information is often the basis for the decision by the host family to host the student. Students who do smoke must comply with the conditions and restrictions imposed by the host family in all cases. Smoking is never permitted in your bedroom. If you stated on your application that you did not smoke, you may not smoke anytime or anyplace on your exchange.