North American Youth Exchange Network holds the Rotary Youth Exchange long -term program. It is an exchange study program ‘so to speak’ meant for the young people between ages 14-19. The program allows the selected people to study abroad for a full academic year. It is a lifetime opportunity to those selected as they get to experience a whole e world. The entire program intends to help the students get to learn a new language, new culture. This broadens their view on life and at the same time helps them fit better within their social cycles.Asked why most of the young people always look forward to being selected to the rotary, the program spokesperson had this to say, “Our program is not just any other ordinary Study Abroad Programs for high school students. It is far much more than the academic lives of these young people, we have taken the all round approach. Here, we have incorporated their social wellbeing, security, emotional as well as the academic aspect. We always want them to learn as much as they can. That way they can go ahead and pass it on to others.”
The Rotary Youth Exchange program stands out from the rest of the programs in the way the entire program is conducted. For instance, the selection process takes place the year before. This gives the students and parents ample time to get everything in place in good time. There are three stages which is the application stage, the selection and the preparation stage. This clear systematic flow of the procedure makes the program even more appealing.
The spokesperson further added that, “We have structured our program in a way a guardian will be comfortable letting their child go to attend the program. Our team is well coordinated. The families with which the students live with are carefully selected and well trained. This gives their parents a sense of security. This is because one knows that their child will be well guided and protected as opposed to when they have to look around for their own places to reside in. We have further widened our program to cater for Gap Year Programs. For these, we have limited slots for those who may need to attend the program after graduating from a US or a Canadian University. All this is in a bid to accommodate as many young people as we can.”
The rotary exchange program is of great a great advantage to the beneficiaries. This is in terms of what they get to learn and experience. It is also very cost efficient to the guardians. Boarding and room is provided for the students so is the school fees. The students will be required to cater for airfare, their travel insurance, their travel documents such as passports and visas as well as their money to spend. This cuts the costs that guardians or students are supposed to meet.
About Rotary Youth Exchange Program
Rotary Youth Exchange Program is a program that conducts the exchanges of students aged 15-19 years old. The exchange is supported by rotary clubs in over 100 countries worldwide. The program is structured into long term and short term programs. The primary goal is to make the students better by becoming global citizens, learning different cultures and getting even better intrapersonal skills.