Rotary District 9500 Conference 2011
Rotary Youth Exchange students currently sponsored to our district told delegates at the 2011 Conference of their experiences here. The student from Brazil told of his surprise that having expected to learn to surf, with his mental image of beach going Australians, of being sent to Alice Springs. Having now spent nine months in the middle of Australia the student expressed his delight and thankfulness for the opportunities that have been presented to him in that area in such a short time!
Rotary Youth Exchange is a student exchange first and a cultural exchange second.
There are many Exchange Organisations in Australia, but a Rotary Exchange student has many advantages over the others:
Support Network – In both their sponsor district and in their overseas host district, students have advice and support from their counsellors, club members and district committees, so as to help them through any rough patches.
Cost – The extensive use of Rotary personnel as host families and counsellors, together with financial support from their Rotary Clubs means that the cost of a 12 month exchange is significantly less expensive than the private enterprise operations. This opens the opportunities for Youth Exchange to many young people who could not otherwise afford to fulfill their dreams of an exchange.
There are some short exchanges available also.
Use the email address available on the home page if you wish to know more details about Rotary Youth Exchange.