Foreign
Exchange Student
Hosting a Rotary international high school foreign exchange student is a life-enhancing experience for your entire family. It’s a unique opportunity to get new perspectives, learn new customs, and share your culture and your community with others. Most of all, you’ll build special friendships and connections that often last a lifetime. All high school foreign exchange student programs depend on families who want to be part of the exchange student’s experience and open their hearts and homes for 3-5 months. Every year, Rotary districts around the world look for host families willing to explore the challenge of welcoming a student into their home for a meaningful exchange.
Hosting is a tremendous experience in which you can share in a young person’s hopes and dreams and develop a lifelong connection with a student and family from another country. It can be challenging to help a young person transition to a new culture and ease into the surroundings but the rewards are immeasurable. Host families in the Youth Exchange program come in all shapes and sizes. They can be Rotarians or non-Rotarians, and may include young children, older children, or no children at all. Host families in the Rotary Youth Exchange program are neither compensated nor reimbursed for expenses. We are all volunteers.
You are not expected to figure it out all by yourself. Host families are provided orientation and training by the local host Rotary district and club. Additionally, host families have a trained local Rotary Youth Exchange Officer and Youth Exchange Counselor to advise and assist when needs arise.
- An exchange student from overseas lives in your home, as a member of your family, for approximately 3-4 months.
- They are involved with your family, in school, with new friends, and are also active in Rotary events such as conferences and meetings.
- They are here for about 11 months. While the exchange students are here, they live with 2 or 3 families to give them a broader understanding of our culture.
- You have extensive support from the local Rotary Club and Rotarians in your community.
- All Rotary exchange students are thoroughly screened prior to acceptance. They are wonderful young people who are smart, engaged, and excited to share their country’s unique cultures, traditions, and language.
- We promise you the experience will enrich your entire family.