Rotary Youth Exchange

Rotary Youth Exchange

We are pleased to announce that the popular Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) will recommence in 2023.

 
District 9930 will be accepting inbound students in July 2023, and New Zealand outbound students will depart in January 2024.
 
Please contact Tauranga Te Papa Young Generations director, Jerry Cowper ph. 027 6347239 or by email (cbas@actrix.co.nz) if you have any questions.
 
Applications may be made on the Rotary District 9930 website and should be sent to Pip Feast (fe@camhigh.school.nz)
 

What is RYE?

Unfortunately acronyms are part of Rotary and this one stands for Rotary Youth Exchange, sometimes referred to as IYE, International Youth Exchange. Both are exactly the same.

Applications for exchange students will be received anytime after October and will close on 30 April for students wishing to depart the following January for a 12 month exchange. Exchange students are hosted in a Rotary District by a Rotary club, so immediately you have both a support network and a social network with a club that is based around your local community. The club will be there to help you settle in and for you to be part of during your year away and they will have one of their club members as your counsellor so you have someone to go to during your year. Rotary is a global service organisation with over 1 million members so having an exchange programme operating as part of this global network brings a special dimension to being an exchange student – you won’t be an exchange student, you will be a ROTARY exchange student with all of the associated advantages.

Rotary District :  The world is divided up to approximately 535 Districts and within those Districts there are approximately 45 Clubs in each District. The head Rotarian in each District is known as the District Governor. Generally Districts exchange with this program is on a District to District basis. i.e. send a student out and receive a student in.
Outbound student:  A term applied by sending districts to students they support for an exchange in another country.
Inbound student:  A term applied by host districts to students they receive from another country for an exchange.
Sending district:  The Rotary district in the student’s home country that facilitates the exchange to another country.
Host district:  The Rotary district that receives a student from another country. Host families work closely with the host district.
Host club:  The Rotary club that supports the student during the course of the exchange.
Host counsellor:  Member of the host club appointed to serve as the exchange student’s main contact with the club and to act as a liaison between the student, club, host family, and community. This individual must not be a member of the student’s host family.
Youth Exchange officer:  A Rotarian appointed or elected to hold either a district Rotary Youth Exchange committee office or that of a club Youth Exchange committee.
 Selected by the district governor, the district Youth Exchange Chair oversees activity related to the program throughout an entire district.
 

Background to this program

Rotary Youth Exchange is one of Rotary's most popular programs to promote international understanding and develop lifelong friendships. It began in 1927 with the Rotary Club of Nice, France exchanging with a Danish Club. In 1939 an extensive Youth Exchange was created between California and Latin America. Since then the program has expanded around the world. In recent years more than 8,000 young people participate annually in Rotary-sponsored exchange programs.
The values of Rotary Youth Exchange are experienced not only by the high school-age students involved but also by the host families, sponsoring clubs, receiving high schools and the entire community. Rotary Youth Exchange participants usually provide their fellow students in their host schools with excellent opportunities to learn about customs, languages, traditions and family life in another country. Rotary Youth Exchange offers young people interesting opportunities and rich experiences to see another part of the world. Students from our district spend a full academic year abroad.
Approximately 36 percent of Rotary Youth Exchange students are hosted or sent by the clubs in the United States and Canada. European countries account for about 40 percent, and 12 percent come from Australia and New Zealand. Asian clubs sponsor 5 percent, and 7 percent come from Latin American countries. Over 70 percent of all Rotary districts participate in Youth Exchange activities.
Rotary Youth Exchange is a highly recommended program for all Rotary clubs as a practical activity for the enhancement of international understanding and goodwill.
 

Rotary Youth Exchange builds peace one young person at a time.

 
Students may learn a new language, will certainly discover another culture, and truly become global citizens. Exchanges for students 16 to 18 years old are sponsored by Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries.
What are the benefits?
Exchange students unlock their true potential to:
  • Develop lifelong leadership skills
  • Learn a new language and culture
  • Build lasting friendships with young people from around the world
  • Become a global citizen
How long do exchanges last?
Long-term exchanges last a full academic year, and students attend local schools and live with multiple host families.
What are the costs?
Room and board are provided, as well as any school fees. Each program varies, but students are usually responsible for:
  • Round-trip airfare
  • Travel insurance
  • Travel documents (such as passports and visas)
  • Spending money and any additional travel or tours
How can I apply?
Candidates are 16-18 years old and are leaders in their schools and communities. Contact your local Rotary club to see what exchange opportunities are available and what the application process involves. 
 
Can I host an exchange student?
Hosting an exchange student can be incredibly rewarding for your family, bringing an international experience directly into your home. Host families provide room and board and share their lives with exchange students, involving them in family, community, and cultural activities. In fact the student becomes part of your family, not a guest, and will be asked to do his/her share of family duties. In regard to cost, the Host, as mentioned provides the bed/food and what would be normally part of your daily family activities. In regard to schooling the Host Club will generally pick up the tab for those extra activities and travel to and from school, say by school bus, the student does get an allowance from the Host Club for these types of expenses. Many families have some of their own children traveling to the same school so the exchange student can piggy back with them. Host families do not have to have students of similar age as surveys with exchange students over the years say they are just as happy with senior Rotarians and hosts (a lot have said they love the care and attention they get) or those with young children who absolutely adore their exchange brother or sister. Rotary Youth Exchange has been a major focus of our Youth programmes over many years which has placed us at the forefront in New Zealand as far as the number of overseas students hosted and that of course reflects in the number of Kiwi students we are able to send overseas.
Should you wish any further information please do not hesitate to contact myself, Jerry C or Roger M who collectively have had in excess of 80 years involvement and are very passionate about this program.
Thank for reading and considering the above, we look forward to your involvement.
Ward R.
 

If you are the parent of a student or a student interested in learning more, just click here.

Our 2018 Youth Exchange Students!

The Tauranga Te Papa Club is proud to sponsor one outward-bound exchange student this Rotary year. She is Cleo Putty who will travel to Belgium in January of 2024.

 
The club's last inbound exchange student was Vera Zwijnenberg, who travelled from The Netherlands in 2018.
 
 
Any RYE student who is associated with Tauranga Te Papa Club is welcome to post on this page and provide links to their exchange content, please e-mail info@taurangatepaparotary.club
 

Tauranga Te Papa Rotary Past Youth Exchange Students:
                    

Inbound                                                                                             Outbound
Ramona Van-Diepen (Canada)                                                       Jodie Passgaard 1985 (Denmark)
Michelle Gaston 1984 (USA)                                                            Suzanne Walker 1987 (USA)
Katrina Nesemann 1988 (Germany)                                               Jen McIntyre 1991(Canada)
Michelle Reinger 1990 (USA)                                                           Kirsty Reed-Smith 1992 (Finland)
Jamie McKenzie 1991 (Canada)                                                     Dianne Goodrick 1994 (Japan)
Sophia Hiden 1993 (Sweden)                                                          Jason Enright 1996 (South Africa)
Aymeric Deveaux 1995 (Belgium)                                                   Amanda Fleming 1998 (Norway)
Kinau Erasmus 1997 (South Africa)                                                Megan Enright 1999 (Argentina)
Leslie Rautenberg 1998 (USA)                                                        Megan Ede 2000 (Sweden)
Gaby Magaquian 2000 (Argentina)                                                  Stacey Enright 2002 (France
Thayla Stivari 2002 (Brazil)                                                              Lauren Owens 2002 (Brazil)
Axel Obermeier 2003 (Austria)                                                        Sarah-Jane Fisher 2004 (Germany)
Lukas Kappeler 2005 (Switzerland)                                                Kirsty Smith 2005 (Switzerland)
Agus Temporini 2006 (Argentina)                                                    Ben Ron 2006 (Chile)  
Ana Lorenzetti 2007 (Brazil)                                                            Michael Sparrow 2007 (Denmark)
Lucie Demortier  2008  (France)                                                     Dillon Johnston-Keys 2008 (France)
Henrique Schmidt  2010  (Brazil)                                                    Emma Walsh  2009  (Sweden)
Nehir Schmidt 2010(Switzerland)                                                   Morgan Armitage 2013 (Netherlands)
Madeleine Woods 2013 (USA)                                                        Charlotte Coultas 2014 (U.S.A.)
Marie Christine Grethen 2014 (Austria)                                          Scott Young 2015 (Netherlands) Jasmine Cox 2015 (Belgium)
Emma Boulogne 2015 (France)                                                     Jessie Smalberger 2016 (Belgium); Tessa Waldron 2016 (France)
Alexis Winter 2016 (Canada)  Lara Martins (Brazil)                       Kalista Ellis 2018 (Germany) Kelly Chadwick 2018 (USA)
Vera Zwijnenberg 2018 (Netherlands)