By Zoe Litchford

Rotary Youth Exchange is an organization of Rotary International that seeks to connect young people from around the world by participating in an exchange. Rotary’s main goal is to promote peace. Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) does this by providing young people with immersive experiences in another culture. In this article, I hope to inform you about Rotary Youth Exchange and possibly inspire you to get involved.

How does RYE work? There are two types of exchange, short and long term. Short-term exchanges last from a few days to three months in the form of homestays, tours, and youth camps that take place during school breaks. Long-term exchange is a full academic year, where the student will live with multiple host families and attend school in their host country. This article is going to focus more on the more common, long-term exchange experience. 

During a long-term exchange, the student is expected to fully immerse themselves in their host country’s culture. They do this by attending school, learning the language, and participating in cultural traditions.RYE partners with over 30 countries. This is subject to change based on your Rotary district and year. You are required to go to a country that speaks a different language from your home country. Students can apply through their local Rotary club. Students should be in the top half of their class and be able to function independently.

There are many benefits to participating in Rotary Youth Exchange. While you are on exchange, you will experience immense personal growth incomparable to anything you could experience in your home country. Being completely immersed in a foreign country with a foreign language can be extremely challenging but rewarding. 

Once previous exchange student, Yasmin Slivia, who went to Italy for the 2023-2024 school year said when asked about her experience, “I think I matured in a lot of ways and I learned how to be independent, having to live in a foreign country where you don’t know the language and don’t know anyone really teaches you things about adult life”. 

Another exchange student, Alisa Pak, who went to Finland for the 2023-2024 academic year, said something similar, that “I became more independent, learned how to set a budget for myself. I would say I am more social than before I went on exchange. It also taught me to take advantage of any opportunities that come my way, since you never know where they will lead you. Overall, it better prepared me for “adulthood.” 

Another major benefit of RYE is being able to engross yourself in a foreign culture. You will learn a new language or expand your knowledge of a language and experience cultural traditions, like major holidays. Not only that, but you will also attend school in your host country. This will allow you to get a completely different perspective on learning. Of course, during this process you will be expected to share elements of your culture. 

One of the things that separates Rotary from all other programs is its network of support. With Rotary you will have your home club, district Youth Exchange Officer or YEO, and of course your family and friends. In your host country, the country you complete your exchange in, you will have a host club, district, YEO, and host families. This assures that the student always has support. 

Rotary also has an extensive network of alumni which during the many Rotary Youth Exchange events, give talks to give advice to students. Rotary also sets up events with the exchange students of the district so you are able to meet and talk to other exchange students. At the end of the academic year, depending on where you are, you may be able to go on a tour. This consists of a bus tour with many other exchange students, and then they travel to many different cities/countries, depending on where you go.

There are many different ways to get involved with RYE. As a student, you can apply to be an exchange student. If you do not want to go on an exchange but would still like to work with Rotary, you can join an Interact Club. You could also consider hosting an exchange student. If you are interested in becoming an exchange student, please reach out to your local Rotary Club, or email tiffhenryrye@gmail.com

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost?

The cost can change depending on where you go and what extra trips you take but most varies from $6,000 – $10,000, there are need-based scholarships available.

How many students participate in Rotary Youth Exchange?

Each year there are about 9,000 students who participate in Rotary Youth Exchange.

How old do you have to be to participate?

In order to go on a long-term exchange you must be 15.5 to 18 years old by departure, however some countries have age restrictions for older people.

The application process is relatively straightforward. The first thing you should do if you are considering applying is contact your local coordinator. You would be able to ask them questions, and they can help you get the application going. First, you will apply at the club level to a local Rotary club; there are many options in the Champaign Metropolitan area. Once you send in your club application, you will then have a club-level interview. This interview will look different depending on where you are applying. After your interview, you will hopefully get confirmation that you have been accepted. Once you are accepted, you will be sent the longer online application and supplemental paperwork. You will have a distinct interview, usually the first weekend of November. The one downside to RYE is that you are unable to directly pick where you go. You are able to rank different countries and the organization will try to match you with your top pick. However, a country/district can only take in as many people as they send out so there are limited spots available. This is just one of the reasons it is important to be open-minded and adaptable during your exchange. 

As a exchange student, you can first expect an outbound and inbound orientation. As an outbound (an exchange student leaving your home country), you will have an orientation before you leave and as an inbound (exchange student entering your host country), you will also have an orientation. This is a great opportunity to meet other exchange students! As an exchange student you will have 2-3 different host families. This will allow you to experience how different people convey their culture. You will also be expected to participate in activities, this could be a school club or a team sport. You will be required to try in school and learn the language while you are on exchange. During school breaks, rotary offers different tours, as previously mentions. As an exchange student it is completely normal to experience homesickness and culture shock. If you are struggling you can always reach out to your host family or YEO.

Did you know that from the ages 15-18 you have the opportunity to partake in an academic exchange year, spending 11 months in a different country, speaking a different language, and making new friends. You would be completely immersed in a different culture. You can do this with Rotary Youth Exchange, a program of Rotary International. But why would I want to leave my family to go to a different country? Well, former Rotary exchange student Alisa Pak, who went to Vantaa, Finland for the 2023-2024 academic year said it best, “There would be no war if every high school student went on exchange, because you wouldn’t shoot your best friend.” A founding principle of Rotary Youth Exchange or RYE for short is the idea that young people who get to experience and meet people from other cultures will be more expecting of other cultures and people when they are older, leading to a more interconnected and peaceful world. Why Rotary? There are many different programs that allow high school students to study abroad but RYE is one of the best programs due to their unique system of host clubs. Every student will have a sponsor club, district, and coordinator from the home country that helps them get abroad. Once they are there they have a host club, district, coordinator, and host families. Yes, host families, with RYE students get 3 different host families on average that they switch from every few months to maximize their cultural experience. RYE is also an amazing program because of its cost, while it is still expense costing from around $6,000-$10,000, scholarships are available and other programs cost anywhere from $