Outbounds Long Term
What is an "Outbound" Exchange Student?
An "Outbound" is a high school student selected by a Rotary club in District 5190 to serve as ambassadors foreign countries around the world. Rotary Youth Exchange students are open-minded, flexible individuals who demonstrate leadership qualities and have high moral standards that will enable them to become excellent cultural ambassadors for their country and the Rotary club and district that supports them.
The District 5190 Rotary Youth Exchange Program offers two different exchange experiences. The Long Term Exchange Program is a yearlong program in which the student is hosted by 2 or 3 families and attends school in a partner foreign country. The Short Term Exchange Program is a 6 – 8 week program, normally during the summer.
Long-Term Exchange Program
When a high school student is selected to be a Long Term Rotary Youth Exchange student by a Rotary club, they become a Rotary Youth Exchange Student candidate. All candidates (along with at least one parent/guardian) are required to attend a Briefing Meeting, normally held in mid-October. At this meeting the student will learn how to fill out the Long Term Exchange Application, about the costs of the exchange, the countries that District 5190 is partnered with, how they are assigned their country, how the travel process works, and have a time to ask questions.
In early December all of the candidates (along with at least one parent/guardian) will be interviewed by a Rotary District Interview Committee. Candidates are notified in January if they have been selected to be a Rotary Youth Exchange student, and where they will be during their exchange.
To ensure that the students have an successful exchange experience, all of the outbound students (along with at least one parent/guardian) will attend three orientation sessions. The first session is normally early February for one day. The second orientation is normally mid-April for 2 days, and the third orientation is normally at the end of June for one day.
The orientations cover the following topics, plus some topics not listed:
- What is Rotary
- Ethical behavior
- Language learning
- Cultural adjustment and home sickness
- What is culture
- Travel, health insurance, passports, visas
- Money while on exchange, cell phones, computers/tablets
- Visits by parents/guardians
At the orientations students will have the opportunity to meet former Rotary Youth Exchange students and current inbound students. After they are selected, Rotary Youth Exchange students are expected to follow Rotary rules for exchange students and must understand that they may be removed from the program before they leave on exchange if they miss orientation, do not make progress in learning their host country language, or break certain rules.
District 5190 has Youth Exchange agreements with the following countries. In some of the countries, the exchange covers the whole country, and in others, a region of the country. Although there is an exchange agreement with these countries, we do not exchange students with every country every year.
How To Apply
A selection and orientation process has been designed to ensure the success of the program. There are 59 Rotary Clubs in Rotary District 5190, and approximately 25 students are chosen each year. There are age limits for exchange students. You must be at least 15 1/2 years old and not over 18 1/2 years when you start your exchange. If you are not chosen, you are encouraged to reapply for the following year.
You can download the preliminary application form and submit it to your local Rotary club. The Long Term Application will not be available until after the October Briefing meeting. Do not download a Rotary Youth Exchange application from any website other than this website.
If you have any questions you can send an email message to the Committee Chairperson at: info@rye5190.org
RYE Selection and Orientation Process
A selection and orientation process has been designed to ensure the success of the program. There are 59 Rotary Clubs in Rotary District 5190, and approximately 25 students are chosen each year. There are age limits for exchange students. You must be at least 15 1/2 years old and not over 18 1/2 years when you start your exchange. If you are not chosen, you are encouraged to reapply for the following year.
In September and October, local Rotary clubs will interview candidates.
At the end of October, there is a required briefing meeting for both students and parents. At this meeting students and parents will learn about the program costs and requirements, and be given information on how to fill out the applications.
In December, the RYE District Committee will interview each candidate and his or her parents. Notifications are normally made in the following January.
There are 3 required orientation meetings for both students and parents. These meetings are held between mid January the end of May. At these meetings students and parents will learn about such things as home sickness, money management, computer use during the exchange, cultural differences, and many other topics.
Students normally depart for their exchanges in August and September.
