ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE is an international flagship student exchange program being offered by Rotary International. They are administered locally and all applicants must be sponsored by a local royal club and district. Rotary clubs exist in most countries and geographical areas and the Youth Exchanges take place in nearly all of them. At ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE, they also provide gap year programs for students. A gap year is the academic school year that follows immediately after graduation from high school and before enrolling in college or university studies. The ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE program also allows students who are graduating the next spring to participate in the gap year program, provided they will not exceed 19 years of age at the time of their departure after graduation.In response to a query about their services, the spokesperson of ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE commented, “The gap year exchange program usually lasts one academic year. It is to also help students gain a greater understanding of the culture. Students will live with 2-3 host families during their stay. We are the lowest cost student exchange program and our program is completely administered by volunteer Rotary club members, thus keeping the program expenses low”.
The Rotary’ global network brings together business, professional, and community leaders who provide humanitarian service to build goodwill and peace around the world. Dedicated Rotarians coordinate almost 10,000 student exchanges per year and they do not discriminate based on race, gender, identity, religion, or socioeconomic status. The Royal Youth exchange is managed by trained Rotarian volunteers who truly believe one of the keys to world peace is through understanding people in different cultures around the world. However, the gap travel program application and selection process vary per each Rotary district.
The spokesperson of Rotary International further commented, “We keep the cost of the Gap year program low through our volunteer Rotary club members. We believe studying abroad as a high school foreign exchange student will immerse students into the culture of another country, thereby making them become global citizens with changed perspectives about people in other countries of the world.”
At ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE, they ensure that all students who participate in the gap year exchange program are required to attend high school while on exchange. It is a way to ensure complete cultural immersion. Some of the benefits the Gap year abroad programs offer students include: Students benefit from immersion into another culture, while adapting to a new way of life, students make lifelong friends, they assume leadership roles shaped by lessons from their experience, build lasting memories and more.
About ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE:
ROTARY YOUTH EXCHANGE has over 1.2 million members in over 33,000 clubs around the world. Their Rotary Youth Exchange program is managed and coordinated by trained Rotarian volunteers who truly believe that world peace can be achieved through understanding people of different cultures. Thus, high school graduates can participate in the Gap year abroad programs through Rotary International’s Long term exchange program (LTEP)