International Service

Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE)

RYE is a Rotary International student exchange program for students in secondary school. Currently, about 9,000 students are sponsored by Rotary clubs every year. Typically, students are sent to another country for a year-long stay, generally living with multiple host families during the year and being expected to perform daily tasks within the household as well as attend school in the host country. Short term exchange programs are also quite common. These typically involve direct student exchanges between two families arranged through Rotary to coincide with major school holiday periods Through the Rotary Youth Exchange, Rotary International hopes to create a more interconnected and understanding world. One of Rotary's primary goals is promoting peace around the world, and through the Rotary Youth Exchange, it aims to make the world a more peaceful place one exchange at a time. This rationale follows the logic that if a students experience different cultures and meet people from all around the world, they will be more understanding of foreign people and countries in the future. Rotary expects that this understanding will lead to a more interconnected and peaceful world. High school students from 15 to 19 years of age are eligible to apply to the Rotary Youth Exchange program. To apply, a student can get in contact with his/her local Rotary club through the Rotary International website. The typical application cycle begins in the September of the year before exchange, and includes various stages of interviews and paperwork. The length and exactitudes of this process depend on which Rotary district the student is from and which Rotary district he or she will travel to. Some families choose to simply host an exchange student and not send a child on exchange. A family interested in hosting an exchange student can get started by contacting his/her local Rotary club

Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE)

Friendship Exchange is an international exchange program for Rotarians and their families that provides participants with the opportunity to experience other cultures by staying in the homes of Rotarians in other countries

Benefits of RFE :
• Advance international understanding and peace through personal contact across borders.
• Meet Rotarians from other countries and learn about their culture firsthand
• Arrange international service projects directly with Rotarians in another country
• Develop long-lasting club relationships
• Interested Rotarians must apply through their club president, who will inform them if their district participates in the program.
• District chairs work with their counterparts around the world to organize all aspects of exchanges.
• RI produces a list of district Friendship Exchange chairs on a quarterly basis to help with communication.

Types of Exchanges :
• Visitor Program: Individual Rotarians, who may be accompanied by family members, spend a few days in the home of a Rotarian in another country
• Team Program: Rotarian couples, typically four to six, visit several communities in a host district for up to one month
• Uni-vocational: Host and guest Rotarians of the same occupation observe how their job is done in other countries