January 8, 2008

Rotary District 6600 Youth Exchange Chairperson

Susan Mack, Rotary District 6600 Youth Exchange Chair and Rotarian of the Hicksville Club addressed the club's weekly meeting on the topic of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.

The Rotary Youth Exchange was on “moratorium” from 2004-2006. During that time significant changes were implemented in regards to the overall Rotary Youth Exchange program. The required changes reflected issues of lawsuits, government paperwork requirements for travel after 911, and a few other concerns.

In the 2006-2007 Rotary year, Rotary District 6600 re-worked the policies and procedures to integrate with the Ohio/ Erie Rotary Youth Exchange Program, Inc. This entity is made up of 12 Rotary Districts in Michigan , Ohio to Tennessee , West Virginia and North Carolina .

This year there are 15 in-bound students and 7 outbound students. Local student in the New Bremen and New Knoxville Schools systems are offered the opportunity to become involved in a Short Term Exchange Program (STEP) or a Long Term Exchange Program.

The STEP is a summer, true exchange program for 1 month. The local student travels abroad and lives with a family with an exchange student. The following month, the foreign exchange student travels to this country and lives with the local student’s family. The program is in-expensive and provides greater understanding of culture and promotes world peace. The Long Term exchange program, the out bound student travels and attends school and is hosted by local Rotarians.  

Visit http://www.ohioerie.org/cms for additional information on the Ohio–Erie Rotary Exchange Program, Inc.

Hosting Rotarian: Neal Brady