Rotary Youth Exchange Program (YEP)
The Long Term Exchange Program
The Long Term YEP is a 12 month exchange for young people who have the opportunity to spend a year in another country and to live that culture and experience for that year.
A successful candidate is sponsored by a Rotary Club in District 9650 and hosted overseas by a Rotary Club in the destination country. The student is hosted by Rotary families or families approved by the Rotary Club in the host country for the duration of their stay.
Host Countries available to District 9650 are:
- Mexico
- Brazil
- Norway
- Sweden
- Finland
- Denmark
- Austria
- Switzerland
- USA
- Japan
- France
- Germany
- Belgium
- Turkey
Some exchanges are also possible to Canada, Thailand, Iceland & England when a position is available.
Eligibility
Students must be between 16-18 years old.
Approximate Costs
Inbound - Approximately $2000 for the host Club. This includes $100-$120 per month allowance, meeting meals, school uniforms and briefings.
Outbound - Approximately $250 for the sponsor Club.
The cost to the student or family may vary considerably depending on the host country and exchange rate.
The Short Term Exchange Program
This is also known as the Australia - New Zealand Matched Exchange. Each year students from years 8, 9 or 10 in District 9650 are paired with students of the same age from one of the six Rotary Districts in New Zealand.
Each local student is paired with a student (and their family) in New Zealand. Each student will spend one school term in the other country. The Australians go to New Zealand in term 2 and their New Zealand counterpart comes to Australia in term 3.
Students participate in all the activities in which any other school student would normally take part. A student may elect to take work from their school to do while they are away to minimise the disruption to their continuing education.
The families participating in the program meet the majority of the costs, which are usually around $3,500.00.
A sponsor Rotary Club may nominate one or more students and meet the cost of a jacket, T-shirt and back pack for each successful applicant (about $125.00).
As part of the program, students are expected to attend several Rotary meeting at home and abroad to share their experiences with the members of both their sponsor and host Rotary Clubs.
The program runs annually and if you would like to participate or get more information, click on Contact Us from the above menu to get in touch with a representative from the Rotary Club of Forster on Wallis.