Rotary Youth Exchange

Typically, students are sent to another country for a year-long stay, generally living with multiple host families during the year, and are expected to perform daily tasks within the household as well as attend school in the host country.

These typically involve direct student exchanges between two families, arranged through Rotary to coincide with major school holiday periods.

The first year-long exchange conducted by Rotary under this new framework involved a student leaving Scottsbluff, Nebraska, to live in Myrtleford, Australia for 10 months, and two Australians from Myrtleford arriving in Grand Lake, Colorado.

In 1962, the first exchange involving Japan and Germany was arranged after tense relations between them and other Rotary International Clubs following World War II.

Rotary groups are not permitted to participate in RYE programs without first obtaining RI Certification.

In 2003, an Australian woman accused the volunteer charity, Rotary, of failing to investigate or adequately respond to her allegations of repeated abuse by a Rotarian who was supposed to be looking after her during her exchange in 1967, when she was 15.

[citation needed] Exchange students are called "outbounds" by their home (sponsor) Rotary club and district, and simultaneously "inbounds" by their host Rotary club and district in the country they spend their year in.

Rebounds can earn the title of "Rotex" in various ways, depending on their host district.

A student from the United States will almost always leave in August or September and stay until June or July.

This rule mainly covers tattoos and piercings, but also carries over to less permanent but still frowned upon practices such as shaving one's head or dyeing hair crazy colors.

Some Rotary districts (notably in Japan) will not give prospective students any say in their country selection process.

[6] Student visa and guarantee forms - Students may be required to complete a visa application, and as part of the formal Youth Exchange application, they will be required to complete a guarantee form.

Local health departments and consular officials can help students determine the required or recommended immunizations for the countries they are traveling to.

Students should check with Rotarians from their sponsor club to determine whether additional health documentation will be necessary in the host country.

The application includes an examination form that must be completed by a health care provider.

While most countries recommend navy blue, the blazer may also be dark green, red, black, or maroon.