Rotary Youth Exchange Scholarship Program

Rotary Youth Exchange Scholarship Program – Opportunities that Make a Difference

If you are ready for the challenges and the rewards of living in another land or having a student from another land living in  your household for a short time, then you are ready to discover the new worlds available through the Rotary Youth Exchange Scholarship Program. Here is the chance for you to make a difference in life, make a difference in the world and make some good friends at the same time.  Become a vital part of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program and see the world from the inside out.

We actively promote the Rotary Youth Exchange Scholarship Program for our local high school students and we sponsor students from other countries to come to our local high school. These cultural exchange opportunities are available to outstanding students who want to make a difference by broadening their horizons and enriching their lives through Rotary’s exceptional student exchange program.

Be an “outbound student”
  • 15 to under 18 years old, but not yet graduated, at time of departure
  • Experience new way of living and learning
  • Spend a year living with host families
  • Go to school in another country
  • Experience life in one of about 15 different countries
  • Have new experiences, meet new people, taste adventure
  • Enjoy the safety and protection of the Youth Exchange Program run by Rotary Club volunteers around the world
Host an “inbound student”
  • Get to know a student from another country, selected and sent by their Rotary Club
  • Share a view of what living in your family in USA is like
  • Discover more about the world and its people while still right at home
  • Have the chance to introduce a foreign student to the local culture so they feel part of the community while you learn about their culture
  • Provide guidance, friendship, a bed and meals for about three months
  • Encourage student while they are a full-time student at the local high school
  • Families can be Rotarians or non-Rotarians
  • Families can have young children, older children or no children at all
  • Have the safety and protection of the Youth Exchange Program run by Rotary Club volunteers around the world

The most powerful force in the promotion of international understanding and peace is exposure to different cultures. The world becomes a smaller, friendlier place when we learn that all people – regardless of nationality – desire the same basic things: a safe, comfortable environment that allows for a rich and satisfying life for ourselves and our children. Youth Exchange provides thousands of young people with the opportunity to meet people from other lands and to experience their cultures, thus planting the seeds for a lifetime of international understanding.

Since 1927, students and host families all over the world have had their horizons broadened and their lives enriched by the generosity of Rotary’s Youth Exchange program. Administered by Rotary clubs, districts and multi-district groups, the program today involves more than 82 countries and over 8,000 students each year.

Owego Rotary Club is an active participant in the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program. We make this exceptional program available to the outstanding students in five Tioga County school districts:

  • Candor
  • Newark Valley
  • Owego Apalachin
  • Spencer Van Etten
  • Tioga

Long-term exchanges usually last for an academic year. During the stay, the student will live with more than one host family – typically three different families for three months each – and attend high school in the country that is assigned to the student.

To learn more about these opportunities, contact a local Rotarian or write an e-mail to: YEP@owegorotary.com.

Information for prospective exchange students and their parents

Information for current outbound exchange students
Information for our inbound exchange students
Information for Host Families