The Milton Rotary Club is pleased to announce that it will continue to sponsor a Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) program for Milton students in the coming 2015 – 2016 academic year. We are seeking eligible families to host a visiting student for a few months out of the year. This past fall, students from Milton High School were selected to spend their next school year abroad as part of the Rotary International, RYE program. In turn, a student from another country will come to Milton.

Rotary International, a worldwide organization of business and community leaders, dedicated to “Service above self” is uniquely positioned to offer youth programs, which can change the lives of those who participate. Through them young people can earn scholarships, travel on cultural exchanges, or help a community through a service project.

The Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) program is a powerful force in promoting peace and understanding worldwide by exposing students to different cultures and opportunities. The Rotary program has operated successfully for over 75 years, and through our own local club, for nearly 2 decades. The program offers Milton residents between the ages of 15 and 19, in the upper one third of their academic class, an opportunity to be a world traveler and to participate in an established program at reasonable cost.

Having foreign students in Milton makes a richer educational experience for all our children, and teaches them about the world as no other way can. At this time, we are seeking eligible host families for visiting students to reside for a minimum of 2 months. As our local high school students go abroad as junior ambassadors, teaching people they meet about our country, culture, and ideas, the Milton club will sponsor a foreign student to attend Milton High School and live with local families to learn about our community and American culture.

Hosting an exchange student for a few months out of the year can be an incredibly rewarding experience for a family, providing an international experience without leaving home. Host families provide room and board and share their lives with exchange students, involving them in family, community, and cultural activities.

Why host a Rotary Youth Exchange Student?

Hosting a Youth Exchange student from another country is a challenge — and an opportunity. Involvement with an exchange student challenges a host family to become familiar with another culture, while providing the opportunity to share a student’s hopes and ambitions. These challenges and opportunities promise to enrich the lives of every member of your family.

Because Rotary exchanges with more countries than any other exchange organization, you could have a student from one of 163 countries living in your home. Not only will you provide an unforgettable service to a student from abroad, but you also will educate your family about the world around them.

Continue the History of Rotary Youth Exchange!

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 multidistrict groups, the program today involves more than 82 countries and over 8,000 students each year.

The first documented exchanges date back to 1927, when the Rotary Club of Nice, France, initiated exchanges withEuropean students. Exchanges between clubs in California, USA, and Latin American countries began in 1939, and exchange activities spread to the eastern United States in 1958. In 1972, the RI Board of Directors agreed to recommend Youth Exchange to clubs worldwide as a worthwhile international activity that promotes global peace and understanding.

What are the host family responsibilities?

As a Rotary Youth Exchange host family, it is your responsibility to provide room and board for your exchange student. You are also expected to exercise general parental supervision over the student just as you would your own children, and involve him or her in daily household chores and activities.
For more information about hosting for the Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) visit http://miltonrotary.org/ or http://www.exchangestudent.org/ForHostFamilies.cfm.

You may also contact Sheri Richardson at 617-696-0077 or msherir1@yahoo.com for a Youth Exchange Host Family application.