You must have heard about Rotary Youth Exchange programs available worldwide. These programs offer thousands of young people with the chance to go abroad each year and experience life in various cultures. The experience will enable them to develop mature perspectives about the world. The program fosters peace and understanding by enrolling one student at a time.
Youngsters participating in these exchange programs are brave since they leave their relatives and visit an unfamiliar family. Their lives are altered more than the grow-ups in their families. They must know what a student exchange program is to understand how they will shape up as human beings after concluding school.
Types of Youth Exchange Programs
1) Short-Term Exchange– A few days to several weeks might be considered a short-term exchange. It lacks a curriculum and frequently occurs while classes are not in session (summer – July and August).
2) Long-Term Exchange– It is a school year during which a student resides with many families and attends classes in the host nation.
Living With a Host Family
The student stays with and is fed by the host family living in the program’s country. This family is expected to treat the student as part of the family rather than as a visitor. Students are responsible for travel expenses, medical insurance, tuition, phone bills, and spending.
It is important for the host family to:
- Ensure the kid has a secure environment to live and learn.
- Be curious about teens and overseas students.
- Possess the means to accommodate a new family member, including a separate bed, a proper study space, and three meals every day.
- As the learner goes through their adjustment process, provide a supportive environment.
- Help the student adjust to the family’s way of life and local culture.
- Introduce the student to your hometown and encourage involvement in school and neighborhood events.
What Students Should Remember
- Staying with one other’s families abroad helps students learn about the local way of life.
- Students must not disrespect local traditions or host families in any way
- When necessary, they must be aware of asking for assistance from the local Rotary Club.
- Prior to program admission, prospective Rotary Exchange students are screened. They are bright, young individuals eager to introduce others to their nation’s distinctive languages, cultures, and customs.
- Students can learn the most about a city from its inhabitants. Locals are the most knowledgeable about a location and its environs. Students need to observe how natives spend the majority of their time. These locations would include particular mountains and beaches, uncommon camping grounds near picturesque lakes, and castles.
Ways in Which Students Prepare Themselves For Their Future Lives
Here’s how the exchange program finetunes the kids for their future lives:
- Gives Students Time to Think- During these programs, students can consider their true interests and what to study in college to pursue their future dreams.
- Makes Their Resumes Stand Out- Taking a gap year enables you to develop skills that you wouldn’t be able to learn in a traditional classroom. Taking a year off can help improve confidence, organization, and cultural awareness. Graduates with a gap year also frequently exhibit greater job satisfaction.
- Finding Friends for Life- The friendships formed during the gap year transcend caste, class, and religious borders and endure a lifetime.
- Developing Better Perspectives: Students are forced to interact with people from many areas of life, which allows them to learn from each one. They learn more about humanity and develop new viewpoints as a result of their increased knowledge.
- Finding a Purpose: Students must decide what inspires them the most. They must utilize the same to propel a profession or a deep-seated interest. For instance, people who choose to instruct children in English may do so in the new nation.
Living in a Secure Environment
Programs for student exchange abroad can provide opportunities to pick up a new job. Through exchange programs, students are given provisions to live in secure settings. The new location becomes a home away from home for the allotted period. While getting there, students acquire information at every stage, from boarding planes to settling into lodges and keeping track of their expenses. Gradually, they learn how to adjust to the customs of the new nation.
After getting into jobs, international exchange students understand the true value of these programs and how they help cope with their jobs. They invariably discuss how these programs altered the way they previously handled themselves.
Conclusion
A student’s first time living abroad typically occurs as a result of an exchange program. This develops into a fantastic after-school exposure and every kid learns about the world with a new perspective because there is no academic pressure at this time. This novel experience of living abroad leaves a lasting and favorable impression on the kid.