Youth Exchange
Are you a high school student who dreams about studying abroad as a foreign exchange student? The Rotary Youth Exchange program is a scholarship program tailor-made for you.
Are you a high school student who dreams about studying abroad as a foreign exchange student? The Rotary Youth Exchange program is a scholarship program tailor-made for you. Study Abroad with Rotary Youth Exchange!
Rotary Youth Exchange builds peace one young person at a time. Students learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens. Exchanges students are sponsored by Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries. A Rotary Youth Exchange student will be an ambassador of his or her country and city, sponsoring Rotary Club and school. They will share their culture, language and country with fellow students, host families, Rotarians, new found friends and sometimes children, organizations and statesmen in the community and country that hosts them.
Important dates:
Rotary Youth Exchange Information Session – Monday, September 16, 2024 at 7:00pm in the Russ Ramsay Room at City Hall
2025/2026 Application Due Date – Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 5:00pm
2025/2026 Potential Exchange Student Interviews – Saturday, September 28, 2024 at Bethel Bible Chapel
What are the benefits?
Exchange students unlock their true potential to:
- Develop lifelong leadership skills
- Learn a new language and culture
- Build lasting friendships with young people from around the world
- Become a global citizen
How long do exchanges last?
Long-term exchanges last a full academic year, and students attend local schools and live with multiple host families.
What are the costs?
Flat fee is $8,000USD or $11,000CAD. Payment and refund schedule is included in this section.
Included in flat fee:
- Attendance at District Training and Orientation Programs:
- Interview Conference – October 2024
- Winter Conference, Including Bus Fee – February 2025
- Spring Conference – April 2025
- Calvin Conference #1 & #2 – July 2025 and July 2026
- Two credits toward parent attendance at either Calvin Conferences
- Airfare Pool*
- Rotary Required Health & Liability Insurance*
- Travel Agency Fees
- Foreign Visa support
- Parent orientation sessions (webinar & in-person)
- Rotary business cards, district pins, patch
- Language Camp (if required)
- Sweatshirt and t-shirt
*If there is an excess in funds beyond 5% of the pooled airfare and insurance fund, once all costs are finalized, a pro-rata refund will be made to each student in October of 2025.
We also arrange with the host club for the students to receive:
- In-country high school registration
- Room and board with 1-3 pre-approved host families in host country
- Monthly Rotary stipend from hosting club of $75-100 (local currency)
- Local support, counselor and supervision in-country
- Life-long opportunities to engage with other Exchange Students
- Life-long benefits of being a member of the Rotary International family
Not included in fee:
- Youth exchange blazer
- Passport
- Travel to embassy/consulate to obtain visa (if required)
- Paperwork fees to obtain visa or application (notary, etc.)
- Vaccinations, immunizations & medications
- Predeparture medical & dental exams (required)
- Local travel
- Camera, clothing, personal items
- Luggage fees (in excess of basic covered by airline ticket)
- Currency exchange fees
- Bank fees
- Tours & travel in host country
- Emergency fund (determined by host country, usually $300-$500USD; unused funds will be refunded to you at the conclusion of the exchange)
- Spending money while abroad (on average, students use $100-$200/month, depending on the student’s spending habits)
Refund schedule:
| DUE DATE | USD$ | CAD$ | Possibility of Refund | Refund Amount |
| October 15 | $500 | $700 | Non-refundable | Non-refundable |
| December 15 | $2,500 | $3,450 | On or before 2/1/2025 | Amount paid less $625 |
| February 15 | $2,500 | $3,450 | On or before 3/15/25 | Amount paid less $1,500 |
| May 15 | $2,500 | $3,400 | Before departure | Amount paid less $3,000 if no plane ticket has been issued |
| 7/25/25 or after | No refunds |
How can I apply?
Applicants planning to depart in August 2025 MUST:
- be born on or after February 1, 2007 (Maximum Age: 18y 6m)
- AND be born on or before February 1, 2010 (Minimum Age: 15y 6m)
- Have a minimum 2.75 GPA (approx. 80% average) over their last two years of school
Applications are due by 5:00pm on Thursday, September 26, 2024.
Successful applicants will be invited to be interviewed. The interview process will require the applicant to be interviewed by an interview team individually, then with their parents. Finally the parents are interviewed without the applicant. Interviews take twenty to thirty minutes in total for all three sessions. Each applicant will be interviewed by two teams. The purpose of the interview is to assess the applicant for qualities in adaptability, linguistic ability, general awareness and scholastic attainment among others.
The Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie will select one to two applicants to attend interviews at the Rotary District level that will be very similar to the local interviews. Our Rotary Club has a very good track record of acceptance of our applicants at the District level but this is not guaranteed.
Students that are accepted into the program will attend four more District sponsored week-end conferences to prepare them for their year abroad. Our “Outbound” students will depart for their assigned country in either July or August of 2024 for approximately an eleven month duration.