Bixby Rotary Seeking Host Families for Youth Exchange
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 our children and ourselves.
Youth Exchange provides thousands of young people with the opportunity to meet and interact with people from other lands and to experience their culture. The goal is to plant the seeds for a lifetime of international understanding within these young adults, with hopes that they in turn will pass on this knowledge and strengthen international relations.
Since 1927, students and host families from all over the world have had their horizons broadened and their lives enriched by the generosity of Rotary’s Youth Exchange program. The program today involves more than 82 countries and over 8,000 students each year.
High school students between the ages of 15 and 19 are eligible for Rotary Youth Exchange. As the oldest exchange program of its kind, Rotary’s Youth exchange program takes pride in choosing students who are articulate, excel academically, and demonstrate leadership in their communities. Ideal candidates possess qualities like flexibility and a willingness to try new things. This “open minded” spirit will enable them to become excellent cultural ambassadors.
Exchange students usually arrive in August in time to begin school and depart for their home country in late May or early June.
Ideally, students will have three host families during their stay for a period of approximately three months each. This allows them to experience the lifestyles, cultures, and family dynamics of three different families.
In addition to providing room and board, host families are expected to exercise general parental supervision over the student just as they would their own children, and to involve him or her in daily household chores and activities. Host families are encouraged to expose the student to the many cultural, religious and traditional events that their families enjoy.
The Rotary Club of Bixby is actively seeking host families for the 2018-2019 school year. Membership in Rotary is not a requirement, but host families must live within the Bixby school system.
The club is sponsoring a young lady from a small town in the province of Lower Saxony, Germany. She reads, writes and speaks English fluently. She is currently in 10th grade and ranks in the top 10 percent of her class. Her hobbies are reading and playing tennis. Her goal is to study medicine and become a surgeon. Her parents report that she is disciplined and goal oriented.
Please consider hosting this young lady in your home for a few months during the coming school year. Not only could you provide an unforgettable experience for her, but it will enrich the lives of every member of your family.
For more information please contact Mike Gately at 918-810-3277 or youthservices@BixbyRotary.com.
Updated 04-27-2018
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