District 5690 - 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 people from other lands and to experience their cultures. This plants the seeds for a lifetime of international understanding.

The Youth Exchange program is one of the premier programs of Rotary International as it provides an opportunity for students to expand their view of the world by living outside their comfort zone. South Central Rotary Youth Exchange has offered optional summer tours for their students for well over 20 years with trips of the East and West coasts. For over 10 years, PDG Chuck and Nancy Frazier have planned those June tours including finding volunteers to be chaperons.

In the past couple of years, we've not needed any new staff members as we had sufficient repeat participation. This year, however, some of our previous chaperons have indicated that they will not be able to travel with the students so we are looking for Rotariams AND non-Rotarians (teachers, college students over 21, etc.) to fill some of the positions available for the June 2009 trips. As youth exchange students from your district may very likeley be on one of the trips, we would appreciate any support you could provide by informing your district's Rotarians of the opportunity to provide service to these great students. It might be easiest to spread the word if this information would be included in their announcements or newsletters.

Chaperons receive paid transportation to/from the tour, double occupancy hotel accommodations with a same gender staff person, entrance to all events the students attend and a per diem to cover the cost of meals. Dates of the three trips are:

WEST TOUR A - June 15 to 29, 2009

WEST TOUR B - June 12 to 26, 2009

EAST TOUR - June 18 to July 2, 2009

Applications for chaperon positions will be sent on request by contacting:

PDG Chuck Fraizer

BOX 1071

Emporia, KS. 66801

620-342-9016

PDG5710@cableone.net

Click the link below to obtain Youth Exhchange Brochures and Handbooks directly from the Rotary International website (link opens in a new window):

Youth Exhchange Brochures and Handbooks