Main photo (from left) Suzi Jarvis, Rotary Chair of Youth Services; Maria Habib, Rotary Youth Exchange Student from Chile; Julia McKenzie, Rotary Director of Youth Services; and Lou Luvison, Rotary Chair of Interact.
It’s a life-changing experience.
“Students return to school and our community with outstanding levels of self-confidence and independence,” says Huntsville High School (HHS) teacher, David Armstrong, of those who participate in the Rotary Youth Exchange program. “The experience of living and attending school in a foreign country remains with them for the rest of their lives and can really result in both changed perspectives as well as increased opportunity.”
Students interested in next year’s Rotary Youth Exchange (YEX) program have just a week left to apply.
The YEX program allows students from HHS, and many other schools, to study abroad, where they can be immersed in a different culture, learn a new language, and travel. Each student is placed with a host family who helps integrate them into the local community and takes them sight-seeing.
The program mirrors a school year, with students leaving in August and returning the following July.
Suzi Jarvis, chair of Youth Services for Rotary Club of Huntsville, plays a major part in facilitating this program at Huntsville High School. Jarvis and her team recruit a student from HHS to attend the year-long program.
“The transformation that you witness throughout the year is so rewarding,” says Jarvis. “I remember when interviewing Hunter Reid (last year’s outbound student), he was shy and not too confident. I recently saw Hunter at our District Conference and he gave me the biggest hug and said, ‘This experience has completely changed my life. Thank you and the club for sending me.’ That moment made me feel so proud to be a part of this fantastic program. It truly is a life changing experience for the student.”
An inbound student also comes from another country. Rotary’s focus is to not only support the incoming student throughout the year, but to also look for host families for them to stay with. During the student’s year in Huntsville, they are required to attend school and are strongly encouraged to participate in activities at HHS and at Rotary, as well as outside the school.
“I joined the program because I loved travel and wanted to learn a new language. The first two months have been so much fun and I’ve learned a lot,” said Rotary Exchange student Ian Markham who is currently studying in France. “I have of course had the natural home sickness with this big change, but I’ve overcome it and feel almost as home here as I did in Canada.”
In the past, HHS students have lived in Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Norway and more.
Students must be between 15 and 17 years old to qualify for the Rotary Youth Exchange program. To apply, contact your guidance counsellor at HHS or email [email protected]. The deadline is November 9.
To host an inbound exchange student here in Huntsville, please contact Suzi Jarvis at [email protected].
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