District 7430 Youth Exchange - Host Families

Hosting a Youth Exchange student from another country is a challenge-and an opportunity. Involvement with an exchange student challenges a host family to become familiar with another culture, while providing the opportunity to share a students hopes and ambitions. These challenges and opportunities promise to enrich the lives of every member of your family.

Host family responsibilities

As a Rotary Youth Exchange host family, it is your responsibility to provide room and board for your exchange student. You are also expected to exercise general parental supervision over the student just as you would your own children, and involve him or her in daily household chores and activities.

However, most host family involvement with their student does not stop at room and board. The families often share their native background while learning about their visitor’s culture. This does not mean you have to arrange elaborate entertainment, but simply make the student a part of your family. Give him or her the opportunity to share the same aspects of your family life that most teenage students experience in your culture.

Other suggested host family responsibilities include:

meet you exchange student on arrival in your country and making the student feel at home as part of your family
helping the student achieve language mastery
involve the student in obligations similar to those established for your own family members
Helping the student meet Rotary obligations, such as attending Rotary functions including club and district functions. This is a shared responsibility with the host club
Providing a safe environment for the student and ensuring the students safety
Being tolerant of differences and help with the necessary adjustments

Rotarian Responsibilities

Rotarians work to take care of the logistics of the exchange. All program volunteers are devoted to the safety of the students, and the host club and the district maintains policies and procedures to protect the students. Local Rotarians also introduce the student to the other club members and organize some social functions for the student to attend.

The hosting lub will appoint a Rotarian counselor and arranges a monthly allowance for the student. The Rotarian counselor maintains contact with the host family and the student throughout the exchange.

While Rotary International offers support to local Rotary Youth Exchange programs through publications and suggested guidelines, Rotary districts and clubs run their own programs independently of Rotary International. Therefore, each club or district program has its own specific rules for youth exchange participants to follow.

Resources for host parents

Host Family Survival Kit: A guide for American Host Families, by Nancy King and Ken Huff, Published b y Intercultural Press, June 1997, ASIN 0933662521

District Exchange Calendar – Dates anmd locations of important events that involve your student.

Questions to ask the first night – Important questions to ask your students the first night in your home.