What an exciting adventure awaits you, as a potential Rotary exchange student
or host family, as you look to expand your horizons as they've never been
expanded before.
We invite you to explore our site, learn more about the
program, and, if it's right for you, take those first steps toward one of the
most amazing, memorable, adventurous years of your life.
News...
Keep on top of all RYE-Florida news. Like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ryeflorida),
and follow us on Twitter (@ryeflorida).
RYE-Florida's brand around the world - a
photo essay!
Who
Are We?
Rotary International is the world's oldest and most international service
organization, with over 1.2 million members in 32,000 clubs, in almost 200
countries. The official Rotary motto is, "Service Above Self",
and Rotarians live their lives in accordance with the Four Way
Test. You can
find out more about our wonderful organization and its many programs and
projects by visiting the Rotary
International website.
There are more than 400
Rotary clubs in the eight Rotary districts in Florida. District borders follow
county lines. Click here to see a district map and
listing by county.
Each year, over 8,000 high school students participate
in the Rotary Youth Exchange program worldwide, learning a new language and experiencing a
new culture, through the efforts of Rotary volunteers around the globe. The
Youth Exchange (YE) programs in Florida are growing, through the efforts of the
newly energized multi-district organization, Rotary Youth Exchange Florida, Inc.
As you explore this website, you will find much historical
information on District 6970's YE program, which serves as the basis for the
statewide effort. District 6970
has built a dynamic, highly respected Youth Exchange program, which is the
largest in the southeast, and was honored
as the Outstanding Rotary Youth Exchange District in the US and Canada for
2006! That same excitement, enthusiasm, and commitment to excellence is
now spreading throughout the Sunshine State.
If you think
you might want to be a Rotary exchange student,
this page would be a good place to start.
"Rotary at orientation was completely right. If you speak to a man in a
language he knows, it goes to his head but if you speak to him in his
language, it goes to his heart." Leslie- Outbound to Poland
"Regarding homesickness, I feel as though I never hit that point to where it
affected my exchange in any way. While I obviously missed my family, it
never reached a point to where I got homesick." Jake- Outbound to Spain
"I have had people ask me how am I changing and I never had a response. But
I realize now it isn't the drastic changes, it is the adaptations to what is
already there." Hadley- Outbound to Argentina
"There so much I want to see and do, things that never really interested
me until this year. I can't wait to see what the world has in store for
me." Jenna- Outbound to Denmark
"I think what a year as an exchange student teaches you, is that it’s
important to never stop that hunger for wanting to know the world and
the people in it and to continue to grow.." Rachel- Outbound to Brazil
"I just want to say that the best days of my exchange have been when
nothing special happens. These are the day that I think I come from here
and I'm just living my life, as a Finn. " Nick- Outbound to Finland
"Instead of chocolate bunnies, here they give big chocolate eggs! In all
the stores, the eggs are hung on overhead racks, turning the aisles into
dark tunnels of shiny, colorful foil-wrapped eggs." Annaray- Outbound to Brazil
"That is the best part of my exchange here in Peru, being Peruvian."
"On my way home from Dubrovnik, I had the weirdest feeling. I realized
that I actually missed my host family, and that I couldn't wait to go
back home to them. That feeling surprised me very much. " Terry- Outbound to Croatia
"I apologize for the lateness of my journal. I’ve been living in a Buddhist
temple for quite some time, and technology isn't an abundant resource here."
Keegan- Outbound to Japan
"This was what I had come here for: not just to see beautiful sights and get
fat eating so many waffles, but to really feel as though I had made a new
home. And I truly feel that I have. " Orion- Outbound to Belgium
"Ski week!!! one of the most action packed weeks of my exchange. For the
70 or 80 crazy exchange students there, only 5 had to be sent to the
hospital. I would say that’s pretty good." Callie- Outbound to Austria
"I have accomplished so many of my dreams. So many things that once seemed
so distant to me. Now, it's all a reality." Perry- Outbound to Germany
‘I almost got the language.’
‘I almost made friends.’
‘I almost travelled.’
‘I almost asked.’
‘I almost received.’ David- Outbound to Sweden
"That’s the point of exchange- to put yourself in unfamiliar situations,
where you could say you lose yourself to find yourself again." Sarah- Outbound to France
"I've been dreaming of this moment for the past three almost 4 years, and
finally it' feels like it's starting to come together, and I can assure you
that this would've never happened if I had still been in Florida." Tinson- Outbound to Belgium
"Chinese doesn't seem foreign at all anymore I know that at first I thought
it all sounded the same and looked similar but now I can hear the
differences in each word while it may not be as apparent as English but it
is there." Grant- Outbound to Taiwan
"It’s on the news worldwide, and now blowing up my inbox from people
with questions such as “What is going on, are you safe?"
"First you must take a shower and cleanse yourself in a large public shower
with other naked women. Then you must put on your swimsuit in the
shower...with other naked women." Heather- Outbound to Korea
"This year, all the ups and down, will live with me for the rest of my life
and will continue to teach me things as a face other obstacles in the
future." Caroline- Outbound to Thailand
"I've learned about adaptation, accommodation and compromise. Most of all I
have learned about myself. I am even eating vegetables now and enjoying it." Kendall- Outbound to Poland
Rotary Youth Exchange Florida,
Inc. is a not-for-profit Florida corporation, and a
federally tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code.
Questions? Suggestions? Contact
webmaster.
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