RYE-Florida's brand around the world - a
photo essay!
Welcome to ...
Rotary Youth Exchange - Florida! 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.
“Hosting not only makes a difference in the life of an exceptional student; it
is also an enriching experience for host families and communities. Host families
and communities have the opportunity to learn about other cultures and
traditions, and often establish friendships that last a lifetime.
“…Host families exemplify some of our country's greatest values -- tolerance,
generosity, civic engagement -- and the goodwill they exhibit helps to create a
positive view of the United States that lasts a lifetime and has a ripple effect
through American communities and the exchange students' communities abroad.
Hosting is a wonderful way to share ideas, celebrate commonalities, bridge
differences, challenge stereotypes, and experience a different culture.”
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.
To learn about program options,
requirements, costs, and more, click here. If you think
you might want to be a Rotary exchange student,
this page would be a good place to start. Or complete our
Inquiry Form and a representative of Rotary Youth Exchange
in your area will contact you.
Visitors since 1/1/06:
Site last updated:
02 Sep 2010.
Newest
Student Journals
Read the journals from
all of our Outbound and
Inbound students 2010-2011.
To read older journals, check out our
Archives.
"I foresee that my life is changing. I foresee that this is exactly where
I'm supposed to be. I foresee that I will no longer be the same." Tyler - outbound to France
"I can’t take in enough of the landscape. Mountains, forests, cattle,
sheep, and farmland are all around. " Evann- outbound to Czech
Republic
"Everyday has been a new experience, trying new food, meeting new
people, and doing new things! This is still so surreal!" Lily - outbound to France
"Hearing German is normal and doesn’t seem odd at all. Seeing the German
clothes style is normal now, and their hairstyles are officially normal
to me as well. I also don’t mind the fact that Deutschland is filled
with pretty blonde girls. " Zane
- outbound to Germany
"This whole experience is exhausting, and I sleep like a baby EVERY
night, but every wonderful day and evening is worth the bleary-eyed
mornings where I have to get coffee from the AWESOME coffee maker in our
kitchen. " Lily - outbound to
Belgum
"Karin let me ride on the back of her bike, and we rode across town,
past the magnificent, truly antique town square. The crisp, almost cold
Swedish air and the night landscape proved to be my first real taste of
Sweden." Alexa -outbound to
Sweden
"It has a famous cemetery for political, wealthy, historical, or
peoples rights leaders. Some of them are so old that the glass doors are
broken and you can touch the coffin in which their bodies. " Caroline - outbound to
Argentina
" When there is nobody around to distract her, Mama likes to feed me
large amounts of food. " Garrett - outbound to Japan
"While walking around I see how clean everything is at home and even in
the streets there is no trash or even dust or dirt." Zac - oubound to Japan
"My first meal in Poland was peroggies of course! Pasta stuffed with
anything you could possibly dream of!"
The kissing on the cheek thing is not a stereotype, they ALL do it every
time they greet each other. Leland - outbound to France
"...bull doesn't actually HAVE to go after the
picadors and matadors, but even after getting stabbed they keep coming
back for more. Also the bulls have much better lives than say....
steaks. " Greg -
Outbound to Spain.
"I made dinner
for my family six days ago and I made two dishes. If I have to talk
about the school I have say that I have lots of homework and it takes me
time because the language barrier can let me to understand clearly." Roy - inbound from Peru
“Josh!? May I give you a hug?” It was my host mother, cheery
as could be. I was a little stunned because I was told that Finns don’t like
to hug, but I said yes and she hugged me and welcomed me to Finland. Josh - outbound to Finland
"For me coming back home after a year abroad felt like coming
to the US for a year after living all my life in Poland. At the beginning I
felt like a foreign exchange student in my own country." Maciej - returning back to Poland
"It looked like a miniature version of a European castle to
me, possibly because it was surrounded by a tall stone wall and a gate with
dazzling purple flowers." Carleigh - outbound to Hungary
"Everyday I learn something new, I love it, everyday there is
something exciting to look forward to, some days are hard to get through,
and others I don't want to end, I love this life that I have begun..." Morgan - outbound to Switzerland
"We have also gone out to an ice berg where I got to
“pet” it! :D The weather is so nice and when the sun is out, it can be
quite warm." Jenny - Outbound to
Greenland
"To all you future exchange students, homesickness is
just one paragraph in a book of adventures....and I've only been here
for two weeks".
Alejandra - Outbound to
Brazil
"During the year abroad, all the students will endure the
most mentally trying situation any being can take on: cultural
assimilation— making concessions that the home culture, if only in
certain aspects, is not as homely as the newfound culture, willingly
putting their identities on the line for a worldly perspective."
Matthew - Outbound
to Japan
"Although it looks and smells similar to canned dog food
it actually isn't that bad! I actually kind of enjoyed it! The boiled
eggs on rye bread were gross though. But hey, I at least found one
Danish food I liked." Erin -
outbound to Denmark
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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