Jacksonville to Host 6th Annual YE Welcome Home Dinner

Families, friends, and all Rotarians are invited to join in the celebration of successful 2008-09 exchanges at the 6th Annual District 6970 Youth Exchange Welcome Home Dinner. The event will be held on Saturday evening, August 1, at the studios of WJCT-TV in Jacksonville, and will feature an "international" dinner followed by the speeches of more than two dozen returning outbound students who represented northeast Florida around the world this past year.

Since 2004, District 6970's "rebounds" have come together for this very special evening, and the speeches have been inspiring, amusing, and touching every year. It's truly remarkable to hear about the adventures, the accomplishments, and the attachments that comprise the unforgettable experience that each student has enjoyed.

Tickets are $25 per person, and are available through D6970 YE Chairman Jody Davis, jodydavis@cfl.rr.com, or any member of the District 6970 YE Committee.

Arrival Celebrations Mark the Start of the 2008-09 Year

Rotary Youth Exchange Florida's 50 outbound students have begun taking to the skies, to start their exchange years in destinations around the world. And at the same time we welcome 66 new inbound students to Florida, who will live with us and enrich their lives and ours. Here are some pictures of these students' first moments in their new homes.

Outbound Jordi is welcomed to Thailand	Inbound Nadja arrives in Miami	Tainá from Brazil and her new host family	D6990 Rotarians and host father Mike greet Lukas
Tallahassee Sunrise Rotarians greeted Deniz in custom t-shirts!	Balloons and signs at Miami International for Marzena from Poland	The Deerfield and Pompano group on hand for Yuki's arrival	Sara from Spain arrives in Jacksonville for her year in St. Augustine
Families and friends welcome Filip from the Czech Republic	Aude from Belgium is greeted in Miami	Marzena was part of the group welcoming Gabriel to Miami	Oona seems to be ignoring the sign behind her, on her entrance to Florida
Flags and smiles for Ralph from Taiwan at Jax Int'l Airport	Two days later, Ralph meets DG Bill & outbound Kyle at Jacksonville Rotary	Shinobu from Japan is welcomed to Ft. Myers	Agnete meets host mom Mary Beth and Bartram Trail Rotarians
Lehigh Acres Rotary greets Bianca from Brazil	Agathe will be hosted in GBI, but arrived in MIA	A fine welcome for Anna from Austria	Celebrating Riho's arrival in Daytona Beach
At D6930's YE picnic, Florian, outbound Elise, Tainá, Anna, and Ivy	Anna from Italy finds new friends in Miami	Supas is all smiles as he arrives in Florida	Host parents Steve and Karen welcome Vivian

District 6970 Recognized with Gold Achievement Award

Two years after being recognized as the Outstanding District Youth Exchange program in North America (story), District 6970 has just received another honor, as one of only two districts to earn a Gold Achievement Award at the 2008 USA-Canada Youth Exchange Conference.

The District Achievement Awards are based on many facets of a Youth Exchange program, including number of exchanges, participation by clubs, program innovations, involvement in international and regional conferences, and more. The awards were presented for the first time in 2007, with no districts earning the top Gold-level recognition that first year. District 6970 was one of about half a dozen to receive the Silver award in 2007.

This year, several districts from around North America earned Bronze and Silver awards, but District 5010 (Alaska-Yukon) and District 6970 were the only ones to merit the top level Gold certificate. Congratulations to all members of the D6970 Youth Exchange Committee, and to the Rotarians, host families, and students who together made this happen.

50 Outbounds to Represent RYE-Florida in 2008-09

Rotary districts throughout Florida, working together for the first time as Rotary Youth Exchange Florida, will send out 50 teenagers in 2008-09, representing our region as Rotary exchange students in 24 countries around the world. Never before have so many students been part of Rotary Youth Exchange in this area.

The new outbounds come from many areas of Florida, as well as Grand Bahama Island (part of District 6990). Their destinations, with new exchange partners underlined:

• Europe: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey
• Asia: India, Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand
• South America: Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador

To meet our 2008-09 outbound students, click here.

Previous News Stories