Youth Supported Programs - Youth Exchange

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Youth Exchange is an opportunity for high school students to go to a foreign country to high school for one year.  Rotary has promoted this program for many years.  Students live in the home of three different host families during their stay.  They get an opportunity to see family life in another country that no tourist every gets to experience along with attending the local high school.  A local Rotary club sponsors a student to go to another country and that country has a sponsoring Rotary club to oversee the student while they are in their community and country.  They often visit other Rotary clubs during their stay and attend District events so they also get to learn more about Rotary International.

This is a terrific opportunity for a student.  Many former exchange students say it was a life changing event.

August 19, 2022 - Below in the right side of the newspaper article about Benjamin Mandari from Kittery with his family just before he leave's for his youth exchange program experience in Thailand.  In the left side of the article is Rowan Waddell, daughter of Superintendent of Schools Eric Waddell. Rowan was just back from a short term student exchange in Italy.  She was sponsored by the Rotary Club of South Berwick-Eliot, ME

 Updates on Benjamin's expereince in Thailand will be in our weekly newsletters.