Our 2023-2024 Youth Exchange class has 13 current long-term inbounds, 8 long-term outbounds and 7 Short-term exchange students experiencing exciting moments across our district and around the world. Reading their monthly reports is one of the highlights of being chair of this remarkable program… the efforts of Rotarians around our district and world are making the Youth Exchange goal of “Peace thru Understanding” vibrantly real and present. My thanks to each of you that have touched the life of a Youth Exchange student this year. It is a year that they will never forget.
(Photos from the Fort Atkinson RYE Winter Weekend with IB and OB students)
The extra “fun” is that the class of 2024-2025 is coming into view. Approximately 7 young people have interest in heading out for a short-term adventure this summer. We already celebrate the 10 young Americans who will travel this fall around the globe and are busy lining up travel and Visas, as well as receive training in being Ambassadors of Rotary D6250 worldwide. Here in the United States, we will be joined by 17 inbound Youth! Starting now, we discover their identities and passions. Of special note, we’ll be welcoming a refugee from Ukraine who will be spending her exchange in Janesville! Each of our 17 clubs is on the lookout for interested families to host these remarkable students for approximately 3 months each. If you feel the call to open your hearts and hearths to these remarkable young students, or know of neighbors or friends in your friend groups who may be similarly called – please get in touch (or put them in touch) with the Youth Exchange teams in our various clubs. It is an experience that will change your life!
District 6250 is one of the leading districts for Youth Exchange in the United States. We host and send out the largest number of exchange students within the 20 Northern Districts of Central States Rotary Youth Exchange (CSRYE). Our 35 students make us 3 or 4 times larger than most other districts (normally around 8-10 total). And we do this with a staff of similar size. The District Youth Exchange team is exceptional and remarkable – but we need more volunteers who see the impact of this program as one of the key areas of Rotary. We are in particular looking for two special people to fill two newly formed positions within our district – RYE Digital Coordinator and RYE Events Coordinator. I’ve included a brief job description for these positions. I believe that one of you that is viewing this would be a perfect fit for these positions.
For questions or to indicate an interest, please reach out to me at prosapiaeo@gmail.com
Bill Pritchard
(Photos from the Fort Atkinson RYE Winter Weekend with IB and OB students)