The Rotary Club of Wilsonville is looking for local families, preferably with children of high school age, to serve as host families for the club’s newly reactivated Rotary Youth Exchange program.
As part of the program, an exchange student from Switzerland will arrive in Wilsonville in late August.
In addition, the club will have two Wilsonville High School students departing for junior-year exchanges in the fall — one to Slovakia and the other to Austria. Two other WHS students will be participating in short-term exchanges.
“The Rotary Youth Exchange allows students to experience new cultures, learn how other people see things, and serve as ambassadors for their country as well as their community,” said Jake McMichael, coordinator for the Rotary Club of Wilsonville’s Rotary Youth Exchange program. “It provides memories and friendships that can last a lifetime. Our club is very excited about bringing this program back to the Wilsonville community.”
Three families are needed to host the inbound student from Switzerland. Each family will host the student for three months of her nine-month stay. Host families must cover the cost of room and board in their home. There’s also a $15 fee for the required background check as part of Rotary’s youth protection policy. The Wilsonville Rotary Foundation will take care of all other program expenses for the youth.
The student hails from Uhwiesen, a small village near the Rhine River of about 1,500 inhabitants. She is enrolled in a college prep high school known as a “Kantonsschule.” Upon graduation she intends to study chemistry. In addition to her native Swiss dialect of German, she speaks and writes very fluent English as well as French and some Italian.
Those interested in volunteering as host families should contact Jake McMichael at 503-312-9596 or jakemcmichael@centurytel.net.
The Rotary Club of Wilsonville is part of District 5100 of Rotary International. The district covers northern Oregon and southern Washington. The district’s clubs host approximately 75 exchange students each year. In all, some 8,000 students take part each year in the global Rotary Youth Exchange program.
In June, there will be an orientation meeting for current WHS freshmen (e.g., students who will be sophomores this fall) who are interested in going on a Rotary Youth Exchange as juniors in the fall of 2017. Those interested may contact McMichael.