For over 80 years students and host families have broadened their horizons through the Rotary International Youth Exchange with more than 100 countries and over 8,000 students each year participating in the program. Over 1.2 million Rotarians in more than 35,000 clubs create the extensive network that provides support for the exchange program. Those selected for this program are above-average students who have also demonstrated outstanding participation and leadership in their own schools and communities.
If you are interested in hosting an inbound exchange student, please contact one of our members or email the club at bathrotaryclub@gmail.com.
Wendy Baxter, 1996 Outbound Exchange Student
I was completely unaware of the existence of the Rotary Youth Exchange program until my mother suggested I go abroad for my last year of high school. Although she may have just been trying to get her surly teenager out of the house early, I will always be grateful for this transformative experience. Spending a year in South Africa at the age of 17 was amazing, challenging, rewarding and eye-opening. Apartheid had ended only three years before my arrival, and life there was very different from what I had experienced growing up in Bath, New York. I remember realizing as the plane landed in Johannesburg that I had no idea what to expect; I knew next to nothing about South Africa. That was not the last time during my year there that I, living in a country with 11 official languages and a culture vastly different from ours at home, felt out of my comfort zone. Pushing boundaries is one of the best ways to learn about yourself and the world around you. During my year there I was hosted by welcoming families; I made wonderful friends and saw large parts of the country thanks to the exceptional tours organized by the Rotary clubs there. My year abroad gave me the confidence to explore the world further, and subsequently I have lived in the Netherlands and Australia and have visited India, Tanzania, Senegal, New Zealand, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Mexico among other countries. I highly recommend the Rotary Youth Exchange program to any interested student; it will change your life.
Carolina Torres, inbound exchange student from Venezuela in 2015-2016 with members of the Bath Rotary Club.