Val Gallot (Belgium) and Diego (Mexico) returned to their home countries last month after a wonderful Rotary Youth Exchange Year here in MA. Kudos to their host Rotary Clubs - Marlborough and Weston-Wayland - who welcomed these young men to our District, arranged for host families, stayed in touch throughout the year, provided them a monthly stipend, and supported them as the year progressed. Very special and warm thanks to their Club Youth Exchange Officers (aka YEOs) Bonnie Doolin (Marlborough) and Edwin Gaw (Weston-Wayland)! When you see them, ask them to tell you all about RYE!Photo: Val and Diego prepare for the Inbound Students' Parade of Flags at the District Conference in May, 2024.
Val and Diego both built friendships with their USA families and friends that will likely last a lifetime! Val plans to come back to visit soon - like in January, he hopes. One of Diego's host brothers will be visiting him in Mexico early next month. Experiencing one another's cultures can sometimes be a challenge, but the relationships that evolve lead to a greater understanding of one another's life styles. And that leads to the reason Rotary Youth Exchange exists! Building friendships around the world...one at a time...does indeed help to promote a more peaceful world!
Your 7910 Rotary Youth Exchange Team hopes that even more 7910 Clubs will join in this international adventure of a lifetime by supporting students who want to participate in the Family - to - Family Short Term exchanges during the summer or the Long Term exchange for an entire school year. Spending a month or year abroad is a life-changing experience, so we hope you will seek out and refer interested students/families to us so we can help with the application process. Hosting an Inbound student is a great way to enlarge our vision of the world while remaining right here in MA. Please consider being a Host Club and/or a Host Family for our future Inbounds. Contact Jane Schroeder, 7910 Youth Exchange Chair at jane.schroeder@comcast.net for more information.
Your 7910 Rotary Youth Exchange Team hopes that even more 7910 Clubs will join in this international adventure of a lifetime by supporting students who want to participate in the Family - to - Family Short Term exchanges during the summer or the Long Term exchange for an entire school year. Spending a month or year abroad is a life-changing experience, so we hope you will seek out and refer interested students/families to us so we can help with the application process. Hosting an Inbound student is a great way to enlarge our vision of the world while remaining right here in MA. Please consider being a Host Club and/or a Host Family for our future Inbounds. Contact Jane Schroeder, 7910 Youth Exchange Chair at jane.schroeder@comcast.net for more information.