Rotarian of the Day, Jeff Amos gave a presentation Jan. 8th about the Rotary Youth Exchange Program from a very personal perspective, a parent, and coincidentally as a host parent. Jeff and Andrea's daughter, Elizabeth is currently an outbound Rotary Youth Exchange Student in Madrid, Spain. They are also just beginning to host an inbound Rotary Exchange Student.
Jeff explained some of the ins and outs of the processes involved, including visas, school transcripts, translation problems, etc. they had to work through, even with huge cooperation on both ends from the Rotarians involved in the process. Now that Elizabeth is in her third month "in-situ" she is thriving and considering even more opportunities to study abroad. The opportunities the Rotary program has opened up for her and countless other young people is phenomenal! Immersion in another culture is just about the only way to really get to know how another nation really works. The chance to see historical features and touch and walk the paths of people one has only read about opens the mind to see that there really was a process that lead up to how the world is now. This information and these experiences will give these kids a boost and prepare them to become leaders with wisdom beyond their peers (and years).