Rotary Exchange with Jamie and Phil
Jamie explained that the exchange program is designed as a cultural and academic exchange that gives participants the opportunity to learn the language and culture of another country. They act as cultural ambassadors while experiencing personal development and learning leadership and independence.
If we, as a Club, want to send a student abroad, we have to take one. The locales are arranged at District - the Clubs don't select destinations. As a host Club we look for three host families who take the student for 3 months each.
Phil said he was in the recruitment stage for the next outbound while the inbound would arrive, at the latest, by September. Atte came in August. At the start of the school year Phil goes to his contacts at the schools' guidance offices and gets help from current exchange students because their experiences, as told to others, helps sell the program. Once a list of candidates is compiled, Ralph and his committee interview them, leading them through a long list of questions. Alison is on the District Committee which reviews candidates for detail on their academic, medical and personal lives.
The Program includes some group activities, especially the Matawa weekend in Feb. when the kids are exposed to a wilderness experience - spending the day outdoors. That can be a surprise for the South Americans or young ladies from Thailand. They also have a weekend in May when they go to Ottawa and they are all together at least 4 times during the year. The friendships and networks they make last a lifetime.
In May the inbound student information is sent to the host Club and a commitment is expected that the Club will find host families and keep the student safe. Midland is now finding some host families from outside the Club which makes it easier but the students are placed with Club families first because the connection to Rotary is important.
Jamie congratulated Phil for his contributions on outside recruitment and changing the Counsel position a bit. A good counsellor is important but the potential for conflict exists - if a student has a difficult time fitting in at a host's house and the host is a friend of the counsellor allegiances can be stretched, so Phil has recruited a counsellor from outside the Club this year.
The Club has had challenges getting host families some years but it's not hard to qualify and the rewards are huge for Club members and their families. It's important for the student to know in advance that he will be taken care of. As hosts it's not necessary to have kids - Samantha's first host was a widow and they went to the horse races together and her second was a family with two kids but they were off at university. One of them had been an exchange student of the Tripp's 8 years ago.
Atte is looking to experience Canada through sports - leafs and raptors, fishing, visiting the CN Tower and Niagara Falls, maybe try golf and seeing a group called Macklemore. But there are all sorts of things we could all think of that he might not so simply call him up and just go the Marsh or to dinner. They will remember this year for the experiences and you will make a friend. They need their own room, a friendly environment and a way to get to school but the buses cover most places.
Extras like special trips are usually planned in advance and the students real family will have made plans. The host family receives a stipent of $300.00/month and the student gets an allowance of $125.00. If you have an idea, discuss it with Phil or Jamie. Remember the 4 D's, though - no Drinking, Driving, Dating or Drugs.