Submitted by District 5580 Youth Services Team Leader – Jean Hannig
I have recently been asked by DG Kay Biga to be the Team Leader for District 5580 Youth Services. I accepted this position because I am passionate about Rotary Youth programs. Rotary believes in developing the next generation of leaders. Rotary Youth programs help younger leaders build leadership skills, expand education, and learn the value of service.
I have been involved in Rotary Youth Exchange since 2006 when I agreed to host a Rotary Exchange Student from Colombia. Since then, I have hosted other Rotary Youth Exchange students. I currently serve on the District 5580 RYE Committee. I am also on the executive committee for the Rotary multi-district youth exchange program in which District 5580 is a member. Central States Rotary Youth Exchange serves 20 Rotary Districts in 7 states and Ontario, Canada in all Rotary Youth Exchange programs.
Rotary Youth Services consist of youth programs including Interact Clubs in high Schools, Roteract clubs associated with colleges and universities, Roteract Community Clubs, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), Rotary Youth Exchange, and New Generations Service Exchange. I will be spending the next few months learning how each of these programs are functioning in District 5580. Each month, I will feature one of the programs.
This month, I will start with Rotary Youth Exchange. After two years of COVID shut down, the Youth Exchange Pr
ogram is now up and running.
We have seven RYE students in District 5580 this year. These students are hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Bismarck (student from Brazil), Moorhead (student from Chili), Crookston (student from Germany) , Park Rapids (student from Belgium), Brainerd (student from Denmark), Duluth Harbortown (student from Japan), and Thunder Bay Port Arthur (student from Thailand.) We also are sponsoring three students who are spending the year in other countries. Student from Crookston spending the year in Brazil, Student from Ashland spending the year in Germany and student from Bismarck spending the year in Taiwan.
This is the time for students in our district to apply to be a Rotary Youth Exchange Student in another district. It is up to the Rotary clubs to reach out to area high schools and explain how the Rotary Youth Exchange program works and to invite students to apply to be exchange students. This is an area that can grow if more Rotary clubs are promoting this program. It is also a time to begin thinking of hosting a Rotary Youth Exchange student in your community for the 2023-2024 school year. Our district 5580 Youth Exchange Committee Chair is Blake Carlson.
I invite you to visit the Rotary International Website and the resources on Youth Exchange on the website. I also invite you to visit the Central States Rotary Youth Exchange website to learn about the process for hosting an exchange student from another country or sponsoring an exchange student to spend a year in another country. Rotary Youth Exchange changes lives one student at a time.
Please contact me to tell me about youth programs in your Rotary club. I can be reached at rotaryjean@gmail.com