About the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program:

Each year the Rotary International Youth Exchange program provides thousands of young people with the opportunity of a lifetime - a chance to live in another country and see the world from a new perspective. Exchange students spend a year living with host families and attending school in a country other than their own, thus planting the seeds for a lifetime of international understanding. At the same time host clubs, families and their communities enjoy extended, friendly contact with someone from a different culture.

Through this program students:

• learn firsthand about the challenges and accomplishments of people in other countries,
• mature as individuals as their concept of the world grows,
• return home with a broader view of the world and a deeper understanding of themselves,
• receive the grounding to help them assume leadership roles that are shaped in part by what they learned during their exchange experiences.

Our Club's participation:

Our Club sponsors two exchange students annually - one outbound and one inbound.

Last year's (2004/2005) outbound student was Danielle Hagen, a grade 12 graduate from Eastwood Collegiate who spent her exchange year in Germany. Danielle returned from this very rewarding exchange in July and is now enrolled in her first year at UW. Our 2004/2005 inbound student was Halina Oliveira from Brazil. Halina attended grade 11 at KCI, and after spending a successful year with us, returned to Brazil in early August.

Our current year (2005 - 2006) outbound student is Bounmy Inthavong, a grade 11 student from Resurrection C.I. Bounmy departed on her exchange year to South Africa in August 2005. Look for periodic e-mail updates from Bounmy on her experiences in South Africa later in this Youth Exchange section. Our 2005-2006 inbound student is Hugo Croquelois from Grenoble France. Hugo arrived in August and is enrolled in grade 12 at Resurrection C.I.

Our 2005/2006 Youth Exchange Committee:

Chair and Counsellor for current Outbound student (Bounmy): Kent Armstrong
Vice Chair: Jim Gemmill
Counsellor for current Inbound student (Hugo): Jim Gemmill
Additional members: Paul Reitzel, Dean Elliott

2004/2005 Host Parents:

John Tamming and Manon Di Francesco
Demo and Irene Divaris

Highlights of 2005/2006 Exchange Year:

The following is a chronological summary of highlights for our 2005/2006 exchange year includes e-mails and notes received from our exchange students: