Welcome to District 6490's Outbound Program.
As an Outbound, or an American student going overseas, you will start your 3 year experience with Rotary, and typically see and do things very few have the chance to experience. It can be an intense but awesome experience. You will have an adventure of a lifetime, and return self assured, more mature, and easily capable of handling what life has to offer. You will also forever have a new home away from home, and take back part of your new culture as part of yourself. In the process, you will help build a better understanding between cultures, enrich our society, and help in the process of brining peace between peoples.
Rotary's Support Structures
Rotary not only offers a fully volunteer and non-profit exchange experience, in addition, you will be supported by a network of worldwide volunteers. With over 1.2 million Rotarians all over the world, there will rarely be a place you cannot find a Rotarian. Rotary provides many layers of support:
Local Support: Your US Club
Your sponsor club will have have someone to support your initial application process, and if you get approved to the program, should introduce you to the club and have you start to meet your local Rotarians.
Regional Support: US District Support
You club belongs to District 6490, and at that level, there are a number of Rotarians that will help you with your main application, and through the entire process. They will also support you during your year abroad, and make sure you always have connections to help you with any problems that might arise (if they cannot be addressed locally overseas). They will provide training to be an ambassador as well as what to anticipate with your culture shock and how to deal with your new environment.
Super-Regional Support: Central States Rotary Youth Exchange (CSRYE)
District 6490 belongs to a group of 18 districts called Central States Rotary Youth Exchange. It is this organization that deals with the visa rules and Department of State tracking needed to make the program run. CSRYE provides support to districts, but also make available Country Correspondents who have one-on-one personal connections with Rotarians overseas who are on the other side of the exchange. That way if there are issues that come up, there are personal connections that can be utilized to deal with problems.
CSRYE also provides an incredibly cool annual conference in Grand Rapids, MI , where Outbound students get further preparation, get to meet other exchange students from the country they are going to, as well as meet "Rebounds" (students who have just come back). It is also a critical resource for Parents who get to meet other parents in their situation, find out the details of what the exchange year will be like for them, and get to plug in to a network of support that will help them with their year. This conference typically has over 500 exchange students, and is required for Outbound students, and is highly encouraged for Rebound Students
Regional Support 2.0: Foreign District Support
Your Rotary club in your destination city will also belong to a district in that country, and that district will also have a clutch of Rotarians who will be supporting your exchange. You will typically have a RYE Chair an an Inbound coordinator in that foreign district who will support your foreign club with the exchange, as well as provide occasional (sometimes monthly) gatherings and events for the exchange students in that district. (Every district and country is different , so it is hard to be specific for any prospect's experience)
Local Support 2.0: Your Foreign Club
Your "Host" Rotary club will be the main point of contact with Rotary abroad. They should have a YEO and a counselor that meets with the student at least once a month each (again , the exact practices will vary), and students will typically attend the Host Rotary club, and make more connections with the Rotarians there. Most administrative and logistical issues will be handled by that foreign YEO once you arrive in that country.
Your Host Families
Though there is variation in everyone's experience, Rotary typically will have 3 host families set up for each student, so that you stay with each for about 3.5 months. Again, there is a lot of local variation, but this template allows for you to be exposed to 3 different "micro-cultures" of 3 different families. .... it is amazing just how much different families work differently from each other (though it is also amazing just how similar somethings are across all humans and all families). Your host family will be your daily support ... they are encouraged to treat you like one of their own family. They are the anchor for your schooling as well, and so you may either find yourself going to the same school as their children, or going to a school associated with their neighborhood (again, there is a massive amount of variation on how different countries run their school systems).
Schooling
Per the requirements of the J-1 visa, which is the legal visa used for the exchange, you need to attend school. This is an important requirement for many reasons...it will be the main way you experience your new culture, as well as the best way to meet people your age. It is also what is expected by all involved, and so will be one of your ambassadorial duties.
The purpose of the year abroad, however, is a cultural year, and so the exact academic requirements needed will be individualized to you (so long as you meet the minimum GPA requirements of 2.75 or above, or being ranked in the upper half of your class). It is very important, then to make sure you plan with your guidance counselor how your year will fit into your high school journey. You should plan on making sure you have enough credits to graduate when you get back , what types of credits your high school will accept from your year abroad (if any), and if you going for your senior or gap year, how you will handle your college application process.
Each student's case, and each student's school are highly individualistic, so it is important for the student and family to prepare ahead of time.
The classes you take abroad, and the performance requirements for those classes, will then depend on your individual circumstance...you many need to work hard to get passing grades if your case depends on it and you need those credits for your american schooling experience. However, there may be cases where you are in a particular class for the cultural experience. (For example, I personally took Ancient Greek at a Gymnasium in Germany during my year abroad. Nobody expected me to understand anything, and I didn't need to show progress in my understanding of the Greek classics. That is fine...Rotary makes no requirements of your academics. Rather Rotary does demand that you attend the classes to which you are assigned, and that you get as good of a cultural experience out of it as possible. I certainly improved my German by observing how Germans learned Greek, and so that was well worth sitting in that class twice a week)
Your Sponsoring YEO (from your American Club), can help you connect with your Guidance counselor if needed, as well as find answers to other questions as they arise.
Cost Overview
Rotary's year abroad scholarship is one of the most affordable ways to study in a different country.
Most programs typically cost more than $15,000, but with Rotary, you typically will have the following fees:
Upfront application: $1500 Due in November
Visa / Passport / Blazer, preparations ~$ 500 Typically in February - April
Rotary International sanctioned Insurance* $1200 Typically March/April
Conference fees $ 300 April
International Flight ~$3000 June/July
Cushion ~$ 700 any time
Subtotal $6700
However, the students will receive at least $75/month stipend from their host clubs overseas, and so they will receive in total at least $750 (perhaps more depending on length of stay and their club's individual policies).
The net, then is a projected $7000-$9000 or so.
Some students take optional Rotary tours, which can cost up to $2000 but are not required. Any such trips would of course increase the cost.
Interestingly, Qucikenl Loans estimates that on average, an American teen needs $142 / week in food. That comes out ot $6816 for 48 weeks. Also, you would not need to pay auto insurance for them during that period, and so true net costs may be negative.
*Includes door to door coverage for heath insurance, converge between countries, as well as evacuation insurance, and other items not included in national policies or typical US health policies. CSRYE contracts with an independent company to ensure an available policy that fulfills Rotary International's requirements, and works hard to get it at as low a cost possible.
Note, some countries may insist on the student paying for in-country insurance as well, and so that will be an additional cost (typically paid for by the Cushion) ... both policies will have to be purchased, since one is a legal requirement by the country, and the other is a program requirement by Rotary. Although there is some duplication in policies, the do not completely overlap, and so both are necessary.
Application Help
Please visit the application page to get details about how to apply for the program, and the various steps involved.
Important Dates
District Interviews: The first main date you should keep set aside is the First or Second Saturday of November. This is when the District Interviews will take place
Outbound Orientation: The second main date is the 1st Saturday of March, when you will have your Outbound Orientation. Many details of the exchange are covered, and this meeting is mandatory
District Conference: Typically, the third Saturday in September is the District Conference.
CSRYE Conference: The Weekend after the 4th of July is the big conference in Grand Rapids, with over 500 Exchange Students.
File Downloads
Below are some files to download for more information. There is a one page overview of the application process, a general handout about the RYE program, and the Handbook for Outbound students, written by the Central States Rotary Youth Exchange organization. Note, though, that you need to start the process with your YEO of your local Sponsoring club. That representative from your local club will be able to get you a Club level application, and start the process.
If you would like a general overview of the RYE Outbound program, please see the RYE_Outbound.pdf file.