'The World As Their Oyster': High School Exchange Program Unique Option for Students

While high school offers a range of experiences at its basic level, the Elmbrook Rotary Club encourages students to take their learning one step further by spending a year studying abroad.

Tom Pyne — a Rotarian who has worked with the Central States Rotary Youth Exchange program locally — said participation in the program has opened students' eyes to the bigger world of possibilities.

"All of a sudden they saw the world as their oyster … and now two, three, four, five years later (they are again studying abroad) because of one experience, which really steeped them in seeing the world," Pyne said.

More than 825 Rotary clubs are represented by the Central States Youth Exchange program, according to its website, and Pyne said students have about 40 countries to choose from.

Some of the most prominent countries, he said, include: Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, France, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, South Africa, Austraila, Central Asia, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Switzerland, Spain and Germany.

• Foreign students need a place to stay, too. Learn more about becoming a host family.

Students stay with a Rotary-approved host family in the chosen country, and local rotarians as well as a counselor are made available as resources to support and ensure the safety of the traveling student.

"Safety is a good question — you're in the hands of Rotary, you're not in the hands of the host family," Pyne said.

Parents pay for the airline ticket, visa, medical tests or insurance as required by specific countries, Pyne said. The total is an average of about $5,000.

Depending on the local high school, students might not receive full credit for their time abroad, Pyne said. However, some students will take summer courses to ensure they still graduate.

Beyond opening a students' eyes to the world, the program has more payoffs, Pyne said.

"In every case they came back fluent in the language," he said. "That's one of the big spinoffs, you learn the language … and you make friends — sometimes lifelong friends. You experience a world view that is very different from the United States."