Long-term exchanges

About the program
Rotary’s long-term exchange program offers you a precious opportunity to spend a year in a foreign country as a high-school student. You will learn your host country and its culture by staying at a host family. We believe this is the best way to experience every-day life of the host country.

During your exchange year abroad, you will attend high-school with young people around your age. School is an important place both academically and socially. There you will find your life-long friends!

A Rotary youth exchange student has Rotary Clubs to both sponsor and host him/her. The Rotary Club which sponsors you is called a “sponsor club” and the one that hosts you is a “host club”. The Rotary Club which is located nearest your home will usually be your sponsor club. On the other hand, your host club is the one that is situated in/near your town of the host country. In both sponsor club and host club, there is a “club counselor” who is responsible for you. Because the club counselor of your host club lives in the same area as you do, she/he is reachable whenever you have questions or difficulties. In this way, Rotary can offer you a safe and secure exchange program.

Who can apply?
In principle, our youth exchange programs are open for everybody. Any high-school student may apply for our program whether or not his/her parents are Rotarians. Yet, there are conditions you must fulfill in order to apply for the youth exchange programs of the Sweden Rotary.

 > You must belong to one of the Swedish districts.
 > You must belong to a high-school before and during your exchange year.
 > You must be born in 1990, 1991 and 1992.
 > You must be healthy physically and mentally.
 > Your parents must agree to your participation in the Rotary’s long-term exchange program.

Once you applied for our program, Rotarian(s) will interview you and your family to decide whether or not you are suitable to be a Rotary youth exchange student.

How much does it cost?
The application fee for the long-term exchange program is SEK 500.

Compared to other youth exchange organizations, Rotary has fairly low program fees. One reason is that Rotary is a non-profit organization. Another reason is that our youth exchange programs are supported by voluntary works of Rotarians.

The program fee for the Sweden Rotary Youth Exchange varies depending on country. The program fee for the exhange year 2010-2011 is as follows:

In the host country, you will receive a monthly allowance from your host club.

How to apply?
The application form and the information booklet “Important Information (1) for long-term exchanges” are available on our website. Download and read them through very carefully. In the application form, there is a concrete instruction on how to fill in the form.

You can fill in the application form via computer directly.

When you have completed your application forms, please contact the Sweden Rotary Youth Exchange Foundation. You will receive further instructions from us including how to pay the application fee SEK 500.

The closing date for application is October 15, 2009.