Welcome
Welcome a World of Possibilities: Become a Rotary Youth Exchange Host Family
Thank you for considering becoming a host family for a Rotary Youth Exchange student! Hosting an exchange student is a unique opportunity to welcome a young person from another country into your home, share your family and community, and create memories and friendships that can last a lifetime.
What Does It Mean to Be a Host Family?
A Rotary Youth Exchange student is typically 16–19 years old and spends one academic year in our community. During that year, the student lives with two or three local host families, usually for approximately four months with each family.
As a host family, you are not simply providing a room—you are welcoming the student as a member of your family.
Your exchange student will:
- Become part of your family's everyday life and activities.
- Attend local school and make new friends.
- Experience American culture, traditions, holidays, and community life.
- Participate in Rotary Youth Exchange activities, including weekly meetings, weekend conferences, and other events.
- Share their own culture, traditions, language, and experiences with your family and community.
We work closely with prospective host families to help find the best possible match. We consider factors such as family interests, the student's interests, gender, school schedule, language, and the time of year the student will be staying with you.
Ready to Open Your Home?
You're Not Doing It Alone
One of the greatest benefits of hosting through Rotary Youth Exchange is the support system behind every student and host family.
Rotary invests nearly 11 months preparing students for their exchange year before they arrive. Once they are here, our inbound students participate in five weekend conferences throughout the year. These provide opportunities to monitor their progress, build friendships, address challenges, and offer encouragement and support.
Every student also has a personal Rotary counselor who is separate from the host family. In addition, the student and host family have the support of the Rotary District Youth Exchange Chair, a local Youth Exchange Officer, and the Cadillac Rotary Club.
You will never be on your own. We are here to support you and your student throughout the experience.
Ready to Open Your Home?
Why Rotary Youth Exchange?
Rotary is committed to the true meaning of international youth exchange: bringing young people and families from different cultures together to learn from one another.
For every exchange student Rotary welcomes into our community, Rotary sends a student from our community to experience life in another part of the world. It is a genuine exchange of cultures, perspectives, friendships, and experiences.
The Experience of a Lifetime
Hosting an exchange student will introduce your family to a new culture while giving a young person the opportunity to experience life in our community as a member of your family.
You may teach them about our community, but they will teach you about theirs. You may help them feel at home in a new country, but they may become a lasting part of your family.
We believe the experience will enrich your family as much as it enriches the student.
If you are ready to open your home and your heart to a young person from around the world, we would love to talk with you about becoming a Rotary Youth Exchange host family.
Ready to Open Your Home?
NOTE: On the Youth Exchange Application, please select Rotary District 6290 on the first drop down menu.