KW Rotary Youth Exchange is back!
After a several year break KW Rotary is youth exchange is sponsoring for the 2023-24 exchange year one out bound student, Serena Gillespie from Cambridge, and hosting an inbound, Jonas Senez-Lejeune from Arras France.
KW Rotary Youth Exchange is currently accepting applications for outbound exchange candidates, as well as host families, for the 2024-25 year. If you know of a 15-17 year olds that may be interested in a youth exchange, or a family that can host a student for 3-4 months, have them contact info@kitchenerrotary.ca
Serena, and 7 other students in our district 7080, started preparing for their exchange early this year. All Rotary exchange students spend months preparing under the guidance of many experienced Rotarians. This is a big endeavor and so much time is spent preparing and planning to assure the best chance of a successful exchange. With this hard work and preparation Serena left on August 21, 2023 and safely made it to her host family in Kumamoto Japan. She is working on her Japanese language and adapting to life in Japan. Serena is an exceptionally talented young women and we are very proud of her and are confident she will thrive in her new surroundings.
Jonas arrived from France on August 24 and is staying with Serenas family in Cambridge. He has had a busy first month with his host family and settling in to his life for the school year in Canada. Jonas is nice young man that is eager and up for almost anything. We trust all our club members will have a chance to meet him at club meetings and events.
The Rotary Youth Exchange has been an important part of Rotary for many years as it promotes international goodwill and friendship, a key principal of Rotary. The enduring success of this program depends on all members support and participation.
