Host families are the foundation of Rotary Youth Exchange. We are so thankful for the many host families who have participated in our exchange program over the years. By opening your home to a high school student from another country you are building lifelong friendships with a family abroad as well as joining a committed network of local Rotarians and other host families. Many families choose to host because they have a student that is participating in exchange as an outbound student, but this is not a requirement. 

Who makes a good host family?

  • Families with children
  • Families with no children
  • Families with a child in high school
  • Families with no children in high school
  • Retired couples
  • A single adult
  • ALL FAMILIES CAN BE A GREAT HOST FAMILY!

Objectives of the Program

  • To further international goodwill and understanding by enabling students to study first hand some of the problems and accomplishments of people in lands other than their own.
  • To enable students to advance their education by studying for a year in an environment entirely different from their own, and undertaking the study of courses and subjects not normally available to them in their own country.
  • To give students opportunities to broaden their outlook by learning to live with and meet people of different cultures, creeds, and colors and by having to cope with day-to-day problems in an environment completely different from the one they have experienced at home.
  • To have students act as ambassadors for their own country by addressing Rotary clubs, community organizations and youth groups in their host country; by imparting as much knowledge as they can of their own country, its attributes and its challenges to the people they meet during their year abroad.
  • To provide sufficient time to study and observe another country’s culture so that upon returning home students can pass on the knowledge they have gained by addressing Rotary clubs and other organizations and assimilate the positive aspects into their everyday living.

Learn More

To learn more about being a host family, contact us to request an information packet, a phone call, or a zoom chat. We have a dedicated team in our local Rotary Club of Northfield and we're excited to talk youth exchange.