Short Term Youth Exchange

Short term exchanges fit better for students who can't or prefer not to miss a year of high school for a long term exchange.  Short term summer exchanges are much simpler to manage.  Each student is paired with another student in a country they would like to visit or where a good match can be made.  At the beginning of summer one of the students travels to the country of the other.  Around the middle of summer both students travel to the other country.  They live with the family of the other student, so we don't have to hunt for host families.

 

They don't enroll in school, so there is no need for a student visa.  We encourage the outbound student to have studied the language of their host country for at least a year, so they have some  knowledge of the language.

 

The cost is only slightly less than the full year program, because airfare is about the same, while insurance is less, and there is no visa required. Evidence from other districts doing short term exchanges shows that many students after a short term exchange will then want to do a long term exchange in the future, so it seems to feed the long term program, rather than compete with it.  It also creates a bigger buzz about our exchange programs overall.  

There is no cost to the Rotary Club that sponsors the students, nor to the district.  All the costs are paid by the student's family.

Anyone interested in knowing more about the Short Term Exchange Program should contact Jennette Bill in Sedona at billfamily@esedona.net or call 928-301-1363.