In the summer of 2002 when I decided that I wanted to become an exchange student, I was totally unaware of the huge influence that my decision would have on my life.
Here I was, a pretty ordinary teenage guy at the age of 15, not really knowing what I wanted to do after I finished high school here in Denmark. I had always dreamed of going to school in the U.S., but never having been there my image of America was primarily based on what I read in the news and saw on TV and at the movies.
I started looking into the different possibilities of doing an exchange when I came across the Rotary International Youth Exchange program that each year sends about 8,000 teenagers from all over the world to other countries to attend school for a year, and find a second home. You will embark on a whole new culture in a country so far from your everyday-life, but yet so close because one of the most important lessons that you will learn during the course of your stay is that people the world over are not as different from each other as we are led to believe from what we see in the news and on television.
On August 9th, 2003, 16 years old, I left Copenhagen, Denmark with a whole farm of butterflies in my stomach as a 'rookie' exchange student. I was going to spend a year in Petaluma, California.
In retrospect, sitting in the comfort of my home in Denmark looking back on my exchange year, I wish I could do it all over again because now I feel like a free spirit. I want to travel. I want to see new parts of the world. A Rotary exchange is something that I wish everyone could have….and you can! It is an amazing eye-opener that makes you see things from a totally different perspective. I was no longer under my parent's wings: I had to stand on my own two feet. Coming to a new country, not knowing a soul there is something that really freaks you out, but once you start making friends and creating bonds, it is the best feeling of self-confidence and satisfaction that fills your body. The friendships that I have created and the bonds that I have made are probably what I treasure the most.
Without writing a book it is impossible for me to sum up what my Rotary Exchange year has done for me. But if you wish to expand your horizons, become more outgoing, embrace life in a new way, doing a Rotary Exchange is the way to go. You don't have to be a globetrotter or have desires to save the world, and even if it feels scary to leave your parent's nest (trust me, it did for me - big time) ……DO IT!!
Tobias Kvorning, Rotary Youth Exchange Student in Petaluma, 2003-2004
If you have questions, please email me at: tobiaskvorning@hotmail.com
What is Rotary? Rotary is the world’s oldest service club organization. Members representing a cross section of each community’s business and professional leaders meet weekly in clubs that are non-political and open to all cultures, races and creeds.
Our motto is “Service Above Self” as we provide service in the community, workplace, and throughout the world. Rotarians encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and build goodwill and peace through programs like Youth Exchange.
With more than 30,000 clubs in over 160 countries, the Rotary network of volunteers is highly capable of providing the necessary support for the Rotary Youth Exchange program. Rotary clubs have sponsored successful international youth exchanges for more than 30 years.
For more information about Rotary International and our Youth Exchange program, click here, or visit the District 5130 Youth Exchange website.
THE YOUTH EXCHANGE PROGRAM: Each year over 8000 young people see the world the way it was meant to be seen — from the inside out — through a Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Outbound Exchange Students leave the United States in August and return the following year in July.
As a Rotary Youth Exchange Student, you will:
Who is eligible? Rotary Youth Exchange programs are open to qualified students ages 15-19, relatives of Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike. To qualify, applicants should be above-average students who demonstrate leadership in their community and/or school. Candidates should also possess qualities that will enable them to become excellent cultural ambassadors, such as flexibility and willingness explore. All applicants must be sponsored by one or more of the three Petaluma Rotary clubs and must complete a written application and oral interview.
How much will it cost? Typically, exchange students and parents or guardians are responsible for:
As an exchange student, what are my responsibilities?
Which countries can I visit? Presently, Youth Exchanges are taking place in more than 82 countries. Upon review of your preliminary application, we will inform you of the current opportunities. Wherever you go, you will discover that the world is smaller than you once thought, and that you can gain a great deal from the unique experience of being a Rotary Youth Exchange participant
I have questions. Who can I call to get the answers? Each of the three Petaluma Rotary Clubs has a Youth Exchange Counselor who will be happy to speak with you or your parents about the program:
How and when do I apply? To apply to participate as an outbound exchange student in 2007 (approximately August 2007 to July 2008), complete the Preliminary Outbound Student Application form, which you may download as a Word document or PDF file.
To download the form rapidly, place your mouse over the Word or PDF link, right click (Control click for Mac), choose "Save Target As ..." and save to your computer.
Beginning October 22, 2006, you may also obtain the form at your school office or by calling one of the phone numbers at the top of this page. Complete the form and fax (1-847-789-9050), mail or deliver it to:
Lili Goodman Freitas, Ph.D.
620 B Street
Petaluma, CA 94952
707-778-1382
Dr. Freitas MUST receive your application on or before Monday, November 20, 2006 in order for you to be eligible for consideration as an outbound exchange student in 2007.
We will contact you no later than December 1st to discuss your application and inform you of further program details.
Rotary International Youth Exchange | District 5130 Youth Exchange