The Rotary ?Uniform? ? The Youth Exchange Blazer - Central States ...

CENTRAL STATES ROTARY
YOUTH EXCHANGE
www.csrye.org YOUTH EXCHANGE OFFICER/COUNSELOR
HANDBOOK
For Rotary Club
Youth Exchange Officers & Counselors CSRYE is committed to creating and maintaining the safest possible
environment
for all participants in Rotary activities.
It is the duty of all Rotarians, Rotarians' spouses, partners, and other
volunteers
to safeguard to the best of their ability the welfare of
and to prevent the physical, sexual, or emotional abuse of
children and young people with whom they come into contact.
INTRODUCTIONS
CONGRATULATIONS! You have been chosen by your Rotary Club to oversee one
of the most comprehensive and fascinating programs in Rotary International.
Your service as Youth Exchange Officer and/or YE Student Counselor will
take you on an international journey. Well...it's more likely that the
international journey is coming to you, and about to arrive at your local
airport! While there are many roles in the Rotary Club that are "project-oriented,"
this is NOT one of them. Your work will be individual to the needs of a
single student...for a full school year. Like the role of a parent, your
time and energy are what your student needs. For inbound students, REGULAR
face-to-face contact is a must. Although Rotary exchange students are carefully selected for their
leadership potential and their ability to manage challenges, there will
still be good days and bad. Every inbound student is in need of patience,
guidance and continuous support. In the beginning, your student might be
enthusiastic and bold or be a careful quiet observer of our culture. He
might ask for help with many things or ask for nothing (and "wait" for the
invitation to speak!). Exchange students are all (at times) lonely for
friends and families back home. All need encouragement to accept us as
their new families and friends, even if it's just for this one special year
in their lives. In order to succeed, students must let go of everything
they know as "normal" and embrace the strange and unusual. That's where
you come in! While every student will experience two or three host families during the
year, each has only ONE Youth Exchange Officer and ONE Counselor. For this
reason, the bond you will forge with your student is often long-
lasting...potentially permanent. You will sometimes be a "parent,"
sometimes a "disciplinarian," and sometimes a "friend" with a strong
sympathetic or supportive shoulder. Yours will be one of the faces in his
scrapbook...very likely a prominent place in his life. This makes your
role one of the most critical in Rotary leadership. You are in a "hands-
on" position, shaping the lives of our future leaders all over the world. As important, are the Outbound and Rebound students, to whom you will
provide the "launch" at the beginning and "safe landing" at the end of
their year of overseas study. Through work with inbound students, you will
gain important insights that can be applied to outbound preparation and in
helping their families through the essential process of "letting go." When your successful outbound student returns at the end of an exchange,
you will welcome a valuable new "world citizen" into your community. Our
hope is for each of our students to approach the future with appreciation
for other cultures and leadership roles with the same mission as Rotary
International; to ultimately achieve world peace and understanding.
Table of Contents Map of Our Multi-District 1
CSRYE Mission 2
Terms We Use 3
Organization Charts 4
Comprehensive Overview 7
Additional Resources 8
GENERAL CLUB RESPONSIBILITIES 9
Club Timelines 9
Inbound Timelines 9
Outbound Timeline 13
REGULATORY AGENCIES & REQUIRED FORMS 16
United States Government 16
USIA J-1 Exchange Visitor Program Requirements 16
CSIET (Council on Standards for International Educational Travel) 16
State Regulations 16
Canada Government 16
Rotary International 16
Required Forms 16
Where to locate Forms / Staying Current with CSRYE 18
Additional Forms & Regulatory Information 18
A Note About the Role of Responsible Officer (RO) 18
STUDENT PROTECTION 19
Harassment Policy 19
Statement of Conduct for Working with Youth 20
Volunteer Selection & Screening 21
Abuse & Harassment Allegation-Reporting Guidelines 22
Post Allegation-Reporting Guidelines 24
HOST FAMILY MANAGEMENT 25
Finding Host Families 25
Two or Three Families Are Required 26
Have a Back-Up Family in Place 26
Transition Between Families 26
Respect for Religious Differences 26
The Three Individual Experiences 27
INBOUND STUDENT ADJUSTMENT 28
Rotary Support System Model 28
What Students Expect 29
Attending Rotary Meetings 29
Student Responsibilities On Arrival 29
DAY-TO-DAY MANAGEMENT OF YOUR INBOUND STUDENT 30
Finances 30
Student Insurance 31
Vaccinations/Immunizations 31
The Rotary 'Uniform' - The Youth Exchange Blazer 31
Medical Records 31
Banners 32
Computer and Internet 32
Cell Phones 32
Student Presentation 32
INBOUND STUDENT RULES & EXPECTATIONS 33
Program Rules and Conditions of Exchange 33
Common Sense Rules and Conditions of Exchange 34
Additional Program Rules and Conditions of Exchange: 35
In the presence of Sponsor 35
The Four D's 36
Going to School 37
Student Travel 38
Natural Parent Visits 38
SPECIAL ISSUES 39
The Problem Student 39
Managing a Student "Emergency" 40
The Exchange Cycle 41
Culture Shock 42
Things Students Can Do to Survive This Period 44
Warning Signs 45
SENSITIVITY EXERCISES 46
One World... Or Many? 46
The Broken Squares Exercise 49
Why English Is One of the Most Difficult Languages 53
What's UP? 54
Map of Our Multi-District
[pic]
CSRYE Mission Rotary International CSRYE Programs are committed to creating and
maintaining the safest possible environment for all our Youth Exchange
Students, both inbound and outbound. We recognize that all young people have the right to freedom from
harassment and abuse.
We ensure that all our staff and volunteers are carefully selected
and trained and accept the responsibility for helping to prevent
the abuse of children in their care.
Each district responds swiftly and appropriately to all suspicions
or allegations of harassment and/or abuse, and provides adults and
young people with the opportunity to voice any concerns that they
may have.
Each District appoints individual Exchange Student Protection
Officers who will act as the main point of contact for parents,
children, host families, and outside agencies.
We ensure that access to confidential information is restricted.
We periodically review the effectiveness of our Student Protection
Policy and activities. Terms We Use
Inbound Student -The student living in our district, who is from
another country Outbound Student -The area student preparing to or currently living
overseas Rebound / Rotex Student -The student who has returned from a
successful exchange overseas Sponsor Club -The Rotary Club who selects a student for
exchange overseas Host Club -The Rotary Club responsible for looking after an
inbound student. YEO - Youth Exchange Officer - Oversees/administers
local program Rotary Counselor -The local person who advocates for a student and
helps solve problems
that might arise. Host Family -Family that provides housing and one-on-one support
for an inbound
Student District Inbound Coordinator -Assists the host club with problems that
cannot be solved at local
levels. Also collects MANDATORY monthly reports
from students. District Outbound Coordinator -Assists with preparation of students
selected for overseas exchange, and scheduled
"check-ins" with outbound students while living overseas. District Rebound Coordinator -Assists with Rebound students as they
transition back into their home culture. Student Protection Officer -Provides immediate local response when a
student is reported to have
been harmed or threatened while on exchange, and
helps to ensure student safety when needed. Disabilities Coordinator -Helps to ensure appropriate resources
are in place for any student with a
known disability. District Chair -Oversees/administers the DISTRICT Rotary YE
Program and mandatory emergency or crisis
procedures if they arise. CSRYE -Central States Rotary Youth Exchange Multi-District
- a collaborative
effort of 18 Rotary districts with common borders,
to help with training,
student support and program administration. Mandatory Meetings -Your student must attend. This provides an
opportunity for districts to
assure student safety, provide training and to
enhance the student experiences while involved in
the Rotary exchange program. Rotaract -Rotary Clubs for College Students up to age 30.
Must be sponsored by
local Rotary C