Student Monthly Reports
District 5100, particularly your Country Officer, wants to hear from you regularly about your exchange. This is so they can support you through any challenges you may be facing, stay up to date with your activities, and live a little bit vicariously through you!
You will be asked to submit a monthly report to your Country Officer. Your reports are due on the last day of every month. They will vary in format based on the month and on your Country Officer’s style– via email, or sometimes via a link sent to you. Sometimes your Country Officer will send a request with particular questions, or the format may be the same each time.
If you can make the time, please do also send updates to your sponsor club (and Country Officer) in the form of postcards, letters, or emails about your experiences. Those are always fun to get and share with other Rotarians.
Report Guide
Below is a example of the information that should be included in each monthly report:
“This report covers the month of: ***”
- Your Name
- Name of Host Rotary
- Club YEO’s Name and Phone Number
- Host Family’s Name/ Phone # / Address
- Change of Host Family – Keep us updated on where you are living. We need this information in case of an emergency.
These are some ideas of the things we want to hear about:
-
- What you are doing in school: new/favorite/least favorite subjects, clubs, sports, friends
- Social activities: getting connected in your school, through extracurriculars, or in your community. What social events, parties, dances, etc. have you gone to this month?
- Language learning: steps you are taking, how you feel you have improved this month, major milestones (first conversation with no English, able to get your point across, complimented on your accent, dreaming in host language, etc.).
- Your Rotary activities: meetings attended, speaking, travel to other clubs, Rotarians you’ve met
- My relationship with my counselor, (are you getting regular contact with him/her?)
- Is your host club taking the time to get to know you?
- Your personal experiences: Have you had any illnesses, problems with host families, problems in school. What solutions have you found?
- Travels?
- Visits with other exchange students?
- What are you learning? What do you like here? What don’t you like here?
- Near the end of the year, please be certain that you communicate your return travel plans including the date you are departing and your full travel itinerary.
After Sending Your Report
If you share a concern in your monthly report or your Country Officer has a concern after reading it, they may offer some advice if you are facing a challenge or are discouraged or feeling homesick. They may connect you to a Rotex who can relate more directly to your experience or offer the services of one of our counselors if appropriate. They may suggest that you seek out help from your host family or host Rotary Club if you have not already done so — remember, these people are there with you and are often a better support system than people back home.
If you have a concern but do not share it, we can’t help you. Remember, we are all here to help you succeed on your exchange, but we can only do that if you are honest and open with us. Everyone faces challenges on exchange, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.
