Structure & Roles

All members of Rotary International, District 5100 Youth Exchange, Host and Sponsor Clubs, and our host families are VOLUNTEERS.

We are all committed to the promotion of peace, goodwill and understanding and supporting the youth of our world.

We are not perfect, but we do our very best.

The overall value of the experience that a student receives from the Sponsoring and Hosting Rotary Clubs is PRICELESS.

DISTRICT ROLES

• Rotary District – Districts are numbered for identification and are governed by a District Governor.  District 5100 is comprised of 70 clubs in Northern Oregon and Southwestern Washington, USA. District 5100 serves as the Sponsor District for Outbound Students and the Hosting District for Inbound Students.
• The Hosting District is responsible for the orientation and care of inbound exchange students and may terminate the exchange, returning the student home, for failure to comply with the host district rules or having unacceptable conduct. 
• The Sponsoring District is responsible for the orientation and training of Outbound students.
• District Governor (DG) – The Rotarian responsible to Rotary International for the conduct of all programs within a Rotary district.  Therefore the youth exchange program is the responsibility of the DG. 
• District Youth Exchange Committee (DYEC) –  On the district level, this committee trains students, maintains contact with counterpart Rotarians in other districts, and handles most of the administrative details of the exchange.   
• District Youth Exchange Chairperson – The DYEC Chairperson is appointed by the District Governor and serves for three years. The Chairman has the responsibility to coordinate the exchange between the Sponsoring District and the Hosting District. To facilitate this, the Chairman may appoint an Inbound Coordinator, Outbound Coordinator, and Short Term Coordinator who may also have assistants.
• Inbound Coordinator
  • Work with Clubs to get IB students matched to a Club, Assigned to a Host Parent and a School. 
  • Collaborate with the DYEC on Parent, Counselor and Inbound Training to meet program timelines.
  • Maintain an up-to-date list of all Inbound students, Counselors and Host Parents and distribute to the Committee.
• Outbound Coordinator –  (for LTEP students)
  • Once a student has been accepted by a club as an Outbound Candidate, the Outbound Coordinator will work with the students to handle all application paperwork.
  • Collaborate with the Training Coordinator to complete Outbound Training sessions.
  • Work with CISI and travel company to complete Insurance/VISA/travel details.
  • Maintain an up to date list of all Outbound students, Clubs, Parents and distribute to the Committee.
• Short-Term Exchange (STEP) Coordinator – Work with the rest of the committee to recruit/register Short-Term Students. Make sure students/parents get their Insurance and Background Checks completed in time.
• Country Officer (CO) – A Rotarian who is a member of the District 5100 Youth Exchange Committee responsible for all aspects of the exchange with a particular country. 
• Youth Protection Officer (YPO) – The Rotarian designated by the District Governor as the contact person for all youth-related issues that affect the health and safety of participants in the RI Youth Exchange program.   This is the person to be notified immediately if and when one of these issues arise. 
• Rotex Student – Short for Rotary Exchange Student.  
  • Sometimes used to describe all students in the youth exchange program.  Most commonly used to describe Rebound Students who have been home for a couple of years. They are responsible for staying in contact with returning Outbounds, and ROTEX that come into the District Committee to build a pool of talent that can be used to participate in Inbound/Outbound Training for Students and Parents.
  • Provide training for Inbound Students at Inbound Orientation
  • Host Rebound Training and welcome returning Outbounds to participate in the next stage of YEP and ‘pay-it-forward’.

CLUB ROLES

• Rotary Club – Rotary International is organized into local clubs and districts.  These clubs are often made up of members who represent local businesses, professions, and governments.  A club may hold its weekly meetings for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Clubs range in size from 15 to 400 active members and are governed by a President and Board of Directors.
• Sponsor Club – This is the Rotary Club that selected an outbound student for sponsorship in the program.  A club that chooses to sponsor a student is actually providing a one year scholarship for study abroad. In our District, the Sponsoring Club is required to Host an Inbound Student.
• Host Club – This is the Rotary Club that is providing host families and a monthly allowance to the Inbound Student. They will also appoint a Club Counselor to assist inbound exchange students with day-to-day matters and invite inbound exchange students to participate in Rotary Club meetings and activities. 
• Club President – The Rotarian elected to preside over the weekly meetings of the local Rotary Club.  The Club President serves for one year.  
• Host Club Counselors – Each Hosting Rotary club is responsible to provide a Rotarian counselor to help support the IB student while on exchange.  
  • Should meet with the student regularly.  
  • Will help the student and/or the students host family with school registration.  
  • Should be advised if you have problems with school, family, finances or other matters.  
  • Should have received the students emergency fund ($500 USD or whatever is required by the students’ host country). The balance of the student emergency fund will be returned to the student at the conclusion of the student’s exchange year.  
  • May provide a safe place to keep the student passport and return airline paper or e-ticket information.  
  • Should be considered the student’s Advocate — someone the student can look to for support and friendship, as well as for help solving problems.  
  • Is the Rotarian who must know where the students are when traveling. 
  • Many Sponsoring Rotary clubs also provide counselors to assist with the OBC student and family progress prior to the exchange. 
• Host Family – These are families who provide room, board and nurturing to Inbound Exchange students hosted by their local Rotary Club.  In some districts, host families are those whose sons/daughters are also participants in the RI Youth Exchange program.  RI recommends that all students have up to three host families to give them a better overview of the culture and language of their exchange country. 
• Club Youth Exchange Officer (YEO) – The chairperson of the Club Youth Exchange Committee and the main contact for youth exchange.
• Club Youth Exchange Committee (YEC) – On the club level, this committee nominates students for participation in the program and sponsorship by their club.  The local club YEC also provides host families and club counselors for students.