Rotary Youth Exchange Florida, Inc.

Response to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus)

Updated April 2, 2020

2020 – 2021 Outbound and Inbound programs

We have made the difficult decision to suspend our 2020 – 2021 Outbound and Inbound exchange programs. What that means is that we will not offer the Rotary Youth Exchange program for 2020 – 2021 in our districts in Florida and Georgia.

For Future Outbound Candidates who are preparing to become Rotary Youth Exchange students, we have sent you and your parents a letter with more information about the suspension of the program, the refund process, and our plans for the future. As always, please reach out to your District Chairman, Outbound Student Coordinator, or your club’s Youth Exchange Officer for more information.

For Future Inbound Students who are currently preparing to become Rotary Youth Exchange students to Florida or Georgia, please contact your local Rotary Youth Exchange chair in your country for more information.

 

 

Current Outbound Students – Long-Term Program

 

The U.S. State Department has issued a new Global Level 4 Health Advisory – Do Not Travel. Please review the advice from the State Department and consider it carefully as you and your parents determine the best date for your return to the USA.

 

Most Outbound Students in our program have already returned home safely to Florida or Georgia. Those who remain on exchange overseas during the pandemic have chosen to do so.

If you or a member of your family is a current Outbound Student participating in the long-term program in one of partner countries overseas, you should know that our Rotary Youth Exchange volunteers and host families are committed to your health and safety. While remaining on exchange you must follow the guidelines published by the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as your local in-country health authorities.

If you and your parents are considering an early return home, please know that Rotary Youth Exchange volunteers will help provide you with factual information to help you consider the risks of staying in place vs. returning home early. If you should decide to return early from exchange you can count on Rotary Youth Exchange volunteers to support your decision and to help you to make arrangements to return home as expeditiously as possible. Please contact any member of the Rotary Youth Exchange leadership team in your host country or at Rotary Youth Exchange Florida to discuss your situation and your options. If the local Rotary Youth Exchange leadership team in your host country decides to cancel exchanges to your host country, Rotary Youth Exchange volunteers will help you make arrangements to return home as expeditiously as possible. Please note that a decision to return home early because of the COVID-19 pandemic will have no impact on your ability to continue to participate with Rotary as a ROTEX alumni member in the future.

 

 

Current Inbound Students to Florida and Georgia – Long-Term Program

Most Inbound Students in our program have safely returned back to their home countries. Those who remain in Florida or Georgia have chosen to do so, or in some cases are awaiting permission from their home country to be able to enter during the pandemic.

If you or a member of your family is a current Inbound Student participating in the program in Florida or Georgia, please know that our Rotary Youth Exchange volunteers and host families are committed to keeping students safe and healthy. Students are required to stay at home, practice social distancing, and participate in distance learning with their schools. We insist that students as well as host family members and volunteers follow the prevention guidelines published by the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. If you have questions about the current situation with COVID-19 in Florida and Georgia, or about your options regarding your continued participation in the program here, please reach out to a Rotarian program volunteer. At the moment have not taken a decision to end the current inbound program in any of our districts, but that may change. Students may need to return their home country on short notice if we should need to end the program for health reasons.

 

Short-Term Exchanges for 2020

Rotary Youth Exchange Florida Inc. will not be offering short-term exchange for the 2020 year.