Rotary Youth Exchange

Rotary members were given an overview of what a Rotary Youth Exchange Student is.

first-hand experience from Anders Harkjaer, a former student

Youth Exchange is an official program of Rotary, where a local youth, still in full time education, is elected to spend a fully funded period between 3 to 12 months living with one or more Rotary families in a foreign country, where they learn the language, experience the culture and attend the local school/education facility.
 
One such lucky student was Anders Harkjaer who is from Denmark and visiting Staines for 4 months whilst pursuing his career as an interior designer and gaining first-hand experience as an apprentice joiner/carpenter and staying with a local Rotarian. Anders lives just to the north of Copenhagen and his father is a past president of the Dyrehaven Rotary Club. In fact Anders told us he was adopted as the Club mascot since he was born 3 months after the club was started, 20 years ago.
 
The Danish club first became exposed to Youth Exchange when they hosted two students from Australia in 2006/7. So when the opportunity came in 2013/14 to join an outward exchange visit to spend a year in Taiwan, Anders jumped at it and was accepted. During his stay, he lived with three different families from the host Club in Jongli, a suburb of Taipei. His first recollection is of being met by the entire membership of the Club at the airport. He learnt Mandarin, which he had to do if he was to benefit from attending one of the not so local schools, as he had to travel an hour each way each day, and with school finishing after 5pm each day, he didn't get back to his hosts until late. He was by joined two other Exchange students, one from Germany and the other from USA.
 
Anders says that his experience as an exchange student was priceless. He attended almost all meetings of his host clubs, making presentations and learnt how to address them in their native tongue, Chinese. Just as well as they didn't speak any English. He discovered the culture and met and made many friends, and was able to see much of the Country, though he says school took up a large part of his life leaving little free time. Would he do it again? You bet, he says. "It was a fantastic experience and one I can recommend to any student wanting to gain a wider experience of the world". And how's the Chinese Anders? Not so good he says, as I don't have the opportunity to practice.

'What We Do' Main Pages:

Rotary Scholar Nyathioma Njehu graduated at the Royal Holloway, University of London last December with the award of her MSc with merit in Clinical Psychology.

more  

This year’s awards to local charities from Staines Rotary was held recently at the Thames Side Brewery.

more  

Several hundred gathered in the Market Square on Remembrance Sunday, as Staines-upon-Thames fell silent to pay its respects to the fallen of past conflicts.

more  

October 24th marked one of the most important days in Rotary’s calendar; World Polio Day.

more  

During the summer holidays, 49 youths from across Surrey and West Sussex completed a challenging 6 day residential leadership development programme.

more  

Last year, the Rotary Club of Staines joined with the Rotary Club of Nairobi, Rotary District 1145 and the Rotary Foundation to fully sponsor a Kenyan national to attend a one year post graduate course in clinical psychology at Royal Holloway University.

more  

Staines Rotary has been playing its part in a global campaign to eradicate polio, raising funds over several years to help achieve it.

more  

Despite Covid restrictions, Staines Rotary were able to take Santa on his usual Christmas rounds through to streets, assisted by groups of volunteer collectors raising funds for local charities.

more  

2020 marked the 10th year that Staines Rotary had presented every child in Year 5 at all the Primary Schools in Staines and Laleham with an Usborne Illustrated Dictionary, which help them with their school work.

more  

Staines Rotary were determined not to let Covid steal the community’s 2020 Christmas.

more  
first-hand experience from Anders Harkjaer, a former student

Rotary members were given an overview of what a Rotary Youth Exchange Student is.

more  
do you know what they do?

You may have heard of a "first responder", but do you know what they do and how you can become one of this elite team?

more  
building a new future for hospice care

We were delighted to welcome Tim Stokes as our guest speaker to a recent dinner evening.

more