Three youths from the Coast are embarking on the experience of a lifetime through the Rotary Youth Exchange this month.
Sara Miller from Gibsons heads to Sweden, Kai Nestman from Sechelt is leaving for Thailand, and Nevalina Carmona from the Sechelt Indian Band has already left for Brazil.
The Gibsons Rotary Club, Sechelt Rotary Club and the Sunshine Coast Rotary Club chose the three high school students after an application and interview process.
Rotary Clubs on the Coast believe strongly in promoting exchanges across borders because the experience gives students a connectedness to people of other races, cultures and religions.
"The most powerful force in the promotion of international understanding and peace is exposure to different cultures. The world becomes a smaller, friendlier place when we learn that all people, regardless of nationality, desire the same basic things: a safe, comfortable environment that allows for a rich and satisfying life for our children and ourselves," says the Rotary Youth Exchange website.
Students from the Coast will spend a year in another country, learning in different school systems, eating different cuisine, taking part in different activities and immersing themselves in a different language and culture.
For some students, it could be the chance for a new beginning.
"It's really not like anything they've ever experienced before," said Tanya Hall, Youth Exchange Coordinator. "All these students have grown up on the Coast and everyone knows them a certain way; they can't change that. But when you go to another country, you can create a new you. You can discover who you are meant to be, and because you have a year in that country you can come home confident in the new you."
Hall said she doesn't get many applications for the exchanges offered each year by the Rotary Clubs of the Coast, and she hopes students who have gone on exchanges will share their experiences and encourage other students to apply.
"It is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I'm sure it costs less to send your teenager on exchange than have them at home for the year," Hall said.
Students on Rotary Youth Exchanges are given a living allowance by the sponsoring Rotary Club and stay with Rotary families in their country of choice, but students are responsible for some of the cost of the trip, which can vary.
"For example, Kai is going to Thailand, and his money will go a lot farther there," Hall said.
She is confident the Sunshine Coast students will enjoy their yearlong exchange and said that coming home may be harder than leaving.
"An exchange student becomes a big part of the society they are in. They look different, talk different, do different things, so everyone notices them and everyone wants to get to know them because it's so novel. So when they come home, there's always a let down," Hall said.
She notes the friendships made in different countries can last forever, and the experiences can be life changing, "so it's definitely worth it."
For more information on Rotary Youth Exchange, see the website www.d5040youthexchange.ca.
