Post by title1parent on Aug 6, 2010 5:40:23 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/opinions/2570230,2_4_AU06_SHERMAN_S1-100806.article
Developing global citizens one student at a time
August 6, 2010 Beacon Opinion
One of the best ways to promote world peace is by getting to know people from other cultures. When friendship and understanding develop between people of different religions, different ideologies, and different cultures, it becomes impossible to demonize people who are different. The trouble is, especially in a soft economy, international travel can be out of reach for many people.
The Rotary Exchange Program has been helping students study abroad since the 1920s. Run completely with volunteers, "we are reviewed and accredited by an independent organization," explained George Ball, who, with his wife, Kathy, is preparing to host a third international student. "It is the least expensive program for a student on the planet: it costs them a plane ticket, some spending money and health insurance."
I was amazed at the statistics George and Kathy Ball provided. Rotary is an international service organization in more than 200 countries with 1.4 million members which began in Chicago. More than 8,000 students participate in the Rotary Exchange Program each year. There are two clubs in Aurora and many others in our area. Rotary's Northern Illinois district is hosting 12 students this year, down slightly from last year.
Unfortunately, our area can only send out as many students as we can host, so Rotary is constantly searching for host families in order to give all the local students who wish to travel the opportunity to do so. The time commitment for hosting can be as short as four months. This decreases the burden on any one family and allows exchange students to experience more than one household, though they are kept in the same high school throughout their stay. Rotary is currently seeking host families in West Aurora School District 129.
The process of becoming a host family is painless. It involves an application, an interview and a two-hour training session. Rotary, of course, conducts a background check on everyone in the home and pays any school fees for participating students. It is not necessary for the host family to have teenage children, though that can provide a very special experience for their own children if this happens to be the case. The students who participate in exchanges must be between 15 ½ and 18 years of age.
If you find it daunting to have a "guest" for four months, you will be relieved to know that exchange students are not to be treated like guests, but as family. Whatever expectations you have of your own children (like clearing their own dishes after dinner and doing their homework) extend to the students you host. The goal is for international students to know what it's like to live in a typical American family. The Rotary has meetings and events for the students to attend, so host families should not feel that they must constantly provide outings for students.
"While there is the expense of adding another member to the household," Kathy said, "families usually find they have been enriched by the experience in ways they may not have anticipated: new lasting friendships, a new perspective on how we do things ... a new perspective on how others do things -- 'not weird, just different.' That perspective -- gained by the student, families, Rotary members, friends at school, etc., is what I think is the whole point of any exchange program and is the best hope all this effort offers toward world peace and understanding. People don't spout off about invading or attacking or bombing another country when they know someone there ... or even if they just have a better understanding that there isn't just our way to think and do things. Rotary knows that this is one of the most significant gifts we can pass along to the next generation."
The Rotary motto is "Service Before Self," and they live by a code of behavior called the Four Way Test: In all the things we think, say and do -- is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? This would not be a bad motto for all people to live by.
If you are interested in helping to make the world a better place by helping young people to widen their horizons and become global citizens -- one friendship at a time -- please contact Susan Mennenga, Aurora Rotary Club youth exchange officer, at 630-801-2663.
Deena Sherman is a freelance writer living in Aurora. She can be reached at deenasherman@att.net.
Developing global citizens one student at a time
August 6, 2010 Beacon Opinion
One of the best ways to promote world peace is by getting to know people from other cultures. When friendship and understanding develop between people of different religions, different ideologies, and different cultures, it becomes impossible to demonize people who are different. The trouble is, especially in a soft economy, international travel can be out of reach for many people.
The Rotary Exchange Program has been helping students study abroad since the 1920s. Run completely with volunteers, "we are reviewed and accredited by an independent organization," explained George Ball, who, with his wife, Kathy, is preparing to host a third international student. "It is the least expensive program for a student on the planet: it costs them a plane ticket, some spending money and health insurance."
I was amazed at the statistics George and Kathy Ball provided. Rotary is an international service organization in more than 200 countries with 1.4 million members which began in Chicago. More than 8,000 students participate in the Rotary Exchange Program each year. There are two clubs in Aurora and many others in our area. Rotary's Northern Illinois district is hosting 12 students this year, down slightly from last year.
Unfortunately, our area can only send out as many students as we can host, so Rotary is constantly searching for host families in order to give all the local students who wish to travel the opportunity to do so. The time commitment for hosting can be as short as four months. This decreases the burden on any one family and allows exchange students to experience more than one household, though they are kept in the same high school throughout their stay. Rotary is currently seeking host families in West Aurora School District 129.
The process of becoming a host family is painless. It involves an application, an interview and a two-hour training session. Rotary, of course, conducts a background check on everyone in the home and pays any school fees for participating students. It is not necessary for the host family to have teenage children, though that can provide a very special experience for their own children if this happens to be the case. The students who participate in exchanges must be between 15 ½ and 18 years of age.
If you find it daunting to have a "guest" for four months, you will be relieved to know that exchange students are not to be treated like guests, but as family. Whatever expectations you have of your own children (like clearing their own dishes after dinner and doing their homework) extend to the students you host. The goal is for international students to know what it's like to live in a typical American family. The Rotary has meetings and events for the students to attend, so host families should not feel that they must constantly provide outings for students.
"While there is the expense of adding another member to the household," Kathy said, "families usually find they have been enriched by the experience in ways they may not have anticipated: new lasting friendships, a new perspective on how we do things ... a new perspective on how others do things -- 'not weird, just different.' That perspective -- gained by the student, families, Rotary members, friends at school, etc., is what I think is the whole point of any exchange program and is the best hope all this effort offers toward world peace and understanding. People don't spout off about invading or attacking or bombing another country when they know someone there ... or even if they just have a better understanding that there isn't just our way to think and do things. Rotary knows that this is one of the most significant gifts we can pass along to the next generation."
The Rotary motto is "Service Before Self," and they live by a code of behavior called the Four Way Test: In all the things we think, say and do -- is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? This would not be a bad motto for all people to live by.
If you are interested in helping to make the world a better place by helping young people to widen their horizons and become global citizens -- one friendship at a time -- please contact Susan Mennenga, Aurora Rotary Club youth exchange officer, at 630-801-2663.
Deena Sherman is a freelance writer living in Aurora. She can be reached at deenasherman@att.net.