Transcript Document

Orientation for Host Families
Rotary District 5170
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Introduction
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Welcome
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Our goal – Making World A Better Place
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Thank you for your participation !!!
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What You Will Learn Today
Closeness of new friends (family of Rotary)
 Rotary expectations
 Helpful ideas for you
 Calendar of activities
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CHALLENGES FOR THE ROTARY EXCHANGE STUDENT
ARE MANY
Your
Community
Host
Families
School
Exchange
Student /
Rotary
Counselor
Host
Rotary
Club
Friends in
High School
Host
Rotary
District
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Rotary Support Structure
Rotary Club
 Rotary Youth Exchange Committee
 Rotary Counselor
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Counselor Responsibilities
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Maintain contact with student and family
– Show continued interest & support
– Resolve problems before problems get big
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Assist in registering student at school
Ensure that student receives monthly allowance
Keep club YE committee informed
Get Rotary club membership involved
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Items Rotary Counselor Must
Hold for Student
Prepaid return airline ticket
 Emergency fund (~$350) deposited in a
bank
 Passport and DS-2019
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Student Challenges
1.
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Adapting to host families and new culture
Doing well in school
Homesickness & making close friends
Speaking English
Following the rules of Rotary
Getting involved with Rotary and
community
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What we expect from
Host Families
Treat student as member of the family
 Delegate daily responsibilities for the home
 Assist student in finding right friends
 Be prepared to say “No” when appropriate
 Ensure students dress & present themselves
appropriately
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Sample Family Rules
Be on time
 Curfew
 Do school homework
 No telephone usage after certain hour
 Help with chores (cleaning dishes, mowing
lawn, etc.)
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See list of questions to ask on yeoresources.org
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Use of Telephone
Explain how it works: Set rules for use
 Limit calls to country (family, friends)
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– Helps them to overcome homesickness
Ensure no phone bills ($100, $500, $1,000)
 Telephone calling card for student calling
home
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– buy at Wal-Mart (ATT International Card)
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Use of Family Computer
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Do not let student spend too much time on
computer
Limit or prohibit downloading information
Explain no visits to pornography sites, etc.
Limit the use of AOL Instant Messenger, MSN,
Facebook or other IM/social networking programs
Ensure not too many e-mails to family and friends
back home
– Makes adapting to our culture more difficult
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Expectations at School
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Ensure clear understanding of school credits while
they are here (often the answer is “None”)
Usually “not allowed to graduate”
Remind them to say thank you to school teachers
Write letter introducing themselves & RYE to
teachers
Ensure regular class attendance and proper
attention to work
Assure school missed work will be completed
– Rotary will take students out of school at times
– They are expected to make up work
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Varsity Sports at School
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Students who have already graduated
cannot play on Varsity team
– May be able play on Junior Varsity (JV)
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Participation in Varsity athletics requires
approval from state (and may cost $$)
– School will have the required paperwork
– Student is expected to pay own costs for sports
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Making Close Friends
A major challenge to YE students
 Help in finding clubs for student to join
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Interact (in many of the schools)
Sports
Theater
Band, orchestra
Active participation is good cure for
homesickness
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Limit Visits with Other
Exchange Students
Rotary provides many opportunities for
exchange students to get together
 Their goal: To make American friends
 Limit birthday party invitations to American
students and exchange students close by
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– Transportation can be difficult
– Can cause family frustration
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Speaking English
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Sometimes students speak native language
– Considered quite rude
– Forces others away from you
This can be major problem
 Ensure students actively work to improve
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– Good computer programs available
– Don’t be afraid to correct student’s English
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Serious Rules of Rotary
No drinking
 No driving motor vehicles of any kind
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– including no drivers’ education class
No serious dating
 Obeying the law
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– No smoking
– No drugs
– No shoplifting, etc.
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Problem Solving
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Some problems will occur
Student should ask for help, in this order
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Host family
Club counselor
Club youth exchange officer
District Youth exchange committee
Host families must not let small problems become
big problems. Ask for help.
– Club counselor
– Club Youth Exchange officer
– District Youth Exchange Committee
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Student Protection Guidelines
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What to do if your exchange student tells you of
Harassment and/or Abuse
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Listen attentively & let him/her know it was right to tell you
Assure him/her that they are not to blame
Remain calm and make sure student feels safe
Encourage student to share with you what happened and who
was involved
– Make detailed notes including date & time
– Don’t promise to keep secrets & explain the necessity of
informing the District Abuse Prevention Coordinator (DAPC)
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Student Protection Guidelines
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Keep communications open
– Assure student that you can jointly address his/her
concerns/problem
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Report the case to the DAPC Immediately
Don’t investigate
– Leave this to the proper authorities
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Support the student emotionally
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Student Getting Involved
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Active involvement in Rotary and
community are essential
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Rotary meetings
Orientations for American students
Programs to Rotary clubs
Programs to schools and clubs
Help student to say “yes” and to be proud to
be ambassador for their country and Rotary
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Activities
Sharing family activities (even if not
favorite thing to do)
 Rotary Club
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– Meetings and socials
– Fund Raisers
– Other activities
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District (see follow-up slides)
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Rotary District Activities
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YE Orientation (mandatory)
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Day on the Bay
Holiday Party
WESSEX Hawaiian Adventure
Ski Trip
Yosemite
District Conference (mandatory)
WESSEX Western Safari
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September/October
October
December
March
February/March
1st WkEnd May
1st WkEnd June
June/July
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Student’s Role as
Ambassador
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Students portray their whole country
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By their attitude
By their decisions
By their appearance
By their willingness to do for others
Students make a difference; so much depends on
their desire to be ambassador
Reminders from counselor and host family needed
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One Last Request
Student’s Name, Address &Telephone #
must be kept current in US SEVIS database
 Please inform Mark Junod when student
moves families and provide the needed
information including host family e-mail
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Summary
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THANK YOU !!!!!!!!
– We have a great year planned
– Program will not work without dedicated
counselors and host families
– We are more than eager to help
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Where to get more information
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District committee
– District Chairs:
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Phone:
E-mail:
– Inbound Chair:
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Phone:
E-mail:
– DAPC:
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Phone:
E-mail:
Evonne Hopkins
(925) 963-3546
[email protected]
Mark Junod
831.332.0720
[email protected]
Ron Hyde
925.846.2727
[email protected]
District website – www.rotary5170.org
WESSEX website – www.rotarywessex.org
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