Top picture: Rowan (South Berwick-Eliot) being welcomed by her Italian host family. Bottom picture: Camille (France) and Everett (Brunswick) in the US.
By: Kathi Perkins, District Exchange Chair, RC of Westbrook-Gorham
District 7780 had fifteen students participate in the Youth Exchange Program this year, seven from the District and eight from abroad.
Five clubs in the District participated in the 7780 Short Term Exchange Program (STEP). This summer was a very successful one for the district with STEP! Six students from five different clubs (Two from Kittery, and one each from South Berwick-Eliot, Scarborough, South Portland-Cape Elizabeth, and Brunswick) hosted students from France, Italy (3), Germany, and Spain for four weeks, then spent the same amount of time with their students in their home countries.
District 7780 also has an outbound Youth Exchange student for the first time in many years! Kittery sponsored a Traip Academy graduate Ben to Thailand for the year. They are also hosting inbound student Erika from Romania.
Eastern States Student Exchange (ESSEX) asked for help in sponsoring a student from Ukraine for the year. Past DG Dick Hall and DG Claudia Frost jumped at the chance and promptly said, “Yes!” We were assigned Dasha from Rivne Rivnenska, Ukraine. She is being hosted by Westbrook-Gorham. Thank you very much to all of the Rotarians who donated and/or suggested their clubs donate to her fund. We were able to purchase her airfare (thank you Ruth York of Kennebunk who arranged this for us), health insurance, a missing immunization not available in Ukraine, her inbound orientation, and ESSEX fees, with money left for other things she might need. Your generosity is much appreciated! Rotarians are awesome!
We will soon begin recruiting for next year’s long and short-term programs! Contact District Exchange Chair Kathi Perkins by email or by phone at 207-253-1778 for more information and/or to join the district committee.