QUICK LINKS | Rotary Youth Exchange (Rotary International) | District 5100 Youth Exchange Website

For over 75 years, Rotary International has been organizing youth exchanges for young people in over 100 countries to promote peace and international understanding, one person at a time.

Every year, the Rotary Club of Forest Grove chooses one high school-aged student to participate in a long-term Rotary Youth Exchange. This student spends 10 months in a foreign country, lives with multiple families and attends school in the host community.  The club also hosts an international student in Forest Grove, who lives with local families and attends Forest Grove High School.

The Rotary Club of Forest Grove also periodically participates in short-term exchanges. These are generally four-week programs and are run as direct exchanges with a student and their family from a participating country.

The Rotary Club of Forest Grove was the first Rotary Club in our region (Northern Oregon and Southwest Washington) to become involved with Rotary Youth Exchange, with the first students exchanging in the early 1970s. Our club finances its involvement with the program through our annual Plates for Passports dinner (formerly Rotary Steak Feed). Our 2026 Plates for Passports event takes place on Friday, May 29.

Who Can Apply For Youth Exchange?
The Rotary Club of Forest Grove seeks high school students who are leaders in their school and community and who are open and curious about new cultures and people.

Rotary is committed to ensuring that all students have access to the exchange program, and we encourage any interested student to apply, regardless of economic status, race, religion, sexual orientation/identification or background.

The Benefits
Exchange students unlock their potential to:

  • Develop lifelong leadership skills
  • Learn a new language and culture
  • Build lasting friendships with young people from around the world
  • Become a global citizen


What Countries Do Students Go To?
Currently, we exchange with Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czechia/Slovakia, Denmark, Finland/Estonia, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey. This list is subject to change.

Students are placed in a country after they have been accepted into the program. Country placement is determined in consultation with the students, their families and the Rotary Youth Exchange program.


What Are The Costs Of An Exchange?
Room, board and school fees are provided through the program. Students are also provided with a monthly stipend by their host country clubs.

Students and their families are generally required to pay for:

  • Round-trip airfare
  • Health insurance
  • Travel documents (such as passports and visas)
  • Extra spending money and any additional travel or tours

Rotary is committed to ensuring that exchanges are available to all members of our community. Assistance may be available for some or all of the student’s expenses, depending on the student’s needs.

Long-Term Exchange
A 10-month study abroad experience that takes place during a student’s junior year of high school.

  • Students apply during the spring semester of their freshman year of high school and are notified if they have been accepted into the program that spring.
  • Students engage in orientation activities conducted by Rotary throughout their sophomore year.
  • Country placements are made in February of the student’s sophomore year.
  • Students go on exchange in their junior year, generally leaving in late summer.
  • Students return after 10 months. Rotary provides orientations for returning students to help them reacclimate to their home country after they have arrived back in the United States.

Short-Term Exchange
A three to five-week one-to-one exchange with a student in another country.

  • Open to students 14-and-a-half to 19 years old
  • Takes place during the summer
  • Students may apply during any year of high school
  • Families must be willing and able to reciprocate as hosts


How To Apply
For more information and to apply, please download an application or contact our club’s Youth Exchange Chair (contact information below).

The Rotary Club of Forest Grove Youth Exchange Committee will review applications and invite a select number of those students for further interviews. Final decisions on candidates and runners-up will generally be made by mid-May.

Applications for 2026 are due by Friday, May 1.

Click Here To Download Youth Exchange Application Form

Can I Host An Exchange Student?
Every inbound exchange student that the Rotary Club of Forest Grove hosts stays in three different homes to provide the students with opportunities to experience different family cultures and traditions. The club encourages anyone in our community who is interested in hosting exchange students to contact our Youth Exchange Committee chair to learn more.

For More Information
Contact Sarah Barbour, Rotary Club of Forest Grove Youth Exchange Chair
503-597-9355 or ForestGroveFYE@gmail.com