Picture: Last year's Youth Exchange students were hosted by Rotary District 5520 on their visit to White Sands.

The Rotary Youth Exchange Program presents unparalleled opportunities for American high school students to experience a year studying abroad and for exchange students from other countries to spend a year in the U.S. being immersed in American culture and education.

The Rotary Club of Silver City has been an active participant in this program, has hosted exchange students during each of the last several years and is currently sponsoring a student studying in Finland.

There is currently once again an opportunity for a student from Grant County to spend the 2016-17 school year abroad under the auspices of the Rotary Youth Exchange program. These students are ambassadors who exchange cultural experiences with families, Rotarians, and other students in their host country. They also have opportunities to gather and explore their host country with other exchange students from around the world who are participating in the program.

Eligible students are typically sophomores, but other students can also apply (the age requirement is 15 to 18-1/2 at time of departure next July). Other personal attributes of importance to the program include: an outgoing, mature personality; good to excellent grades; flexibility; resilience; and participation in activities such as sports, hobbies and clubs. Applications for Rotary's Outbound Youth Exchange Program for 2016-17 must be submitted to the Rotary Club no later than October 20.

The Rotary District to which the Silver City Club belongs (District 5520) has exchanges with the following countries: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Peru (possibly), Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan. Some language knowledge is required for Germany and France, but not the others because the program is total immersion.

The cost to the family of sending a student abroad under is this program is currently $5,700. Students or parents interested in this opportunity should contact Sunny Yates at (575) 313-2200 for further information and application materials.