District Secretary's Corner
Alberto Arceo III
RC Bacolod East
District Secretary, RY 2014-15
September 2014
My Favorite Rotary Program
September is New Generations Month and my favorite Rotary program is the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. I was a Rotary Exchange student to Zanesville, Ohio, U.S.A. in 1983 and I clearly remember the day I left Manila – August 21, 1983. My plane to the U.S.A. had just taken off when Ninoy Aquino was assassinated a few minutes later.
During my year-long exchange, I stayed with four foster families and learned how to adapt, be responsible and independent. The exchange program had a long-lasting effect on me, and it was one of the best and most memorable experiences I’ve had in my life. I thank my parents for encouraging me to join the exchange program and for introducing me to the wonderful world of Rotary.
Every year, over 8,000 students around the world participate in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program and are given the opportunity of a lifetime to learn a new language, meet new people and assimilate a new culture. Of the 10 districts in the Philippines, our District 3850 is one of only two districts that are active in the exchange program. This year, our district will have seven outbound Rotary Exchange students who will be going to countries such as the US, Belgium, France and Germany. Our district will likewise be hosting seven inbound Rotary Exchange students from Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland.
I have been involved with our district’s Rotary Youth Exchange Program for several years and I have noticed that year-in and year-out, it is the same Rotary Clubs that are sponsoring and hosting Rotary Exchange students. I encourage you my fellow Rotarians to grab the opportunity to share in a young student’s hopes and ambitions by hosting a Rotary Exchange student. You can start by inviting a Rotary Exchange student for lunch with your family, or for an out-of-town trip, or to spend the weekend at your home. Rotary Clubs can start by inviting a Rotary Exchange student to be a guest speaker during your weekly meetings. Invite your spouses and your children to the meeting so that they too will get to know the Rotary Exchange student. Who knows, your child might also want to be a Rotary Exchange student one day.
Hosting a Rotary Exchange student can be a wonderful experience and it allows a host family or members of a Rotary Club to be familiar with another culture. It not only enriches the life of the Rotary Exchange student, but the lives of every member of the host family and of the Rotary Club as well. I remember what Ina Legaspi said a few years ago after she came back from her exchange to Brazil: “I thought the Rotary Youth Exchange Program was just one year in my life. I was wrong. It was a lifetime in a year”
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