Training: The Key to Quality Improvement in Youth Exchange

1. Training: The Key to Quality Improvement in Youth Exchange EEMA Conference, Rome, Italy 31 August, 2013 Dennis White, Ph.D. dkwhite@itol.com

2. "My dream is for every 17-year old to become a Youth Exchange Student.  If we could achieve this, there would be no more wars."  Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar, Rotary International President 2005-2006

3. “我的夢想是：讓每一個十七歲的青少年都能成為交換學生。如果我們可以達成這個理想，世界將再也沒有戰爭”. RI President, Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar

5. Training Quality Improvement

6. 1. Policies and Procedures to protect youth 2. Training all Volunteers in Youth Protection 3. Prohibited requiring Parents of Outbounds to host Inbounds

7. 1. Walter Wyser, Switzerland

8. 1. Walter Wyser, Switzerland 2. Andrew Page, RIBI

12. NAYEN Strategic priorities Provide access to resources that support and promote the RYE program Provide innovative methods of delivery of training and other resources Promote sound organizational development Facilitate networking in the RYE community Serve as advocate for the RYE program

14. Proposed by and led by Erwin “Velcro” Zeller Grew out of an increase in Early Returns of 3% to more than 8% Students are generally satisfied with their experience, including their host families Many reported their host families were required to host them The #1 problem is club /YEO/ Counselor support 50% reported seeing their club counselor less than 1/month

15. The #1 problem is Club /YEO/ Counselor support

16. Welcome! EEMA (Europe - East Mediterranean - Africa Youth Exchange Officers Conference) and NAYEN (North American Youth Exchange Network) are conducting this survey for Rotary Youth Exchange.  This is a survey of current and former Rotary Youth Exchange students, to look for reasons that some students return early from their exchange.  We hope to use this data to make improvements in the Rotary Youth Exchange program.Please take a few minutes to share your experience with us.  The data will be released in statistical form only, no personal data will be released.Click HERE to start survey...The survey was created with input from individuals in EEMA, NAYEN, ABIJ, TRYEX and others.  We greatly appreciate all the effort that went into it.  Statistical results will be available to interested districts and multi-districts after the results are compiled.  For information about this survey, please contact Norm Samuelson (Rotary District 5490, Arizona, USA) 5490Outbounds@gmail.com.

19. Better ways of doing various parts of Youth Exchange are shared at conferences like this…

20. Example: The list of “Be”s: • “Be Present”, etc. • First presented at the NAYEN Conference in Chicago 2010. • Now used all over the world.

21. Better ways of doing various parts of Youth Exchange are shared at conferences like this… …and in places like Yeoresources.org Identifying and sharing Best Practices is now a strategic goal of NAYEN

22. Multi-district • District • Club • Organization • Promotion • Selection Training • YEOs • Host Families • Students • Other Rotarians

25. For many identified training needs, Online delivery is the most efficient, convenient and effective method A demonstration version is available on the home page of www.yeoresources.org The NAYEN Online Youth Protection program has been operational since April of 2011 It is free and available to any District in Rotary (Spanish version is on the way)

26. NAYEN Strategic PlanningOnline Training Sub-Committee • Students – IB OB RB • Parents – OB Host • Rotarians – YEO Club Counselor Committee DG • Cultural Competence

28. NAYEN Strategic PlanningOnline Training Sub-Committee • Students – IB OB RB • Parents – OB Host • Rotarians – YEO Club Counselor Committee DG • Cultural Competence • Youth Protection • How to be a successful YEO • How to be a successful Exchange Student

31. Long Term Effects

32. Tolerance of differences • Adaptability/creativity • Perceptiveness

33. Danielle Balthus, Brussels, Belgium 2013 1963

34. I love who I have become thanks to that experience. Part of my heart is now American. I understand Americans better than other Europeans do because, as a student told me, “you are one of us.” My experience taught me tolerance, optimism, and a sense of peace. No student who has lived one year in a country will ever support fighting against that country.

35. Long Term Effects • Outbound Personality Assessments

36. Some promising research being done in RYE Florida • The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents • Not a word that is frequently used, even by native speakers of English

37. Resiliency Resilience is the ability to adapt well and recover quickly after stress or adversity. If you have a resilient personality, you are better able to maintain poise and a healthy level of physical and psychological wellness in the face of life's challenges.

38. Some promising research being done in RYE Florida • The Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents • Not a word that is frequently used, even by native speakers of English • All Outbounds are given the test early in the training year • May give us specific areas to assist students individually in preparing for the exchange

39. Some of the Resiliency Scales: • sense of relatedness • sense of mastery • emotional reactivity optimism, ability to set and achieve goals, adaptability, trust, support, comfort, tolerance, sensitivity, recovery from trauma.

42. What Next? The newspaper reporter’s questions: • Who • What • Where • When • Why • How

43. Training Quality Improvement