The District 9520 Youth Exchange scholarship is an initiative by this district to enable a student who is selected by the normal process to participate in youth exchange even though his or her family is unable financially to fully fund the exchange costs.

The amount:

• The district committee will contribute towards the cost of a selected student's exchange to a maximum of $4,000. (Many of the students who presently go on exchange work part time and save money to cover some of the cost of their exchange. It would be unfair to these students if we were to cover the full cost of the exchange for any student). Total money available for scholarships each year is $6,000.
  
  
• The actual amount given will be allocated in accordance with the particular family's needs.

Who will assess the students for a scholarship?

Rotary believes it is important that in selecting students to go away representing Australia, their community and Rotary, the best possible students are always selected.

It is felt the Rotary Club and the Rotary District 9520 Youth Exchange Committee will be less likely to be in any way influenced it they do not know a student is a scholarship applicant. We have therefore established a Scholarship Committee comprised of three experienced Rotarians to assess the financial situation of the families of students applying for the scholarship.

The assessment of the student's family's financial situation will be made before they are selected on their personal suitability to be an exchange student by a Rotary club and the District Committee. These two latter groups of Rotarians have no knowledge that among the students they are interviewing is someone approved for financial assistance by the Scholarship Committee.

The guidelines

• Money will only be given to families whose means are such that in spite of careful saving and some sacrifices on their part they can not raise enough money to send their son or daughter away on exchange. An agreement stipulating the terms of the scholarship is signed by the student, the parents and the District Committee.
  
  
• The cost of the organised Rotary trip and some overseas spending money are to be borne in mind when assessing this.
  
  
• The total costs of a student's year overseas, if they live carefully in one of the moderately priced countries (which they can request) is about $10,000 - $12,000.
  
  
• Parents also remember that if your son or daughter does not go on exchange, it will cost a not insignificant amount of money (upwards of $6,000) to keep them home in Australia, so the real extra cost of the exchange is the difference between the cost of keeping the student at home and the cost of sending them overseas.
  
  
• Only sufficient money will be given to top up the funds the family is able to raise to be able to meet all costs.
  
  
• All countries offer a two to three week supervised trip for their exchange students. This is a wonderful trip but not compulsory. The cost of this trip varies but generally costs between AUD $1,500 and $3,000 and is an additional cost for the student’s parents.
  
  
• An amount of $4,000 per family is the maximum which will be given to any one family.
  
  
• Only students who have made a genuine effort to save and have earned some money themselves towards the exchange will be eligible.
  
  
• If there are a number of families who are worthy recipients, the Scholarship Committee will use the funds available to get as many as possible of the applicants overseas.
  
  
• The Scholarship Committee's decision on granting or not granting of assistance and the amount of assistance if granted is final and no further discussion will be entered into once their decision is made.

How do I apply for a financial assistance scholarship?

• All students need to apply for youth exchange on the same form in exactly the same way.
  
  
• If you are a student who can not afford to go and wish to apply for a scholarship you need to fill in, in addition, the online financial assistance form located at the bottom of this page, which will go to the Scholarship Committee.
  
  
• The closing date for this form is three weeks before the closing of the club applications, giving the Scholarship Committee time to asses and select potential scholarship awardees before the club interviews have started. Neither the club committee nor the district selections committee will know who the scholarship applicant was

The Application Form

• As well as a Financial Assistance Scholarship Application you will neeed to complete and submit an Online Rotary Youth Exchange Expression of Interest and ultimately a Youth Exchange Application Form.
  
  
• APPLICATION CLOSING DATES are: 12 March 2010 for Scholarship Applications, and 31 March 2010 for Rotary Youth Exchange.
  
  
• Read the form carefully and be sure you have all information you will need ready before you start. You have up to 60 minutes to comlete and submit the form before your session times out, and if that happens you will need to go to this website in a new browser window and start again.
  
  
• Click here to access Financial Assistance Scholarship Form.