Students Coming to USA (Inbounds)

Discover the world through the vibrant perspectives of young adventurers as they embark on transformative journeys of cultural exchange and self-discovery. Our Rotary International District 6360 Global Youth Exchange program cultivates lasting friendships across borders, fosters mutual understanding, and inspires the next generation of leaders to create impactful change. Join us in crafting unforgettable experiences and shaping a brighter tomorrow together.

Travel Approval Procedures

Visa Regulation for Inbound Exchange

What are the club's responsibilities to host and inbound student?

Where to Find Host Families

Youth Protection Policy

Become a Host Family

Open your home and heart to a world of possibilities by becoming a District 6360 Youth Exchange host family. Experience diverse cultures and create lifelong connections while making a positive impact on a young person's life. Join us in fostering global understanding and friendship through this enriching opportunity.

Host Family Process (docx)

STEP stands for “Short-Term Exchange Program”, and Rotary offers these STEP programs to young leaders all over the world to promote multicultural understanding, good will and peace. There are two types of STEP programs: Family to Family (F2F) and Multicultural Camps.

• Family-to-Family ST exchanges are 1-1 summer exchanges, hosted by exchange students’ families, whereby an accepted southwest Michigan high school student (from our Rotary District 6360) spends approximately 3-5 weeks in another country with a Rotary host family, learning about their culture via family immersion, and returns with his/her host family’s high school student (of same gender and similar age) and provides his/her multicultural experience with his/her own family in SW MI.
• Multicultural camps are offered by 50+ individual Rotary clubs in 50+ countries, whereby the hosting club designs the multicultural itinerary and provides local transport, food and lodging for 10-20 international high school students from different countries. Each camp is unique and can range from 7-21 days in duration.

“ It changed my way of thinking, not only about Spain, but about other countries. I probably wouldn’t have been to that part of the world without Rotary. It’s so cool to see my eyes open up, a newfound passion for travel, Spanish language and culture. I’m so grateful that Rotary was able to play such a big part of my experience.” – Aaron

To LEARN MORE, follow us on Instagram @rotaryyouthprograms6360

For MORE INFORMATION, or to request an application link, please contact: Cathy Jo Mattson at cathyjomattson@gmail.com, or text/call her at 901-218-0192.

An alternate Rotary contact is Margie Haas, D6360 Rotary Youth Exchange Chair, at haasmargie@gmail.com.

FAMILY-TO-FAMILY

To APPLY for a short-term family-to-family exchange, the high school student must complete their application at Central States Rotary Youth Exchange here: https://yehub.net/CEN-stapp

And their parent(s) must complete their host family application here: https://yehub.net/CEN-hfapp

MULTICULTURAL CAMPS

To review last year’s Rotary multicultural camps offered, click here: STEP 2026 Camp List

To APPLY for a STEP multicultural camp, the high school student must complete their application here: https://yehub.net/CEN-ctapp

Accepting applications for summer 2027 October 1 through December 31, 2026 on a first-come, first serve basis.

The APPLICATION PROCESS

1. Applications are first reviewed for completeness and eligibility (October thru December).
2. Then student and parent interviews are conducted. For each applicant accepted, Rotary volunteers assign the sponsoring local Rotary Club (January thru March).
3. Rotary volunteers work on matching each applicant for their international F2F exchange or available Rotary country camp (January thru April).
4. Rotary volunteers schedule pre-exchange orientation and guide each applicant through the pre-exchange preparation steps (March thru July).
5. Sponsoring Rotary clubs schedule required pre and post-exchange visits with their sponsored student and parents whereby each STEP student is welcomed by their sponsoring club and sent off with Rotary swag, and each STEP students returns to give a presentation to their sponsor club about their multicultural experience.

HOW MUCH DOES A SHORT-TERM EXCHANGE PROGRAM COST?

Rotary STEP programs are extremely low cost. They are multicultural, life-changing exchange experiences, NOT vacation travel. For F2F exchanges, students are only responsible for the cost of their round-trip flight, a $250 STEP fee (includes travel insurance, orientation and DB fees) and spending money. Each host family (in the outbound country and your family in Michigan) covers the cost of food and lodging and transportation while on exchange, and each Rotary club (host and sponsor) contributes to the multicultural experiences while in country.

For multicultural camps, each student is only responsible for the cost of their flight, a $250 STEP fee (includes travel insurance, orientation and DB fees), the camp fee (varies from $300 to $1,000, depending on camp type and duration) and spending money. Each host Rotary club putting on their in-country camp covers all food, lodging, transportation and event costs.

Our D6360 started participating in STEP in 2025, sending one student to a Taiwan multicultural camp and another student on a F2F exchange with a Brasilian girl her age, but Rotary all over the world has been supporting STEP exchanges for over 50 years! This summer, we sponsored 6 STEP ambassadors! Take a look at the young lives we’ve impacted.