Rotary Youth Exchange Program offers the opportunity of a lifetime

Rotary Youth Exchange student Evan Yallop (second from left) with exchange student friends in front of the Parliament building in Berlin. (Contributed Photo)

Robin Krafft, Post Correspondent

Rotary Youth Exchange student Evan Yallop has returned from Germany with many new friends, unique experiences and a worldly perspective.

Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) is an international student exchange program coordinated by Rotary International for 15 to 19-year-old students. Thousands of young people have benefited from the program, which involves total immersion in a different culture, learning a new language, making friends and experiencing the world from a fresh perspective. Closer to home, the Rotary Club of Tillsonburg has coordinated over 100 student exchanges.

Amy Yallop, Evan’s mom, described it as the opportunity of a lifetime. There was some trepidation at first, and they knew they would miss him, but the Rotary Club made the process easier.

“It was about our child and giving them the opportunity to see the world and expand their horizons,” Amy said. “As parents this is what we are raising our children to do, go out in the world and live your life. The thought of sending our child away to another country was scary but the more we went through the process and met with Rotary the more comfortable we became. The training that they provide not only to the kids but also to the families was amazing. As Rotary says: ‘It's not a year in your life, it's a life in a year!’”

Evan, an 18-year-old student in grade 12 at Glendale High School, was away on exchange from July 31, 2025, to July 10, 2026. He gave a presentation of his experiences at a Rotary Club meeting on Sept.21 at the Salvation Army Church, where the Rotary meetings are held.

"I just returned from Deutschland," Yallop said. "My host city was Gottingen. I attended the Felix Klein school. They're very strict about phones in school, so I don't have many photos of school. There were other exchange students there, and we were primarily learning the German language."

Evan shared many photos taken outside of school, explaining various traditions, celebrations, and introducing his host families. He visited castles, cathedrals, museums, landmarks, and toured around Europe.

"I got to see the Colosseum, the Prague Cathedral, and an enormous dome in Hungary," Yallop said. "Croatia was so beautiful, we hiked to a beautiful, massive waterfall in a gorge. I swam in the ocean for the first time while I was there. I spent a week in Berlin. We hiked up a hill that divides East and West Germany. You can see all of Berlin from there. It was a long walk and we felt very accomplished."

His host families provided a stable home life experience, and some wanted to show him the sights, while others wanted to show him where they grew up. He visited an island in the north of Germany and got to experience the expansiveness of the coast and the ocean.

Evan also shared photos of the variety of cuisine he sampled during his adventures, including a huge schnitzel and a fish sandwich which he tried in the port city of Hamburg.

“It was unnerving, but pretty good,” Yallop said. “I also had handmade pasta from Italy. It was way better than I was expecting. It eclipsed any other pasta I’ve had in my life. I know it’s a stereotype, but the pizza was excellent too, they know their pizza!”

“I have become friends with many people from many countries and walks of life,” Yallop said. “They are people I feel I can truly relate to in a sense many others cannot. It's hard to explain though I may never see them in person again. I will never forget them and what they meant to me.”

The Tillsonburg Rotary Youth Exchange contact and President-Elect, Rebecca Fink, was an exchange outgoing student to Peru a few years ago.

“Being a youth exchange student is something that I will always hold close to my heart as it such an amazing experience for young students,” Fink said. “My exchange helped me get out of my comfort zone by learning a new language and gave me amazing independence at such a young age. It gave me an amazing second family that I still talk to and an amazing second home. I joined my Rotary Club to see this program continue on and hopefully be able to see many more students experience all the amazing things that I got to experience as a youth exchange student.”

Tillsonburg Rotary Club President Gloria Aykroyd and her husband have hosted seven exchange students over the years.

“From the early days in the late1980's when my husband and I first starting hosting Rotary Exchange Students when our daughters were still living at home, to the present time as empty nesters, all our lives have been enriched by these experiences,” Aykroyd said. “The trust that these youth have in coming from a different country, often having to learn English as a second language, to immerse themselves into our home and community is never shy of amazing. We learned from them as much as they learned from us and with many it has meant life-long relationships. What a beautiful way to promote peace, global connection and understanding in our world.”

Applications are now being accepted for the 2027-2028 school year until October 15. Contact Tillsonburg Rotary Club at exchange@rotarytillsonburg.ca for more information.