An international cultural exchange programme designed to provide a “transformative experience” for young people will return to the island thanks to revival of participation by the Rotary Club of Bermuda.

Young Rotarians will have the opportunity to spend up to a year living with host families and attending school overseas, while foreign students will travel to Bermuda.

A short-term exchange is traditionally offered through the scheme.

Bermuda’s four Rotary clubs are part of the Rotary District 7230, which also covers New York City, Bronx, Staten Island, and Westchester County, and have been engaging in the Rotary Youth Exchange programme for more than 40 years.

However, the local programme has been on pause since the Covid-19 pandemic.

A Rotary spokeswoman said work has begun on reviving the programme in Bermuda.

She said: “The emphasis is on restarting after a lengthy pause. We have a committee that is rolling out information regarding when students may start applying to travel and parents to host.

“Behind the scenes, we are rebuilding our strategic plan for moving forward.

“So for now, we are watering the garden to prepare.”

George Cook, a Rotary board member and past president of the Hamilton Rotary Club, and his wife, Jo, hosted numerous international students in earlier iterations of the scheme, including people from Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica and Indonesia.

Dr Cook told The Royal Gazette: “The youth exchange programme benefits the students in their growth, giving them the opportunity to learn about different cultures and languages.

“It’s also beneficial for their families and school communities. They form lifetime friendships.

“There is an African proverb that says, it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes all kinds of people to make a community.

“I used to argue that if Rotary did nothing else, the exchange programme would be worth doing alone.”

Ms Cook added: “These students are at an age where they are ripe for rapid personal development. That is the reward in participating as a host — watching them grow.

“The students didn’t want to be tourists, the important thing was to get them embedded in the community.

“Our children were all at the Bermuda College, that was where they found friends and each other.”

Dr Cook said that the students hosted by the couple were always given an insight into the island’s culture. A tradition they often shared with their young guests was making Bermuda kites.

One male student the pair hosted from Brazil barely spoke any English so they posted signs on items all over the house so he could identify the words.

The programme provides students aged 15 to 18½ years of age with an opportunity to live in a foreign country with a host family or families while serving as an ambassador for their homeland.

The long-term exchange students spend up to a year living with host families and attending high school.

Past students visiting Bermuda predominantly studied at the Bermuda College. Some of those with only basic English might have enrolled on English-as-a-second language or hospitality classes.

The short-term programme runs from a few weeks and is usually structured as a camp, tour or home stay that takes place when school is not in session.

Room and board are provided, as well as any school fees, while students are usually responsible for the round-trip airfare, travel insurance, travel documents and spending money.

Crystal Caesar, the Minister of Education, said she was “thrilled” to see the revival of the Rotary Youth Exchange programme, having “seized” an opportunity in 1990 to take part.

She added: “I was one of just ten students — and the only Bermudian — selected to study in Ukraine, which at the time was still part of the Soviet Union.

“That experience shaped me in ways I still carry today.

“It taught me invaluable life lessons and deepened my appreciation for cultures and perspectives different from my own.

“I encourage our students to apply for the Rotary Youth Exchange programme.

“Learning about other cultures is one thing but living the experience is truly life-changing.”

In 2017, Haitian student Cleeford Sylne, then aged 18, spoke at local Rotary clubs about his participation in the exchange programme.

He told Rotarians: “You never know the differences in the world until you explore.”

The teenager was brought to the island for his first visit by David Sullivan, a past district governor, who was impressed with his presentation at the Eastern States Student Exchange.

Promotional material from the Rotary said: “You’ll learn a new way of living, a great deal about yourself and maybe even a new language.

“You’ll also be an ambassador, teaching people you meet about your country, culture and ideas.

“You can help bring the world closer and make some good friends in the process.”

The programme has operated in Bermuda for 40 years. Worldwide, about 8,000 students across 80 countries experience life in other countries through the scheme each year.

It is administered at the regional level by Rotary districts and at the local level by Rotary clubs.

While details for the renewed Bermuda exchange programme are not yet finalised, there is some information about the global programme online at www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/youth-exchanges.

For more information about the Rotary Club of Bermuda, visit www.rotary.bm.