The Rotary Youth Exchange Program is powered by volunteers from local Rotary clubs and other community members.
Volunteers are critical to the success of our exchange program. Without our wonderful Club Counsellors, Youth Exchange Officers (YEOs), Country Officers, and administrative volunteers this program wouldn’t exist!
Do all club members of host and sponsor clubs need to be registered as volunteers?
No. Most club members would interact with young people in a group situation, therefore are not deemed to be volunteers (as defined). Those required to be screened as volunteers include the Club President, Youth Director, Youth Exchange Officer, Youth Protection Officer (Counsellor) and all host parents.
The process for registering as a volunteer
To meet our stringent youth protection requirements, all volunteers involved in the Rotary Youth Exchange program must register and be approved as a volunteer through the Youth Exchange Administrative Hub (YEAH). The volunteer application form requires that you provide contact information for three personal references; please note that these references may not be relatives and only one can be another Rotarians in District 9640. If you begin the form but do not have all of the necessary information, or for some other reason need to finish at a later time, there is an option on each page to save your data and continue later.
In addition to the application form, volunteers are required to:
- Complete a NAYEN Youth Protection training program, as required by our youth protection policy. You will receive an automatic invitation via email to complete this once your application has been approved.
- Submit to a background check as follows:
New South Wales volunteers:
- A copy of your Working with Children Check (WWCC) for each member of the household who will be aged 18 or above at the time of hosting. Click here for information about applying for a WWCC.
Queensland volunteers:
- A copy of your Blue Card for all members of your household who will be aged 18 or above at the time of hosting. Click here for information about applying for a Blue Card.
- In addition, Queensland based families need to submit a separate National Criminal History Check (NCHC). This is because, unlike the NSW WWCC, the Blue Card checks for offences against children under 18 but it does not check for other offences we deem important including offences involving alcohol, drugs and domestic violence, to name a few. There are two ways you can obtain a NCHC:
- Obtain one through a website such as Clear to Work. There is a cost involved for this of approximately $22 for a volunteer. Here is an outline of the process for getting the NCHC and here are details of what ID you will require to request a NCHC.
- Alternatively, you can obtain a NSW WWCC in addition to your Blue Card. The WWCC is free if you can deliver proof of ID to the nearest NSW Department of Transport office in-person.
