A closer look at early returns
細究學生提前返國
In the November edition of this newsletter, the "Ask a Youth Exchange Officer" section addressed how to prevent early returns. This month, we take a closer look at what steps districts should take when an early return occurs.
11月份電子報的「詢問青少年交換委員」單元,提出了避免交換學生提前返國的方法。本月電子報將進一步檢視,扶輪地區在發生學生提前返國的情況時,應該採取哪些步驟。
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Each Rotary year, about 6 percent of student exchanges end early. Terminations can be disappointing, and districts should work together to do what is in each student's best interest. Returns related to illness, homesickness, or political circumstances are usually less complicated, while returns resulting from program rules violations or lack of participation can be more challenging to manage.
每個扶輪年度都有約百分之六的交換學生提前返國。結束交換計畫令人深感失望,扶輪地區應攜手合作以採取最有利於每名學生的做法。基於生病、想家或政治因素而提前返國的情況通常較不複雜,然而,違反交換計畫規定或缺乏參與心而提前返國的情況,在處理上更具挑戰性。
Host districts may remove any student who does not comply with the requirements of the program at their discretion. Some districts have a warning system for lesser rule violations. Fairness and students' well-being must be considered in all early return determinations, and these decisions should not be made rashly or without supporting documentation. For example, it is not appropriate to send a long-term student home early because subsequent host families cannot be located, nor should any inbound student be returned home in retribution for the early return of an outbound student from the partner district.
接待地區可以在自行斟酌下,開除任何違反交換計畫規定的學生。有些扶輪地區對於違規狀況輕微的個案,則設有警告制度。做出讓學生提前返國的所有決定時,須考慮公平性及學生福利,切勿在缺乏證明文件下,輕率做出這些決定。比方說,因找不到後續的接待家庭而要長期交換學生提前返國,以及讓接待學生返國以使合作的扶輪地區交換學生提前返國,皆是不當的處置。
It is critical to effectively manage the logistics of early returns to ensure that students are safe and that the partner districts maintain a strong relationship. Should your district need to send a student home early, the host and sending clubs and districts, host families, and the student's parents or legal guardians must be fully informed before the student is sent home. The student should return home at the earliest practical time by a route agreed upon between the parents or legal guardians and the sending district.
有效管理提前返國學生的後續工作甚為重要,如此才能確保學生安全並與合作地區維持緊密關係。您的扶輪地區若得讓學生提前返國,在學生返國之前,接待與派遣扶輪社及地區、接待家庭、學生家長或法定監護人,都得保持密切聯絡。家長或法定監護人與派遣地區須協商路線,務求讓學生盡早返國。
All early returns, as well as any serious incidents, must be reported to Rotary International within 72 hours of the time a district officer learns of the situation. RI tracks and monitors reports of early returns to identify patterns and areas in which staff can be of assistance. It is not uncommon for exchange students or their parents to contact RI regarding an early return. For staff to promptly and effectively respond in these situations, it is necessary to have a record of the early return.
關於所有提前返國的個案和任何重大事故,獲知此情況的地區委員,須於七十二小時內通報國際扶輪。國際扶輪會追蹤並監督通報的提前返國事件,判斷幹部能給予協助的形式與範圍。交換學生或其家長基於提前返國一事而聯絡國際扶輪的情況實屬常見。為求幹部儘速有效地回應這些情況,必須製作提前返國記錄。
To assist in reporting, RI has developed an early return report form. This form outlines the essential information RI needs regarding the early return. The form is currently available in English only on the Youth Exchange secure site or by request. The form will be translated into additional languages in early 2010.
為了協助通報,國際扶輪已經規劃了提前返國通報表。這張表格概述了國際扶輪在學生提前返國時所需的資訊。該表格目前僅提供英文版,可以在青少年交換安全網站下載或提出索取。2010年初預定將該表格翻譯成其他語言。 |
Ask a Youth Exchange officer
詢問青少年交換委員
What are some tips that you and your district can offer for preparing students to speak a different language while on their exchange?
您與所屬扶輪地區能提供哪些訣竅,以利在交換期間,協助學生做好講外語的準備
Al Kalter, chair of the Rotary Youth Exchange Florida Multidistrict, replies:
美國佛羅里達多地區扶輪青少年交換主委Al
Kalter給了這樣的答案:
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Fluency in another language is one of the great benefits of Rotary Youth Exchange. And we've all heard stories about students who arrived in their host countries not knowing a word of the language and were conversational just a few months later. While that's what happens through immersion, starting at point zero is not the best experience for either the student or the hosts.
外語流利是扶輪青少年交換計畫提供的龐大助益之一。我們都聽過學生在外語一竅不通下抵達接待國家,然後在短短幾個月後就能交談無礙的故事。儘管這是沈浸於外語環境中所致,從零開始對學生或接待地區而言,都不是最好的經驗。
It's unreasonable for students to expect their host families to speak any language other than their own native tongue, yet every year, Rotary exchange students board airplanes knowing little if any of their target language, only to be stunned when they find they can't communicate. It's hardly reassuring (and not really fair) to tell those students that they will be fluent in four months. Why, after all, would they want to waste those months? Or live in a cocoon of silence? Or spend all their time online with friends and family from home?
對學生而言,預期接待家庭說著不同於自己母語的任何語言,可謂並不合理,每年的扶輪交換學生在上機時,對於會遇到的語言瞭解甚少,等到發現無法溝通時,只能張口結舌。就算告訴這些學生,他們在四個月內就會變得口語流利,幾乎無法讓其感到安心(而且也不怎麼公平)。畢竟,他們為什麼要浪費這幾個月的時間?為什麼要讓自己活在無聲的繭中?或者是將所有時間花在網路上與家中親友聊天?
We in Rotary have a responsibility to encourage our exchange students to learn as much as possible of their target languages before they go, and the students have a responsibility to accept and actively work on that assignment. In Florida, USA, we have been requiring language acquisition work for our outbound students for several years. While some certainly do better than others, we have never had a student come back and say, "Gee, I wish I hadn't spent so much time learning the language before I left!"
扶輪社有責任鼓勵交換學生在出國前盡可能多方學習往後用到的外語,學生亦有責任接受並主動投入這項工作。美國佛羅里達扶輪社已經為自己的交換學生,規劃語言學習工作達數年之久。雖然有些學生的表現確實較他人出色,我們卻沒有遇到學生回來說道:「嘿!我真希望自己在離開前,不曾耗費這麼多時間來學習語言!」
So, what course of study works best? There are several good programs and resources to choose from, including Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur, and Livemocha.com. Everyone learns differently, so it's impossible to say that one program is better than the others. We feel that it's best to let the students decide, and part of our language instruction, accordingly, involves them mapping out their own language learning plan. We do set benchmarks along the way, expecting them to be progressing regularly in the months leading up to their departures.
所以,哪種學習課程最有效?有幾種不錯的課程和資源可供選擇,包括Rosetta
Stone和Pimsleur語言教材及Livemocha.com。每個人的學習狀況都有所不同,所以,無法說某種課程優於其他課程。我們認為最好由學生自行決定,我們據此提供的部分語言指導項目,包括讓學生制訂自己的語言學習計畫。我們確實會一路設定標竿,期望學生在幾個月的時間內能有穩定進展,直到其出發為止。
No matter which method is used, having any sort of language training is better than having none at all. And, as a longtime district chair, I can assure you that nothing makes me happier than to hear from another Rotarian that my outbound student impressed everyone when she stepped off the plane able to communicate in her host country's native language.
無論採用何種方法,接受任何種類的語言訓練,都比完全沒有來得好。我長期擔任地區主委一職,可以向各位保證,聽到其他扶輪人表示,我的交換學生在步出飛機的那一刻,能以接待國家的母語溝通,讓每個人都留下深刻印象時,真是讓我感到無上喜悅。 |
Former Youth Exchange students change lives in Senegal
前任交換學生改變了塞內加爾的生活 |
![](http://www.rotary.org/SiteCollectionImages/newsletter/youth/OLPC_1.jpg)
February, World Understanding Month, is approaching. The following story highlights former Youth Exchange students' work under a One Laptop per Child grant, just one example of how many lives are touched by former and current Youth Exchange students living abroad.
國際扶輪訂為「世界瞭解月」的二月即將到來。下面的故事道出了前任青少年交換學生在「一個孩子一台電腦」計畫下的工作,這不過是前任與現任青少年交換學生在國外居住時接觸到的眾多例子之一。
Justin Burnett and Stephanie Selvick, former Rotary Youth Exchange students, worked together in Africa in the summer of 2009 through a grant they received from One Laptop per Child. One Laptop per Child is a nonprofit based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, that provides affordable laptop computers to children in developing countries.
Justin Burnett與Stephanie
Selvick為前任扶輪青少年交換學生,他們在2009年的夏季,透過從「一個孩子一台電腦(以下稱OLPC)」計畫獲得的贊助金,一起在非洲進行工作。OLPC是設在美國麻薩諸塞州劍橋的非營利機構,旨在提供合理價格的筆記型電腦給開發中國家的兒童。
Stephanie was a 2001-02 outbound student in Italy and Denmark, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Sturgeon Bay (Breakfast), Wisconsin. Justin was an outbound student sponsored by the Rotary Club of Appleton for a long-term exchange to the Czech Republic in 2004-05. He will serve as the new ROTEX president for District 6220 (parts of Michigan and Wisconsin) later this year.
Stephanie是在2001-02年時,由美國威斯康辛州斯特金灣(早餐區)扶輪社派遣,前往義大利與丹麥的交換學生。Justin則是在2004-05年間,由愛普頓扶輪社派遣,前往捷克共和國的長期交換學生。他在下半年將擔任6220扶輪地區(涵蓋部分密西根州與威斯康辛州)歸國學生聯誼會(ROTEX)會長。
One Laptop per Child provides computers as learning tools in the classroom. Preloaded on each XO computer are all the necessities for an elementary school education, including protractors, calculators, word processing capabilities, books, and encyclopedias. This summer, the organization awarded a $10,000 grant and 100 computers to 30 teams of university students from Africa and North America.
OLPC機構提供電腦做為課堂學習工具。每台XO電腦會預先裝入小學教育所需的所有工具,包括量角器、計算機、文字處理功能、書籍和百科全書。這個夏天,該機構捐贈了$10,000和100台電腦,給來自非洲和北美的30組大學學生。
Stephanie and Justin were assigned to work in Senegal, along with the the Peace Corps, receiving an additional grant, deploying 200 XO laptops to the Ecole Notre Dame elementary school. They completed three weeks of teacher training and introduced over 200 students to their new learning devices. Stephanie tells us that in addition to the five teachers whose classes received laptops, "teachers from neighboring villages, as well as the school's priest and custodian, also attend. Everyone is getting involved."
Stephanie與Justin負責在塞內加爾的工作,他們與和平團(Peace
Corps)獲得了額外贊助金,著手在聖母小學設置200台XO電腦。他們花了三週的時間完成教師訓練,並向200名以上的學生介紹新的學習設備。Stephanie告訴我們,除了班級有收到電腦的五名教師外,「鄰近村莊的教師、學校的神父和管理員都參加了。每個人都參與其中。」
The first days of student training were encouraging; the students sat three or four to a desk to share ideas, while children from neighboring schools stood on cinder blocks outside and peered in the windows. "The key to getting this program to function long term is getting people in the area involved," Justin points out. "This isn't just a school project, it's a community project."
進行學生訓練的前幾天令人甚感鼓舞。學生分成三到四人坐在一桌以分享想法,鄰近學校的孩子則站在外側爐磚渣上,從窗戶向裡面望。Justin指出:「這項計畫得以長期運作的關鍵,就是讓整個地區的人參與。這項計畫不僅是學校計畫,更是社區計畫。」
Stephanie and Justin recognize Rotary District 6220 as great help to the project and generous support from Rotary Youth Exchange, Rotex, those at the District Governors Conference, and local Rotary clubs. Stephanie and Justin, as well as Nicholas Negroponte, the chair of One Laptop per Child, recognize the bridge that Rotary builds between diverse global communities. It is their hope that Rotary will continue to support the effort to provide children with basic educational needs. Stephanie and Justin are looking to work with Rotary clubs in Senegal to continue working toward this goal after they leave. Follow their progress at http://africaxo.blogspot.com.
Stephanie與Justin肯定6220扶輪地區對這項計畫的大力協助,還有扶輪青少年交換計畫、歸國學生聯誼會、地區總監會議的人們、以及地方扶輪社給予的慷慨支持。Stephanie、Justin與OLPC主席Nicholas
Negroponte都同意,扶輪社為全球不同社群搭起了橋樑。他們期盼扶輪社能繼續支持這項計畫,提供孩子基本教育需求。Stephanie與Justie正尋求與塞內加爾當地的扶輪社合作,希望在他們離開後,當地能繼續朝這個目標邁進。關於他們的進展,請參照http://africaxo.blogspot.com。 |
January as Rotary Awareness Month
一月為扶輪理解推行月 |
In anticipation of Rotary Awareness Month in January, Youth Exchange officers are encouraged to promote Rotary projects among fellow Rotarians and Youth Exchange students. As Foundation Trustee Chair Glenn E. Estess Sr. says, "Raising awareness of Rotary is an important part of the RI Strategic Plan: The more Rotary is known for its good work, the more good work Rotary will be able to do."
青少年交換委員基於對一月「扶輪理解推行月」的期待,於是積極向扶輪社員及青少年交換學生推廣扶輪計畫。如扶輪基金會保管委員會主席Glenn
E. Estess Sr.表示:「提高對扶輪的理解,乃是國際扶輪策略性計畫的重要部分:扶輪的行善愈廣為人知,將有能力多行善事。」
Rotary Youth Exchange students attended a presentation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, in September by the founder and CEO of the relief organization ShelterBox. One Youth Exchange student in particular, Gosia Zawadzka (hosted by the Rotary Club of Blue Bell), was so inspired by ShelterBox founder and Rotarian Tom Henderson's story that she and fellow Youth Exchange students brought back an idea for a fundraiser to the other 19 students hosted by District 7430.
扶輪青少年交換學生在9月時參加了救援機構ShelterBox創辦人及執行長,在美國賓夕法尼亞州費城舉行的簡報會議。一名青少年交換學生Gosia
Zawadzka(布魯貝爾扶輪社負責接待),尤其深受ShelterBox創辦人暨扶輪社員Tom
Henderson的故事所激勵,因此,她與同儕的青少年交換學生回去後,向7430扶輪地區接待的另外十九名學生,提出了進行募款活動的想法。
Their project is to raise $1,000 to purchase a ShelterBox. Since 2000, ShelterBox has established itself at the forefront of international disaster relief, providing emergency shelter on every continent for the people who need it most. ShelterBoxes contain supplies for a family of up to 10 people who are displaced or homeless. Contents include a tent and lifesaving equipment, which are tailored to the nature and location of the disaster. Great care is taken to ensure that all items are durable enough to be of lasting value.
他們的計畫是募款$1,000以買下一個避護箱。2000年起,避護箱在國際災難救援前線證明了其用途,在各大陸提供緊急避難所給最迫切需要幫助的人們。避護箱收錄的補給品,最多能讓流離失所的十人家庭溫飽無虞,這些補給品包括按照災難性質及位置特別訂作的帳棚和救援設備。需要極度謹慎小心,才能確保所有物品耐用持久
To achieve their goal, Gosia and fellow Youth Exchange students have been selling candy bars for $1 each. "We have been selling candy bars to our friends, host families, neighbors, and Rotary clubs. Each candy bar sold is a dollar closer to our goal. We believe that we'll collect the whole sum and send a ShelterBox from Rotary exchange students, District 7430," says Gosia.
Gosia與同儕的青少年交換學生為了達成目標,目前正著手銷售1元棒棒糖。Gosia表示:「我們向朋友、接待家庭、鄰居與扶輪社銷售棒棒糖。每售出一根棒棒糖,代表我們愈接近目標1元。我們相信終有一天能募集到總金額,再由7430扶輪地區的扶輪交換學生送出避護箱。
By 1 December, the students had already raised nearly half of the $1,000. Gosia's host club counselor, Patricia Smith, remarks, "I am very proud that they are giving back. This is their project."
學生們到12月1日為止,即將募集到一千元的半額。Gosia的接待扶輪社輔導員Patricia
Smith指出:「我對他們的回饋深感驕傲。這全是他們的計畫。」 |
Visit the Youth Exchange secure site
造訪青少年交換安全網站 |
The Youth Exchange secure site is a resource for district Youth Exchange chairs, multidistrict chairs, and past and present Youth Exchange committee members to access program-related documents, including the Youth Exchange officers' directory, past newsletters, handbooks, brochures, application forms (in Word format), upcoming conference listings, and the Rotary policies related to youth protection and the Youth Exchange program.
青少年交換安全網站為提供給扶輪地區青少年交換主委、多地區主委、前任和現任青少年交換委員會成員,存取計畫相關文件的資源,包括青少年交換委員目錄、過期電子報、手冊、宣傳品、申請表(Word格式)、預定會議清單、以及扶輪青少年保護政策和青少年交換計畫。
Current Youth Exchange officers can get to the secure site through Member Access. If you have questions, or if you experience difficulties accessing the site, please contact Youth Exchange staff at youthexchange@rotary.org for assistance.
現任青少年交換委員可透過登入會員以進入安全網站。如果有任何問題,或是無法進入網站時,請來信聯絡青少年交換幹部尋求協助,電子信箱為:youthexchange@rotary.org。 |
Upcoming Youth Exchange events
If you would like information on your national or international conference published in upcoming editions of this newsletter, please e-mail us at youthexchange@rotary.org |
South Central Rotary Youth Exchange (SCRYE) 2010 Winter Conference 29-31 January Radisson Hotel Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA Contact: Don Peters
National School Conference on International Youth Exchange
19-20 February
Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
The Council on Standards for Educational Travel is cosponsoring this event with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
Information
10th Annual North American Youth Exchange Network
26-28 February
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Contact: Steve Selvick
Information
The 15th Annual Japan Youth Exchange Conference
15-16 May, 2010
Nishi-ku, Osaka, Japan
Osaka YMCA Conference Centre Contact: Shindo Kondo
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Questions and comments
Please send any questions, comments, or ideas for future issues of this newsletter to youthexchange@rotary.org.
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