District Chairman Job Description

The Rotary Youth Exchange District Chair is responsible for promoting and managing the Inbound and Outbound programs throughout district, following all the rules and guidelines of the United States Department of State, Rotary International, and Rotary Youth Exchange Southeast, Inc.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Serve as Board Member for our Zone’s multidistrict organization Rotary Youth Exchange Southeast, Inc. and participate in seven regular board meetings per year (4 in-person/3 via conference call)
2. Serve on ad-hoc committees of our Zone’s multidistrict organization, as required by the multidistrict chair
3. Provide background information, financial data, and operational updates to the appointed District representative on the Rotary Youth Exchange Southeast, Inc.’s Finance Committee (prior to each scheduled Finance Committee meeting).
4. Establish and maintain excellent working relationships with the District Governor, District Governor Elect, and District Governor Nominee for the district, and ensure that they fully understand their roles and responsibilities with the program, and as Board of Governors members of the corporation.
5. Provide regular updates to the District Governor on the successful operation and of the program in the district and the status of our Inbound/Outbound/Rebound students, host families, high schools, and volunteers (as required by District Governor)
6. Attend in person, and actively participate as a presentation leader, at four multi-district orientations sessions per year, held at Lake Yale, Florida – Inbound Orientation, Outbound Orientation 1, Outbound Orientation 2, and Rebound Orientation
7. Recruit, train, lead and motivate members of the Rotary Youth Exchange District Committee for the district (Inbound Student Coordinator/Outbound Student Coordinator/Youth Protection Officer/Public Relations Director/District Training Coordinator) and hold regular meetings with the team
8. Recruit, train, lead and motivate club level Rotary Youth Exchange volunteers (Youth Exchange Officer/Youth Exchange Counselors/Certified Volunteers for youth programs) at all clubs in the district that are interested in participating in the program, and hold regular meetings with those volunteers
9. Manage the district’s Youth Exchange Administrative Hub (YEAH) Database, to ensure that timely and accurate information is maintained for all current, previous, and upcoming students, host families, volunteers, Rotary clubs, and high schools in accordance with Rotary International and US Department of State guidelines rules and guidelines
10. Make multi-media presentations on the program at Rotary Clubs, high schools, and community events, as well as at District Conference, District Training Assembly, and President Elect Learning Seminars
11. Review and approve out-of-district travel requests by Inbound students
12. Read and review monthly reports from each Youth Exchange Counselor and take follow-up action as necessary
13. Read and review monthly and quarterly reports from each Outbound and Inbound student, and take follow-up action as necessary
14. Manage the competitive selection process of Prospective Future Outbound Candidates, ensuring that only the best and most qualified students are selected to participate in the program and represent the district
15. Establish and maintain good working relationships with the office of international students at each of the applicable school districts that work with the program
16. Represent the district at the annual conference of Rotary Youth Exchange district leaders, YEO Pre-Convention for the 3 days prior to the RI Convention – share all information learned with district committee members, YEOs and Counselors, and District Governor as applicable (optional)
17. Represent the district at the annual Rotary North American Youth Exchange Network (NAYEN) conference (optional)
18. Produce, store, and distribute posters, brochures, flyers, handbooks, and other marketing materials to volunteers, high schools, host families and students
19. Maintain and store all records of the program in the district including applications, meeting minutes, and student records in accordance Department of State and RI recording-keeping requirements
20. Draft, submit, and defend the annual budget for the program’s operating budget and District contribution, and document all expenditures against that budget in quarterly expense reports to the District Governor and District Treasurer.
21. Collect, record, and deposit with District Treasurer all Prospective Future Outbound application fees.
22. Collect, record, and deposit with District Treasurer all Inbound Student Emergency funds, and manage reimbursement of those funds to each Inbound Student at the end of each student’s exchange
23. Maintain any district websites for the program and ensure that both are always up-to-date, accurate, and in compliance with Department of State privacy regulations.
24. Write and submit regular articles with photos for any district newsletter or similar, following privacy guidelines
25. Recruit and organize district certified volunteers to serve as chaperones for the multidistrict educational weekend trip(s) for our Inbound students each year.
26. Recruit, train, and mentor successor District Chairman for a minimum three-year term
27. Other ad hoc projects as assigned by District Governor and/or Multidistrict Chair

Experience and Qualifications

1. The District Chair should have personal experience with the program, as a Host Family and/or former Rotary Youth Exchange student
2. The District Chair should have at least two years’ experience serving as an officer of the District Rotary Youth Exchange committee and/or as a club level Youth Exchange Officer or Youth Exchange Counselor
3. The District Chair should have a good working relationship with the District Governor, District Governor Elect, and District Governor Nominee as well as with other leaders of Rotary youth programs
4. The District Chair should be prepared to serve a minimum three-year term for the program