NEXT year’s Rotary exchange student will be 16-year-old Euroa Secondary College student Oakley Paul. Early next year, Oakley will fly to Japan to begin her academic year 11 at Toyama school. Toyama is a city of approximately 415,000 people. It has a long history dating from the sixth century and became prominent in the late 19th century as an industrial centre. In August 1945, it was destroyed by allied bombing; but was quickly re-built to become a model of economic success and environmental sustainability. The Rotary Youth Exchange program started in Australia in 1958 and among its many aims, it is designed to facilitate the learning of new languages and the discovery of new cultures. There are nearly 9,000 Rotary exchange students worldwide. Euroa’s Oakley will be spending her exchange year with four host families for periods of approximately three months. Speaking at Euroa Rotary Club’s recent AGM, Oakley said she looks forward to making lifelong friendships, mastering Japanese, and using every opportunity of personal development to share with her family and peers. Oakley thanked her parents and the youth committee of Rotary for their support. We all wish Oakley a successful exchange experience in Japan and look forward to her updates on the experience.
