For the second year in a row, our District 6900 Rotary Youth Exchange scholarship program team has been recognized for operational excellence by the Rotary North American Youth Exchange Network (NAYEN). There are more than 250 Rotary Youth Exchange certified districts in North America. Only a handful of those districts are recognized each year for being the best of the best.

The annual Rotary NAYEN Achievement Awards recognize those districts whose programs distinguish themselves by meeting or exceeding all Rotary International, US Department of State, and NAYEN requirements for student safety and program excellence in youth exchange. The criteria for earning one of the awards include an evaluation of the district’s commitment to:

• Training, certification, and counseling of volunteers, students, and host families
• Embracing diversity throughout the program
• Exchanging with new countries each year
• Growing the number of scholarships awarded each year
• Introducing the program to new clubs, schools, and communities

In District 6900, we have been certified by Rotary International to offer the Rotary Youth Exchange program in Georgia since 2016. In that short time, more than 130 Rotarians at 25 clubs in the district have become Certified Volunteers for the program. We have already awarded nearly $800,000.00 worth of scholarships to Georgia high school students and attracted nearly 70 non-Rotarian host families to become part of our Rotary family in Georgia. In the short time we have been offering the program in Georgia we have changed the lives of more than 50 high school students. Rotary Youth Exchange active clubs in Georgia include:

• Rotary Club of Alpharetta
• Rotary Club of Atlanta Airport
• Rotary Club of Atlanta Metro
• Rotary Club of Buckhead
• Rotary Club of Decatur
• Rotary Club of Dougherty County (Albany)
• Rotary Club of Dunwoody
• Rotary Club of East Cobb – Marietta
• Rotary Club of Johns Creek
• Rotary Club of Milton
• Rotary Club of Muscogee - Columbus
• Rotary Club of North Atlanta
• Rotary Club of North Fulton
• Rotary Club of Peachtree City
• Rotary Club of Roswell
• Rotary Club of Sandy Springs
• Rotary Club of Vinings

Congratulations and thank you very much for all you do to make the Rotary Youth Exchange scholarship program so successful in District 6900.