Lions District 4-C4 Youth Exchange

Innovations

During the Youth Exchange and Camp workshop at the Lions Club International Conventions in Honolulu, Fukuoka and recently in Chicago, one problem discussed was the "recruitment of host families". It is very hard to find host families for a variety of reasons. Fourteen days hosting a youth exchange student requires a lot of resources. Among the 15 districts in Multiple District 4 (California), there are only a few districts hosting youth exchange students. The Youth Exchange Program is dormant in almost all districts because it requires a lot of resources in hosting a youth exchange student. Our district, District 4-C4 presented our experience/innovations for the last three years to the YEP workshops in order to encourage other districts to participate in the Youth Exchange Program or improved their existing Youth Exchange Program. Innovations by our district presented  include: 

1. Youth Exchange Program as a joint venture project: involving different lions clubs or non-lions ex: one student/ two clubs 

2. Days split: one week each host family/club 3. combination of 1 & 2. 

3. Dividing lodging (night) and day activity: their activities can be joint ventured with different lions/clubs 

4. combination of 1, 2 & 3. 

5. A structured day activities from day 1 to day 14 (last day). Host family may have separate activities than the district's YEP activities.

Another innovations introduced was the District to District/Twin Districts or Club to Club/Sister Clubs Youth and Cultural Exchange Program.

With our innovations in YEP, district 4-C4's YEP is thriving.Innovations introduced by District 4-C4 is not limited on YEP, but in services, new club formation, innovations in services, etc. The district 4-C4 is the number one in memberships growth in Constitutional Area 1 for the last two years. Our district is in the forefront of innovations such as cyberclubs, soon cyberleo clubs, multi-club joint ventures such as multi-club installations ( 21 lions clubs and leo clubs), a record at least at MD4!

This innovations is also applicable with multidistrict levels , not only in YEP but also in Outreach and Leos.