Gail Rosenblum’s column in today’s Strib, Endangered species: U.S. teenagers studying abroad, sounds the alarm:
New figures confirm that we are creating a generation of homebodies. Sure they’re interested in how the rest of the world lives, as long as they can observe the goings-on from their iPads. How dire is it? More than 28,000 exchange students from around the world studied in American high schools during the 2009-10 academic year, reports the Washington, D.C.-based Council on Standards for International Educational Travel. American students going abroad the same year: 1,980. That’s the lowest number in seven years.
The Northfield Rotary Club’s Youth Exchange program got a paragraph:
At a recent gathering in Northfield, students came to learn about the Rotary youth exchange, or to say thank you. "Students often say it’s the best year of their lives," said Youth Exchange officer Vicki Dilley. "They have a new passion for a different part of the world. The experience sets them off into a course of study."
Northfield Youth Exchange Student Blogs:
If I look at the statistics from the Strib article and Rotary I get:
10 outbound Northfielders last year / 1,980 total US exchange students =
0.5 % of US exchange students come from Northfield. Amazing!