One hundred camps throughout the world take place every year within the framework of the Lions Club Youth Exchanges. Find some general information here.

Who can take part in this program?
Any young person between 16 and 22 years old, depending on country, with good knowledge of English, interest in staying with a host family and/or in a camp for the purpose of getting to know another culture.

Which countries are there to discover?

Here are the countries partnering with Switzerland & Liechtenstein for 2024:

Austria, Belgium, Brazil, British Columbia, Canada, Croatia, Czech & Slovak Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, The Netherlands, Thailand, Turkey, UK, USA (Georgia).

Placements are limited for each country and requests will be taken in the order they are received by the Youth Exchange Chair Person of the MD.

Youth exchanges usually take place in the summer (July/August). One exception is Sri Lanka, where our young people go on exchange in April. The exchange usually includes homestay and camp accommodation, but there are exceptions. 
Our youth delegates will be happy to give you information about the camps and the places available.

Registration

Registration begins on the 1^st of November 2023 and ends on the 15^th of March the year following.

Any young person wishing to participate in the youth exchange program must have the support of a local Lions Club where they reside.

Each youth delegate must assist the young person who wishes to go overseas in putting together their application and filling in the registration form under the guidance of the Lions Club.

The Lions Club youth delegate will forward the duly completed and signed candidacy form to their colleague from the respective district.

Application for candidacy

1. Fill in the registration form (Excel) for your district for the relevant year (D102 West / D102 Centro / D102 East)

• The forms must be completed and sent to the youth delegates electronically.
• Be sure that you have correctly filled out every field.
• Consult the list of countries available for youth hosting above.
• Choose three destination countries and order them by preference.

2. Enclose with the application:

• Copy of passport or identity card (PDF) according to your destination (check the expiry date)
• Copy of your health and accidents insurance policy, with coverage for foreign countries (pdf)
• Copy of your civil liability insurance policy (pdf)
• Copy of your repatriation insurance policy if you have one (pdf)
• Cover letter for the host family in English, beginning “Dear Host Family…” and photos of you with your own family in which you introduce yourself, as well as your family, your country, etc.
• Passport photo

Pay attention to your file formats – everything must be sent in PDF format and must not exceed 3 MB.

Please note:

• Youths will make contact with their host family as soon as they have been coordinated.
• The young person is aware that they are a Swiss/Liechtensteinian ambassador of the Lions.
• The young person will behave themself.
• The young person must know English.
• Two information sessions are mandatory: 
  • Before departure (in May) to be made aware of necessary information and to receive gear for the trip
  • After the trip (in September or October) to share experiences and meet members of the Leo Clubs

An invitation will be sent directly to the youths.

Like to know more? Handbook for participants, Flyer Outgoing

News - December 2023 - YEP Outgoings Switzerland