OUTGOING – Lions youth exchange abroad (for Swiss youth)

One hundred youth 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?
Young people who:

Are between the ages of 16 and 22 (can vary slightly by country or camp; check details of the camp you are interested in),
Have good knowledge of English and
Would like to live with a host family and/or in a camp for the purpose of getting to know another culture.

Which countries are available for Swiss youth to discover?

Here are the countries partnering with Switzerland & Liechtenstein for 2025:

Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic & Slovakia, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia (Europe), Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkiye, USA (Georgia and South Carolina), China (Beijing).

Placements are limited for each country. Requests will be taken in the order they are received by the Youth Exchange Chair Person of each Multi-District.

Most youth exchanges take place in the summer (July/August), but there will be some winter camps in early 2025. The Sri Lanka camp takes place in April 2025.

Most youth exchanges include both a stay with a host family and a camp, but some offer only one or the other.

Our youth delegates (see step 3 of the “Registration and Participation Steps” below) will be happy to give you information about the camps and the places available.

Registration Deadline

Registration begins on the 1^st of November, 2024 and ends on the 15^th of March, 2025. All necessary documents must be submitted by the 15th of March, 2025 in order for the application to be considered.

Registration and Participation Steps:

Contact a Lions Club in your country of residence and ask if they will sponsor you. Sponsorship from a local Lions Club is a necessary condition for participation in the program.
Once you have the support of a local Lions Club, they will tell you which district you will work with. It will be one of the following:

(D102 West / D102 Centro / D102 East)
Click on the appropriate link above to download the registration form (Excel sheet). On the form you will find contact details for your youth delegate, who will be happy to give you information about the camps in the participaing countries.
Fill in the registration form completely. Contact the youth delegate listed on the form should you have any questions. Please be sure that you:
1. Correctly fill out every field in the registration form.
2. On the form, in the spaces indicated, choose 3 destination countries from the following list, in your order of preference (first country is first preference, and so on):
  
  Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic & Slovakia, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia (Europe), Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Malaysia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkiye, USA (Georgia and South Carolina), China (Beijing).
Send the completed registration form electronically to the Lions Club youth delegate at the email address specified in the registration form along with pdf copies (total size not to exceed 3 MB) of the following:
1. Passport
2. A new passport photo
3. Visa for the duration of the program, if a visa is required. Check with the embassy of your destination countries.
4. Health and accident insurance policy with coverage for your destination choices
5. Civil liability insurance with coverage for your destination choices
6. (optional): repatriation insurance policy
7. Cover letter for the host family in English, beginning “Dear Host Family…” in which you introduce yourself and talk about your family, country, etc. Attach photos of yourself, your family, your country, etc.
Your Lions Club youth delegate will then contact you and assist you if necessary in properly completing your application.
The youth delegate will then forward your completed and signed candidacy form to the appropriate person or persons.
When your application has been accepted, you will be given contact information for your host family. You should then immediately contact your host family.

Remember: the language of the host family and of the camp will be English.
Before departure (usually in May), you will attend a mandatory information session in which you will be given important information and equipment and made aware of any additional preparation that will be necessary. You will receive a personal invitation.
Enjoy your time with your host family and with your campmates! And please always remember that you are an ambassador of Switzerland/Liechtenstein as well as the Lions Club that is sponsoring you. We are sure we can count on you to treat everyone you meet with the kindness, courtesy and respect that you would also wish to receive.
Following your return (usually in September or October) you will attend a mandatory session in which you will share your experiences with others and meet members of the Leos Clubs (Youth Extension of the Lions Clubs). You will receive a personal invitation.