Rotary Youth Exchange sparks a lifetime of service

Dody Priambodo, second from left, exploring the Whitsunday region of Queensland with other exchange students during his Rotary Youth Exchange to Australia in 1998.

By Dody Priambodo, former Rotary Youth Exchange student and member of the Rotary E-Club of Jakarta Gunawarman

Dody Priambodo

In 1997, I arrived in Australia as a Rotary Youth Exchange student. What began as a simple opportunity to improve my English skills quickly became a blueprint for a life-long commitment to service.

My host families, predominantly Rotarians, provided me with powerful lessons. I watched in awe as these busy professionals with demanding, full-time jobs relentlessly carved out time, energy, and resources to serve their community through fundraising events and hands-on projects, both locally and around the world.

This inspired a question that became my calling: “How does a person with a full-time job manage to find time to serve the community?” With that powerful seed planted in my mind, I resolved that I, too, would dedicate my time to service once I had a career.

During Outbound Orientations, exchange students were encouraged to join Rotaract upon their return. I immediately joined my local Rotaract chapter freshman year, quickly deepening my involvement by attending the first-ever Rotary Youth Leadership Awards in Indonesia and assisting Rotarians the following year.

Years later, I was spurred to further action when my youth exchange chair and mentor delivered a pivotal message to 15 alumni: “Rotary Youth Exchange has been instrumental in your good fortune. Now is the time to serve the community with your experience.”

In 2014, we acted, chartering a new Rotary club — the first e-club in the area. Ninety percent of the 19 charter members were former exchange students. Their shared history created a powerful bond, driving meaningful projects from literacy to breast cancer awareness.

Their passion for the program led to an additional role: managing the district Youth Exchange program. I became a committee member in 2015, and the committee quickly grew to be 100% youth exchange alumni from different clubs.

Together with my friends, we are now actively recruiting for a major reunion we want to hold for exchange students from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, using the power of the exchange experience to attract the next generation of Rotarians.

The experience of my year in Australia continues to have a ripple effect through my life. Youth Exchange doesn’t just send kids abroad; it creates an army of globally aware, committed community builders who embody the profound power of giving back.

Dody Priambodo is Indonesia’s country representative to the East Asian Youth Exchange Network. He is actively looking to establish connections with Rotary clubs in other countries that have exchange student members.