In the 2025/26 Rotary year, 28 Slovak students from 15 clubs went abroad on long-term exchange and 22 foreign students spent their year in Slovakia. René Guráň looks back at a year of youth exchange built on the help of many clubs – from the Malý Dunaj to the Slovak Paradise.

The District Youth Exchange Committee – Slovakia (DVVM-SK), through the non-profit organisation RYE SK, n.o., provided full short-term and long-term youth exchange in the 2025/26 Rotary year for the Slovak Rotary clubs that were interested. Fifteen clubs took part in the long-term exchange, nominating 28 Slovak students for a year abroad. In return, 22 foreign students from North and South America, Asia and France spent their year in Slovakia.

DVVM-SK ran the programme for inbound students in Slovakia in close cooperation with the Rotary clubs that were interested in youth exchange or in organising various events. This allowed new volunteers from the clubs to get involved in organising one-off events, and allowed the inbounds to meet members of more clubs. Rotarians who do not want to work with young people all year round could also take part – they can look after the students for a weekend, for example by hosting them, driving them, accompanying them on a trip or showing them around their town. In practice, it went like this:

In September, the inbounds and their host families were invited to Dunajská Streda. Local Rotarians led by president Pali Bíró prepared boats, and together they paddled down the Malý Dunaj. The trip was followed by a feast prepared by the club's top cooks, so the inbounds could say thank you not only for the sporting experience but also for getting to know great local cuisine.

In October, RC Košice enabled the inbounds to take part in the International Peace Marathon, the oldest marathon in Europe. On Saturday, the students ran one of the shorter competitive courses, the mini-marathon. On Sunday, they staffed one of the refreshment stations of the main marathon. During the weekend, the students were looked after mainly by local Rotarians Elen Gregová, Jana Teššerová and Denisa Sklenárová.

At the end of November, RC Martin invited the inbounds to celebrate Thanksgiving and to a tour of the town of Martin and of Martinus, the largest Slovak online bookshop. The students then moved on to Žilina, where they attended a concert of the Symphony Orchestra of the Žilina Conservatory organised by the local Rotary club, and visited the Christmas market with a Rotary stall. In Martin, the programme was organised by Rotarians Ivan Lamoš and Pavel and Juraj Szépe; in Žilina by Juraj Sabaka and Juraj Kavecký with the help of local Rotarians. It is worth mentioning that during the four-day stay, all the inbounds in Martin and then in Žilina were hosted exclusively by Rotarian families.

Before Christmas, RC Bratislava and RC Bratislava Danube took care of the inbounds. Led by Rotarians Ján Kriška and Peter Kucera, the students got to know our capital and also visited the beautiful Christmas markets in Vienna. The time together also helped them through the homesick period that can come at Christmas far from home.

In the winter months, students who were interested took part in ski courses and learned the basics of skiing. This was not done as a joint SkiWeek: to help the inbounds integrate better into Slovak life, DVVM-SK supported them in joining ski courses with their own secondary schools and classmates.

A spring trip to Budapest attracted most of the inbounds. It was organised by Ladislav Gáll from RC Nitra with the help of Anka Havranová, Laci Nagy from RC Dunajská Streda and Ladislav Keve from RC Nové Zámky. The students got to know another capital on the Danube and talked with inbounds spending their year in Hungary.

In April, the inbounds set off on their biggest trip, the Eurotour. Elen Gregová from Košice and Milada and Darinka Skybová from Trnava helped them discover the beauty of Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Venice.

The highlight of the inbound programme was the Farewell Weekend in the Slovak Paradise in June – an event traditionally organised by Rotarians from RC Spišská Nová Ves. The students walked through some of the gorges of the national park and discovered the beauty of this corner of Slovakia. They experienced the hospitality of local Rotarians led by Pavol Čekovský, Dan Bajan and Blažej Pirkovský. All members of the local Rotary club took an active part in the weekend, some even with their wives.

It should be stressed that, apart from these trips, DVVM-SK also carried out a thorough selection of new candidates during the year, organised orientation meetings and handled international correspondence. It held orientation meetings for inbounds in Strečno, for exchange candidates and their parents in Martin, and for departing outbounds in Nitra. At these meetings, key roles in youth exchange were played by Sandy Bernáthová from RC Nitra Harmony as inbound coordinator and Denisa Sklenárová from RC Košice as outbound coordinator, with active help from many Rotarians from local clubs. At all events, Rotarians treated the inbounds in a friendly way, as responsible young people, and the exchange students responded with exemplary behaviour, with no need for sanctions or disciplinary measures. The departing Slovak students were also well prepared, both in knowledge and mentally, for a long stay abroad – none of them returned home early.

Youth exchange also includes short-term exchange. Rotary Club Banská Bystrica together with RC Zvolen organised a summer cycling camp in central Slovakia, and Rotary Club Liptovský Mikuláš organised the summer camp Art Plein Air Liptov. 26 students travelled to summer camps, and another three took part in family exchanges in Finland, Taiwan and Brazil. Short-term exchanges were organised by Rotarians Anka Havranová from RC Nitra and Miroslav Kočalka from RC Martin.

In conclusion, a solid team of Rotarians interested in providing and developing youth exchange has formed in Slovakia. Within this team, long-serving officers continuously pass on their experience to younger Rotarians. This may also answer the question of whether we have enough volunteers for youth work in our district. The exchange is carried out according to DVVM-SK's instructions by RYE SK, n.o., and many thanks go to its director Juraj Sabaka from RC Žilina for his professional organisational, coordination and administrative work.

DVVM-SK thanks all Rotarians who contributed to a smooth and successful year of youth exchange. Thanks go to the people named in this article, to their friends in the clubs who helped them organise these events, and to the many other Rotarians who take an interest in young people and help at club level.

Text: René Guráň, photos: RYE SK team
Martin, 23 August 2026