Global Updates From World View June 2005
Celebrating 100 Years of Rotary International
Civic groups in our communities are wonderful assets to improving our towns and counties, and World View encourages educators to make contact with the various civic clubs for help and support. In this issue we salute Rotary International which is celebrating its 100 th anniversary. Rotary is an organization of over 30,000 clubs in 167 countries. Members are business and professional leaders who join together to provide humanitarian service and to build goodwill and peace around the world. Learn more about Rotary and the programs supported for youth, educational opportunities, and international exchanges for students, teachers, and other professionals.
Rotary International Programs
Rotary Youth Exchange
Rotary Youth Exchange is a program designed to send high school students between the ages of 15 and 19 to live and attend school in a foreign country for a year or more. The program provides thousands of students with the opportunity to meet people from cultures different than their own. Today there are more than 82 countries hosting Rotary Youth Exchange participants. Although the families of the students are responsible for arranging transportation to the host country, the Youth Exchange participant’s local Rotary Club will pay for tuition in the country. Some Rotary clubs have established scholarships for disadvantaged students to help fund the cost of plane tickets and other expenses. Check with your local Rotary club to see if they offer such assistance.
Interact
Rotary International sponsors a service club for youth ages 14-18 called Interact. This program helps teens develop leadership skills, while engaging in fun service projects. Local Rotary Clubs sponsor individual Interact clubs and commit to providing guidance and support to the youth.
Rotaract
In addition to Interact, there is a service club for individuals 18-30 years old called Rotaract. Local Rotary Clubs sponsor these community or university-based groups.
Rotary Friendship Exchange
The Rotary Friendship Exchange was developed to provide Rotarians and their families an opportunity to explore and experience other cultures by staying in the homes of Rotarians all over the world. Rotary International hopes that through these friendship exchanges local Rotary clubs will strengthen fellowship and service projects, and will increase cross-cultural understanding.
The Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation that supports the mission of Rotary International. The Foundation sponsors international humanitarian service projects and educational and cultural exchanges. The Rotary Foundation's Educational Programs that are most fitting for K-12 and community college educators include the Ambassadorial Scholarships and the Group Study Exchange.
Ambassadorial Scholarships
The Rotary Foundation offers Ambassadorial Scholarships for college students and qualified professionals to further international understanding. This scholarship program is the world’s largest privately-funded international scholarship program and current scholars are living in over 70 countries across the globe. While abroad, scholars serve as ambassadors of goodwill to the people of the host country and give presentations about their homelands to Rotary clubs and other groups. Upon returning home, scholars share with Rotarians and others the experiences that led to greater understanding of their host countries.
Group Study Exchange
The Group Study Exchange (GSE) program of The Rotary Foundation is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young business and professional men and women between the ages of 25 and 40. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits between paired areas in different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's institutions and ways of life, observe their own vocations as practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas. Rotary Foundation will provide transportation to the host country and local Rotarians are responsible for providing room and board.
FIND A ROTARY CLUB NEAR YOU!
Rotary has divided North Carolina into eight districts, comprised of over 250 local clubs. To find the club nearest you click here.
WORLD VIEW AND ROTARY
In the spring of 2005, World View began a unique pen pal and email program to connect Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars with schools and classrooms in North Carolina. World View also develops lesson plans, resources, and curriculum materials on the countries where the Rotary Scholars are located. To connect a Rotary Scholar with your class or school, contact Regina Higgins at World View. (919-843-7793 or regina_higgins@unc.edu)
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