Today it is my distinct pleasure to spend some time sharing with you an overview of the Rotary Experience

 Rotary International is a world wide organisation of about 33,976 service clubs known as Rotary Clubs. The stated purpose of the organisation is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world. The over 1.22 million members of Rotary Clubs are called Rotarians.

 The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:  The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;  High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;

 The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;  The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

 This objective is further set against the "Rotarian four-way test", used to see if a planned action is compatible with the Rotarian spirit. The test was developed by Rotarian and entrepreneur Herbert J. Taylor during the Great Depression as a set of guidelines for restoring faltering businesses and was adopted as the standard of ethics by Rotary in It is still seen as a standard for ethics in business management:Herbert J. Taylor Great Depression

Of the things WE think, say and do.  Is it the truth?  Is it fair to all concerned?  Will it build good will and better friendships?  Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

♦ Rotary was founded in 1905 by Paul P. Harris ♦ The primary motto is “Service above Self” and the secondary motto is “They profit most who serve best. ♦ Headquarters are in Evanston, Illinois ♦ Membership is over 1.22 million people ♦ The President is Ray Klingingsmith ♦ Most Rotary Clubs meet once a week dually to socialise and to strategize on service goals

 Interact is a Rotary International’s service club for young people ages 12 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs.  Club membership varies greatly. They can be single gender, mixed, large or small. They are formed from the student body of a single school or from two or more schools in a community.  Interact clubs are required to complete at least two community service projects per year one of which furthers international understanding and goodwill.

♦ Interact Club members are called Interactors. ♦ The first interact club met in 1960 with 23 members in Melbourne, Florida. ♦ Membership is over 290,000 youth around the world. ♦ There are approximately 12,300 Interact clubs in 133 countries.

 Rotaract is a service club for young men and women aged 18 to 30.  Rotaract comprises of 185,000 members in 7,000 clubs in 163 countries. These clubs are either community or university based and are sponsored by a local Rotary club. This makes them true “partners in service” and key members of the family of Rotary.

 Tell me about RYLA?  Started in Brisbane, Australia in  It facilitates intensive training for youths and young adults ages  Each year more than 9,000 young people are sponsored by Rotary Clubs around the world.  Young people who complete RYLA are better able to manage their lives and careers.

 Participants are generally nominated and sponsored by local Rotary Clubs for all expenses for the conference.  RYLA provides an avenue for new and renewed energy in a Rotary district as well as gives future Rotarians to develop. Ideas for service and increased support are fostered.  It demonstrates the respect and concern which Rotary has for the youth

 RYLA encourages and assist young persons in responsible and effective voluntary leadership by availing valuable training experiences.  It enhances the opportunity for young persons to be publicly recognised for their leadership skills.  It fosters continued and stronger leadership amongst the youth.

 Rotary Youth Exchange is a student exchange program for students in secondary education.

The Rotary Club of Copenhagen, Denmark initiated the first exchange in Rotary Youth Exchanges (RYE) began in Europe and have spread world-wide. Typically, students are sent to another country for a year-long stay, allowing them to experience a completely different culture and (usually) language. The student typically lives with multiple host families during the year and is expected to perform daily tasks within the household as well as attend school in the host country.CopenhagenDenmarkEurope

The number of host families can vary, but three is the most common number. Short term exchange programs are also quite common. These typically involve direct student exchanges between two families arranged through Rotary to coincide with major school holiday periods.

 Group Study Exchange (GSE) is a Rotary International Foundation programme which is a two-way exchange of young professional and business people between D9790 and another district.

 GSE is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young business and professional men and women in their initial years of professional life. The Programme is designed to develop professional and leadership skills among young people to better prepare them to address the needs of their communities and an increasingly global workplace. Group Study Exchange participants follow a rigorous Programme:

 Vocational activities provide opportunities to observe vocations as practiced in another country, thereby allowing for a reciprocal exchange of ideas in their respective fields, which will benefit all communities involved.  Cultural experiences allow participants to study another country, its people and institutions through experiences in an organised and meaningful host programme, and to promote an appreciation of cultural diversity worldwide.

 There are fellowship opportunities which encourage team members and hosts to meet, communicate and live with each other in a spirit of fellowship and goodwill.  It allows its members to be aware of each other's problems, aspirations and community concerns; and to foster lasting friendships and international understanding.

 Rotarian involvement offers Rotarians specific practical and meaningful opportunities for International Service by providing young formative professionals to experience their vocation in another country and culture. Furthermore, GSE offers Rotarians the opportunity to participate in the process of sending, and through home hosting receiving and sharing educational experiences of study teams that will enhance the worldwide mission of Rotary.

 In 2002, The Rotary Foundation partnered with eight universities around the world to create the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution.  Rotary World Peace Fellows complete two year masters level programs in conflict resolution, peace studies and international relations. The first class graduated in  “ Peace and conflict studies” have raised questions concerning political bias and controversial grants. As at 2006 the Rotary Foundation spent $18 million on its Peace and Conflict Centres and the average grant was $60,000 per enrollee in the two year program.

 Ambassadorial Scholarships is the Rotary Foundation’s oldest and best-known program. It was founded in  More than 40,000 men and women from about 100 nations have studied abroad under its auspices.  Nearly 700 scholarships were awarded for study in These scholarships were aided through grants totaling approximately US$16.2 million.

 Ambassadorial Scholarships help to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas.  The program sponsors scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students as well as qualified professionals pursuing vocational studies

I wish all of you much success during this conference and to challenge you to have fun, learn, share, make new friends and may your experiences be wonderful, memorable and fantastic. God bless us all and good night. Thanks a mil!!! Charles Morton