Northern Indiana GSE update
Last year’s Group Study Exchange was with District 9410 from Australia. Our team was led by Rotarian Kay Schwob from Huntington with team members from Bluffton, Chesterton, Merrillville, and Fort Wayne Downtown. At least two of those team members have joined Rotary.
Our current exchange will be with District 2430 in central Turkey with their team in our district from April 11 to May 9, 2009. They will be hosted by Crown Point, South Bend Downtown, Kendallville, and with Monticello and Rensselaer sharing hosting for the final week. The hosting clubs met on November 8 to select cooperating clubs and to start planning the itinerary. D6540 Rotarians will have an opportunity to hear their presentation at District Conference in May and are invited to attend the farewell banquet on Friday evening, May 8 in the Rensselaer area.
Our outbound team will be led by Rotarian David Mann of the Wabash Club. His team composed of Katy Silliman, Kurtis Hilgeford, Vivian Yamoah, and Sarah Aubrey will be in Turkey from May 9 to June 7, 2009. Team members were nominated by the Fort Wayne Downtown Club, South Bend, and Anthony Wayne. They will have their first orientation meeting on November 15.
Next Rotary year will be a big one for our district and the help of D6540 Rotarians is sought as we plan two exchanges, one with Seoul, Korea, and a second one with Guanajuato, Mexico. The Korea exchange will be a traditional exchange with our team in Korea from around November 11 to December 9, 2009. Recruiting team members for that program will begin in January 2009. The visiting Korea team will be in northern Indiana in April and May 2010. Former GSE team leader Dick Conklin from the Fort Wayne Downtown Rotary Club chairs the team selection committee and Linda Reyes-Popovich from the Valpo Club chairs the inbound hosting committee.
Our second exchange with Guanajuato, Mexico, will be a special focus exchange with an emphasis on the arts. That exchange will be in the spring of 2010 and promotion for that team will start in late summer of 2009.
Group Study Exchange is the premier inter-cultural educational program for young professionals and is an excellent way for Rotarians to build goodwill and better understanding among cultures that leads to a more peaceful world. GSE exposes Rotary to non-Rotarian young professionals who often go on to join and serve Rotary during their lives. A number of Rotary leaders had their first exposure to Rotary through GSE.
Program and international travel costs are paid by The Rotary Foundation. Our district pays some of the expense for our outbound team including the team uniform and attendance at our district conference. Our exchange partner district is responsible for all hosting of our team while in their district including internal transportation, all meals, all lodging, and activities. Clubs within our district will be providing similar arrangements for our visiting teams.
Team members are young professionals between 25 and 40 years of age who live or work in our district. They cannot be a Rotarian or immediate family member of a Rotarian. There is almost no monetary cost to participate other than for gifts, a passport and visa if required, and costs of getting to and from the airport. More information on Group Study Exchange is available online at http://www.rotary.org/en/serviceandfellowship/Fellowship/GroupStudyExchange/Pages/ridefault.aspx
More information is available from D6540 GSE Chairman Doug Risser at DRisser@aol.com.
Our current exchange will be with District 2430 in central Turkey with their team in our district from April 11 to May 9, 2009. They will be hosted by Crown Point, South Bend Downtown, Kendallville, and with Monticello and Rensselaer sharing hosting for the final week. The hosting clubs met on November 8 to select cooperating clubs and to start planning the itinerary. D6540 Rotarians will have an opportunity to hear their presentation at District Conference in May and are invited to attend the farewell banquet on Friday evening, May 8 in the Rensselaer area.
Our outbound team will be led by Rotarian David Mann of the Wabash Club. His team composed of Katy Silliman, Kurtis Hilgeford, Vivian Yamoah, and Sarah Aubrey will be in Turkey from May 9 to June 7, 2009. Team members were nominated by the Fort Wayne Downtown Club, South Bend, and Anthony Wayne. They will have their first orientation meeting on November 15.
Next Rotary year will be a big one for our district and the help of D6540 Rotarians is sought as we plan two exchanges, one with Seoul, Korea, and a second one with Guanajuato, Mexico. The Korea exchange will be a traditional exchange with our team in Korea from around November 11 to December 9, 2009. Recruiting team members for that program will begin in January 2009. The visiting Korea team will be in northern Indiana in April and May 2010. Former GSE team leader Dick Conklin from the Fort Wayne Downtown Rotary Club chairs the team selection committee and Linda Reyes-Popovich from the Valpo Club chairs the inbound hosting committee.
Our second exchange with Guanajuato, Mexico, will be a special focus exchange with an emphasis on the arts. That exchange will be in the spring of 2010 and promotion for that team will start in late summer of 2009.
Group Study Exchange is the premier inter-cultural educational program for young professionals and is an excellent way for Rotarians to build goodwill and better understanding among cultures that leads to a more peaceful world. GSE exposes Rotary to non-Rotarian young professionals who often go on to join and serve Rotary during their lives. A number of Rotary leaders had their first exposure to Rotary through GSE.
Program and international travel costs are paid by The Rotary Foundation. Our district pays some of the expense for our outbound team including the team uniform and attendance at our district conference. Our exchange partner district is responsible for all hosting of our team while in their district including internal transportation, all meals, all lodging, and activities. Clubs within our district will be providing similar arrangements for our visiting teams.
Team members are young professionals between 25 and 40 years of age who live or work in our district. They cannot be a Rotarian or immediate family member of a Rotarian. There is almost no monetary cost to participate other than for gifts, a passport and visa if required, and costs of getting to and from the airport. More information on Group Study Exchange is available online at http://www.rotary.org/en/serviceandfellowship/Fellowship/GroupStudyExchange/Pages/ridefault.aspx
More information is available from D6540 GSE Chairman Doug Risser at DRisser@aol.com.
posted by Doug Risser at 8:21 AM
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