Members from 20 (of our 53 Interact Clubs) and 12 (of our 61 Rotary Clubs) attended a lively program Sunday (2/2/2014) on Interact at the Homewood Suites in Stratford.
The Interact Council of Presidents (ICoP’s) is an Interact district wide meeting of Interact Presidents within Rotary District 7980 that is designed to collaboratively lead and plan the activities of the Interact Clubs within our District.
Interact are clubs for youth ages 12-18 who want to connect with others in their community or school. Interact club members have fun while carrying out service projects and learning about the world. Interact clubs organize at least two service projects a year: one that benefits their community and one that encourages international understanding. While Interact clubs receive guidance from individual Rotary clubs, they govern and support themselves.
Interact has a membership of over 250,000 youth in more than 11,000 clubs worldwide. It’s one of Rotary’s fastest growing programs. Interact clubs are self-governing and self-supporting and can be either school or community based. Interact’s name is a combination of the words international and action. With clubs in over 120 countries and geographical areas, Interact is truly an international phenomenon. Interact’s global youth network is dedicated to community and international service. Every Interact club project, great or small, has a lasting impact on society worldwide. Brazil, India, the Philippines, and the United States boast the highest number of Interact clubs.
Youth Services Interact Team would like to thank everyone who was able to attend the Interact Council of Presidents (ICoP’s) meeting on Sunday. This was the largest ICoP’s meeting ever held, making for a very productive and informative meeting. (2013 had 11 clubs and 28 in attendance, 2014 had 20 clubs and 50+ in attendance) At the ICoP’s meeting,
Rotarians, Interact Club Officers, and Club Advisers gathered to learn about ICoP’s and the upcoming Youth Service programs this spring. We unveiled the new Youth Services website, discussed the prospects of an Interact video contest, a district-wide project, and the need for improved communication. We’d also like to thank District Governor Dr. Rick Bassett for attending the meeting.
The Interact Executive Board has written a summary of Sunday’s meeting. We have included post-meeting updates to information, events, and deadlines. The last page is a list of all upcoming dates and deadlines. Even if you attended the meeting, we suggest you and your Interact or Rotary Club review this document:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hK0HSeQCWrWjtW54rOFwuMRfcb6ddeNrZDQ1WFAV7wM/edit
Below are the links to the handouts distributed at the meeting:
If you did not attend the meeting, this is a good supplement to the items discussed in the meeting summary.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_2b5-Z1-7VLR0YwVXJGSmZVYW8/edit
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M_qRRF_2vpxsTofs6fI3vQ_-497C0ClHrmthweAdEHo/edit
The next ICoP’s Meeting will be Sunday, March 23, 2014, from 12:30pm to 2:30pm at the Homewood Suites in Stratford, Connecticut. Please RSVP to InteractClubsD7980@gmail.com by Friday, March 14, 2014.
If you or your Interact/Rotary Club have any questions, please send them to us at InteractClubsD7980@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you shortly. You can also find the latest information on the new Youth Service website, http://rotaryyouthservices7980.com. Enjoy the snow today!
Sincerely,
—
Rotary District 7980
Interact Student Leadership Team
Kyle Torres – President
Clara Pinchbeck – Vice President
Hunter Senning – Secretary
Erin Koletar – Youth Leadership Chair
Anthony Masi – Communications Chair
Britta McCarthy – Relations Chair
Rakshana Selvarajan – Chalkboard Editor-in Chief
E-mail: interactclubsd7980@gmail.com
Youth Service Website: http://rotaryyouthservices7980.com/
Blog: http://interact7980.tumblr.com/
(Posted by Justin Phillips)