ISSUE 27 - APRIL 2002 - Table Of Contents
In this issue you will find: • • • • •
Calendar A Word from the Editor "Fresh Blood" Solidarity Toulouse The "Crociera Giovani" in the District 2030
Calendar
April 2002 30. - 5. Handicamp: Action and Integration - Project "Oasis of Happiness" 5. ITALY mailto:d2110@rotaract.org
May 2002 1. - 5. ISRM International Sardinian Rotaract Meeting - ITALY mailto:quartu@rotaract.it (Club E-mail) mailto:Massimo.Melis@rotaract.org(Club President) mailto:Nicola.Usai@rotaract.org(Event Promoter)
1. - 5. International RTC Sailing trip - HUNGARY 11.
5 year charter ceremony of Rotaract Club Luxembourg LUXEMBOURG mailto:georges.hilbert@goodyear.com
16. - 3. Rotaract Overseas Project to Malawi to build a accommodation 6. block for nurses mailto:jason@stoyel.co.uk
17. - 19. Polish Rotaract Olimpic Games
Annual sport event of Polish rotaractors organised since 1998. International teams very welcome!
24.
Fashion Gala in Milan - ITALY mailto:grangaladellamoda@tin.it
31. - 2. 8th W.I.P. (Weekend International de Paris) - FRANCE 6. mailto:sander.blokhuis@rotaract.org
June 2002 1. - 3. Rotaract in Great Britain and Ireland Annual conference, held at Southampton mailto:conference@rotaract.org.uk
15.
D1070 ball, Peterborough - GREAT BRITAIN mailto:sarah.thorley@rotaract.org
23. - 26. Rotary International Convention in Barcelona - SPAIN
July 2002 5. - 7. International Weekend on the occasion of RAC Marburg 30th Charter Anniversary - GERMANY mailto:Sascha.Krumme@rotaract.de
August 2002 2. - 4. International Baltic Sea Weekend - GERMANY
September 2002 6. - 8. Transilvania - E.R.I.C. meeting - Rotaract European Weekend ROMANIA mailto:romania@rotaract-eric.org
October 2002 11. - 13. NORDACT2002 - "Sow the Seeds of Love" mailto:sweden@rotaract-eric.org
18. - 20. 33th National Convention Rotaract & Interact of France - FRANCE
April 2003 1.
EUCO 2003 - Rotaractors from The Netherlands will organize for all European members, the European Rotaract Conference 2003 THE NETHERLANDS
A Word from the Editor by Paolo Ogno Dear Rotaractors from all over Europe, after a 10 days´ delay due to some problems occurred to our server, the newsletter is finally back. In this issue you will find three article. The first is written by Dominik Machnacki (RTC Trojmiasto, Poland). I found it interesting, particularly when it says "making up a strong, dynamic and flexible team" in a Club depends on the number of new, motivated members too. The second article, written by Bertrand Salifou (Rtc Toulouse, France) is about "Violets for Toulouse", a project launched from the Rotaract Club of Toulouse in order to help the victims of September 21st. Last article is about the "Rotaract Roundtrip in Piedmont 2002", an Italian trip organized and offered for free from the District 2030 to 10 foreign Rotaractors. I think this has been a great project and I hope this article will be the right incentive to let other rotaractors organize similar youth exchanges. It´s April 25 today, so I will leave home in a couple of minutes to reach Milan, where the Italian National Conference has being held. I´m sure many italian Rotaractors will ask me what ERIC is. And I´m sure I will answer ERIC to be something "international" with a strong positive attitude and with many motivated persons working for it. D´u think I am a good promoter? Eheh.. Yours in Rotaract, Paolo Ogno I&C Division mailto:iand@rotaract-eric.org
"Fresh Blood" by Dominik Machnacki It is even hard to estimate the value of a new member in the Club. The meaning of the word rotaract derives directly from ´rotary´ and hence from ´rotarion´. So it is natural when one withdraws and another comes into her/his Poland place. That let the clubs make progress. Some clubs are about to disappear because they have neglected the process of recruitment. And suddenly it turns up that the majority of current members retires and there is less than a compulsory minimum to officially continue as a club. Another aspect of the recruitment is that "fresh blood" is an excellent remedy for a bad routine and stagnation. Working for a long time with the same people can make your relations a little too ´conservative´. Moreover, the longer and the better you know each other the more lenient you are for laziness. If you are too ´socialistic´, nobody takes care of her/his duties and the club may collapse.
New members motivate older to try to move forward as a group once again. Rotaractors, as everybody, like to be an important element of a rotating machinery. New members always come up with new ideas. That is how the boredom passes away and, as a result, everyone is fixed with new duties and is making up a strong, dynamic and flexible team.
Dominik Machnacki RTC Trojmiasto, Poland
Solidarity Toulouse by Bertrand Salifou
France
In September 21st, the chemical plant - AZF - exploded leaving thousands families without housing. That plant settled down in the suburb of Toulouse at the beginning of the century. Through the years, the city grew and the plant has been surrounded by many houses and flats. This plant is nowadays in
Toulouse. In October 1st, on a special meeting, the Rotaract Club of Toulouse decided to launch a communication project in order to help the victims of September 21st. We also wanted to support the Rotary Solidarity Toulouse Fund. In order to participate, we launched the project called "Violets ..help us to re-build our city.. for Toulouse". You have to know that the flower of Toulouse is the violet. The club worked to make fabric violets as brooches. We prepared and sold thousands violets brooches. People wear them in memory of victims of that huge disaster. At the moment, 2.744,08? have been collected and given to the Rotary Solidarity Toulouse Fund. This amount will help victims to set up their families in new housings. We encourage you to help us to re-build our city in order to forget September 21st. You can contact us to get a package of ready made violets brooches to sell to raise funds. Remember that a such disaster can happen anywhere and anytime. Thanks for participating.
Bertrand SALIFOU Vice-Président Rotaract Club Toulouse Email: mailto:bertrandsalifou@hotmail.com Website: http://www.rotaract.org/violettes-toulouse
The "Crociera Giovani" in the District 2030 by Paolo Ogno W HAT? It is an old tradition for the District 2030 to organize every year the "Crociera Giovani", a 10-11 days roundtrip in the north-western regions of Italy for foreign Rotaractors. Italy The current edition was held since April 12 to April 22. Our 10 foreign guests first arrived in Milan to start their journey from Novara to Arona, Stresa, Casale Monferrato, Rapallo, Genova, San Remo, Alba, Torino and Biella. And then back to Milan again, ready (even if with eyes more than wet) to go back to their home Countries. FEELINGS As now the trip is over and our tears have been dried, we´re all wondering about what our guests really think about our efforts. Here are some of their feelings collected "the day after". Halszka (Rtc Torun, Poland) says: "Ayayayayaaaay! - Oh oh oh - I miss you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". The point of view of Jan "Mr Fivesome" (Rtc Copenhagen S., Denmark) is even more clear: "Miss you all." Milica (Rtc Novi Sad, Yugoslavia) has an additional feeling towards our Country too: I miss you all, and I miss Italy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". Ansin (Rtc Bornova, Turkey) has a strange feeling after she´s back to her everyday life: "So now I´m home but I feel so weird! I miss u all already." Julia (Rtc Bucharest, Romania) wants to say something meaningful, but due to our wonderful italian wine..: "I miss you all. No one is singing rasa saya(?) any more or is saying why? I don´t know. Abdel!!! No more smiling lions(?) or polipone(?). Back to the boring life.". Jasmin (Rtc Kuala Lampur) just adds: "Anyway, to the Italian figis(!) and gnochas(!), thank you very much. I so enjoyed myself." And Theresa (Rtc Kuala Lampur, Malaysia) wants to thank our clothing industry as well: "Thank you for having us in your country and showing us some of the best Italian hospitality I ever experienced. I really enjoyed my trip very much. I managed to buy myself some cloths and two pairs of Italian made shoes." Last but not least I want to thank Ozge (Rtc Konak, Turkey) for this sincere and positive evaluation for our job: "I was too much excited when I first received your e-mail informing us about the trip in Piedmont. even my neighbour heard my shout! This trip meant a lot for me because it was a wonderful occasion to practice Italian, to meet people from all around the world and of course to know better our Italian friends. From the beginning till the end, everything was exactly as I have imagined before. I really don´t know how I can thank you for all of these things that you made come true. You did a good job and I appreciate it a lot!!!". SPECIAL THANKS TO THE DISTRICT 2030 Now that the project has been completed, my special thanks are for Massimiliano Aggio (International Action - District 2030), Massimo Cenci (D.R.R. - District 2030), Massimo Accornero (Incoming D.R.R. - DIstrict 2030) and all the Presidents in the District 2030. Not only they´ve made this great event possible, but they´ve also done
everything they could to make our beloved District 2030 more "international". And this is the reason why I feel now I can say it has been a real "privilege" working them. Yours in Rotaract, Paolo Ogno Italian "interim" Representative mailto:iandc@rotaract-eric.org
This service was brought to you by E.R.I.C., the European Rotaract Information Center. Please visit our website at http://www.rotaract-eric.org and especially the webpage about our sponsors at http://www.rotaract-eric.org/sponsors. Service provided with the support of the European Community budget line "Support for international non-governmental youth organisations". Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the organisation do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Commission, nor does it involve any responsibility on its part.