June 2002
E U RO P E A N RO TA R A C T I N F O R M AT I O N C E N T R E
E.R.I.C. Newsletter Editorial Dear Rotaractors, dear Friends, Welcome to the Barcelona Convention Special Edition of the ERIC Newsletter!
E.R.I.C. COMMITTEE President Matthias BOERNER (Germany) president@rotaract-eric.org *** Information & Communication Manager Paolo OGNO (Italy) iandc@rotaract-eric.org *** Treasury Division Manager Georges HILBERT (Luxembourg) treasury@rotaract-eric.org *** IT-Administration Bogdan BALAJ (Romania) it-administration@rotaract-eric.org *** Directory Division Manager Lukasz GROCHOWSKI (Poland) directory@rotaract-eric.org *** ERIC Project Manager DVDBank Mehmet ONARCAN (Turkey) dvdbank@rotaract-eric.org *** Marketing Manager Nicola USAI (Italy) marketing@rotaract-eric.org
ERIC??? Do you still wonder who ERIC is? Well, if your first guess is that it might be the founder of the oldest Rotarct Club in whose honour a newsletter is published you should definitely go on reading! If you have already heard that E.R.I.C. is the abbreviation of the European Rotaract Information Centre but still ask yourself what this mysterious Centre can do for you or your Rotaract Club you should go on reading as well! And if you, finally, already belong to the growing group of Rotaractors who regularily use E.R.I.C. with its various services as their international communication platform that keeps them informed about what is going on in Europe, provides regular opportunities to meet Rotaractors from different countries to exchange ideas and to build international friendship during the day and to party with your new friends throughout the night and that gives you ideas and help with organizing international service projects, then you will especially enjoy reading this newsletter! On the following pages you will first find out how you can use the services E.R.I.C. offers to improve your club-life and how to benefit from the opportunities Rotaract provides as an international organization. Afterwards we have a selection of articles from the previous twelve editions of the E.R.I.C. Newsletter compiled. They will give you an idea of what has been going on in Rotaract Europe throughout the year and might bring back sweet memories to those of you who participated in the activities described… If you now want to find out more about E.R.I.C. I invite to have a look at our website:
www.rotaract-eric.org There you will find not only all information on our services and the complete editions of all published newsletters but also a regularly updated event calender that shows you what is going on in Rotaract Europe. Enjoy reading this Newsletter! With best wishes to you all and greetings from Rotaract Europe,
Matthias Börner E.R.I.C. President P.S. I don’t need to mention that Rotaractors from all over the world are welcome to benefit from the comprehensive communication network E.R.I.C. offers, do I?
www.rotaract-eric.org
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General Presentation European Rotaract Information Centre ERIC was created in 1988 to meet a general demand for international contacts and activities. The aim of ERIC is to promote the flow of information in all European Districts and to foster Rotaract friendship and service. ERIC is a Rotaract Multi-District Information Organisation officially approved by Rotary International.
ERIC Services The European Rotaract Convention Each year, a European District hosts the European Convention (EUCO). The ERIC Committee of Representatives works closely with the European Convention host committee to ensure that the activities and price correspond to the expectations of European Rotaractors. ERIC organises workshops and meetings during the Convention to exchange ideas and discuss major Rotaract issues. Host cities of recent EUCOs were e.g. Antalya, Copenhagen, Poznan and Frankfurt. Home Hospitality ERIC actively promotes the Rotaract Home Hospitality Programme. Participants offer bed and breakfast to visiting Rotaractors, and can enjoy the same welcome when they travel. Assistance in the Development of Rotaract Over the last few years, ERIC has played an active role in promoting contacts with new Rotaract clubs in Eastern Europe and in centralising information exchange. ERIC also plays a role in promoting the Rotaract programme and the relationship with Rotary International through ERIC officers and the European Rotaractor(s) on the RI Rotaract Committee who are automatically advisory members of the ERIC Committee. Your Free Online Services at www.rotaract-eric.org All ERIC services, including the Newsletter, Calendar and Directory, are now provided exclusively online free of charge. - ERIC Newsletter: Articles, Graphics and photos are posted on the ERIC website in a user-friendly database form. After editing the newsletter and event calendar are forwarded once a month to all ERIC mailing list subscribers. - Online Intranet Directory: The addresses of Rotaract Clubs throughout Europe can be consulted in the passwordprotected directory section in the ERIC Intranet - Event Calendar: All Rotaract & Rotary events are displayed in the ERIC database calendar, with the possibility of adding weblinks about the event. - News Section: Brief, constantly updated articles on current Rotaract and Rotary news in Europe. - ERIC Information: Additional information on ERIC services and officers, introduction to Rotaract and Rotary, links to Rotaract and Rotary web-pages.
Serving 2000: ERIC Donations and Volunteers Database - a social project for clubs throughout Europe. - ERIC Chatroom - European Rotaract Mailing List: The ERIC mailing list is a forum for discussion on all subjects concerning Rotaract in Europe. To send a message to the list, use the address list@rotaract-eric.org. To subscribe, visit the Information section of the ERIC website. The ERIC online newsletter is also distributed via the mailing list. - ERIC E-mail Mappings: All ERIC divisions can be reached at the mapping: divisionname@rotaract-eric.org (e.g. president@rotaract-eric.org, iandc@rotaract-eric.org). -
Country representatives can be reached at: countryname@rotaract-eric.org (e.g. france@rotaract-eric.org, spain@rotaract-eric.org). To reach all ERIC officers: all@rotaract-eric.org
ERIC Structure ERIC is staffed by Rotaract volunteers who work actively to serve clubs and districts throughout Europe. Each European country has a representative on the ERIC Committee of Representatives, who represents the districts of that country. The ERIC Committee of Representatives meets at least twice a year to evaluate and supervise ERIC services. Each year, the ERIC Committee of Representatives elects the ERIC President, who in turn appoints the Members of the ERIC Executive Committee with the approval of the Representatives. This Executive Committee ensures the day-to-day running of ERIC thanks to its Information and Communication, Information Technology, Treasury, Marketing, Directory and Social Project Divisions.
Services provided with the support of the European Community budget line “Support for international non govrnamental youth organizations�. The opinions expressed by the organization do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Commission, nor does it involve any responsibility on its part.
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Best European Service Project The European Rotaract Information Centre
organizes the Best European Service Project Contest Every European Rotaract Club / District is welcome and encouraged to submit its “Best Service Project”. In order to announce your participation at the Contest all you have to do is to fill in the Application Form and to send it to bestproject@rotaracteric.org th by the 15 of September 2002 ! You can find the application form/terms and conditions at www.rotaract-eric.org The First Price for the Best European Service Project will be the free participation at the EUCO 2003 in Amsterdam for one member of the winning team. The winning team will also have to present its project at the European Rotaract Convention in Amsterdam – spring 2003
All submitted projects will get the opportunity to being published on the E.R.I.C website and will have the chance of being published in the European Rotaract Newsletter. A special attention will be given to international projects! The Objectives of the Contest are: Create greater awareness for the diversity of service projects planned and carried out by European Rotaract Clubs / Districts throughout the year Provide Rotaract Clubs / Districts with ideas for possible projects Share experiences gained during the organization of service projects Encourage discussion and communication between individual Rotaractors, Clubs and Districts on a national and international level.
E.R.I.C. Meeting in Transylvania 6-8 September 2002 COME to the heart of Transylvania !!
Cluj-Napoca A city habited since ancient ages (paleolithic) - a Dacian village and then a Roman "municipium" - in the valley of the Somes river. Saxons (Germans) settled here in 1178 and dominated the city until the 16th century In later centuries, the city was the seat of government for Transylvania as crownland of Austria and as a province of Austria-Hungary
In 1918 it became a Romanian city when Transylvania united with Romania. Its name comes from the latin word "clus" "clusus" - closed, because there are hills all around it … A mixture of culDiscover history, legends and people !! For more info about the city: http://www.arxia.com/ florian/cluj/ For more info about the Program – read the next ERIC Newsletter.
tures
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Club Master : Making club-life easier This function does not longer exist in the current Rotaract Handbook yet most of older clubs still retain the position of Club Master also known as Master of Ceremony on the Board of Officers. The name equally proud and vague, especially for Rotaractors that are sceptic about Rotary "glitters and titles". To make things clear it is necessary to say that duties of Club Master are more of a servant than in case of any other club officer. Although the understanding of role of Club Master could differ from club to club the main point
is that this person takes care of the "soft" aspects of club-life. During official meetings Club Master may arrange all settings (and keep track of incoming speakers ahead of time), welcome guests, make candidates and new members feel comfortable, supervise the timing and smooth flow of the sitting. To some extend his/her function is somewhat like a permanent sergeant at arms. Beyond the official duties Club
Master can be an animator of social contacts in the club - may propose/ arrange leisure activities of different nature and may keep in touch with "disappearing" Rotaractors. It is important that we all feel part of the group (on the large scale as one huge organisation and on the local scale as bunch of club members) and in most clubs it is difficult to keep the spirit and atmosphere. So he/she could also be a reference person of all candidates who may (and usually do) have a lot of questions concerning Rotary and Rotaract and at the beginning may feel lost among Rotaract "artefacts". Club Master
being member of the Board can influence the retention and development of the membership which has been a nuisance in Rotaract around the world. Of course, some clubs do without Club Master charging with the described duties other officers, however it could be more handy to have one person responsible for making club-life nicer. Lukasz Grochowski ERIC Directory Division Manager
Communication : an essential part of Rotaract The last weekend of September, members from nearly all the clubs in Sweden gathered for the annual national meeting which Malmö Rotaract club hosted. The theme this year was communication, something we believe is crucial for our clubs in Sweden. To communicate and share thoughts and ideas amongst us. Despite that, we have often put this aside in our struggle to get our own club running. We spoke nearly the whole day about communication, in terms of how we can take advantage of each
other´s experiences when it comes to recruiting new members and promote Rotaract in Sweden. The workgroups came up with many new ideas and it all led to an action program on how to collaborate in a better way. One really good way is through Internet. Our plan contains a better site, a site with information on members, clubs, flyers, and other necessities. We all agreed to make Rotaract more visible in our community, a way to recruit new members but also to make the public aware of Rotaract. Our national project, that has been running for some years now, is one way of spreading the words of Rotaract and to be seen in our community. The Rotaract clubs get the opportunity to do some fundraising in a shopping mall or depart-
ment store in their city, the weekend before Christmas. The shop provides us with wrapping paper, ribbon, tape, scissors and a table. We offer our assistance to stressed Christmas shoppers to help them wrap their Christmas presents. They might even get a rhyme on their parcel and some years we have been serving hot ´glögg´, tradition during Swedish Christmas. Those who wish can give a small contribution to help raise money to BRIS, ´Barnens Rätt I Samhället´ (translation, ´Children´s Right In the Society´). Among other things BRIS have established a help line for children in Sweden, where they can talk to an adult whenever they feel the need of it. To help and to have lots of fun together at the same time, the essence of
Rotaract. There are so many ways to communicate and spread our ideas. But maybe the most effective way is the nonverbal communication. One of the days in Malmö ended with a lesson of Salsa. And we danced Salsa indeed! Fifty happy Rotaractors in Sweden danced the night away, to the rhythms of Salsa, confidant in what Rotaract in Sweden can perform. Anna Grahm Country Representative of Sweden
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A Christmas Carol It has been a wonderful event. A moment full of joy and happiness. For everybody. For all children, as they had many gifts. And for us, as we had their love. We have moved to Varnita in the morning, with all the bags filled with gifts the night before. For this event, our Rotaractors had bought 150 books, copy-books and candys for the children. Last week they had looked in the shops for those books telling tales suitable for children. And they had tried to buy different types of books and copy-books, according to the different ages of the children. Our President Ayla bought a wonderful Christmas tree.
begin was supposed to be 11:00, but when we had reached Varnita at 10:00 many children had already come. Then we have started preparing the Christmas tree and the fellows of the Rotaract Bucharest Universitate have joint us carrying other gifts for the children.
10 to 13 years old. After them, the ones from 6 to 10 years old started singing: …try to imagine 50 children on the stage! They sang and they played some poems. Last has been a group of children acting a small representation.
Then we let the party start. Or I should say "they" let it start, as the children, dressed with the popular romanian costumes have started singing the Christmas carols. This group was made up of children from
It has really been a wonderful event! We did not expect the children to make all these preparations and to organize such a "professional" show (thank also to the work of all the teachers and the s c h o o l D i r e c t o r ) . In the hall the temperature was very low at the beginning, but the children have made the atmosphere warmer thanks to the enthusiasm and to the energy coming from their little hearth. After the show, the moment has come to distribute the gifts among them. We have then given the Christmas tree to three sisters aged 9, 12 and 13 years and belonging to the poorest family in the village. In their family they are 4 sisters, the eldest of them being 14-15 years old and no more attending school.
We have made a division of the gifts according to the age of the children: books to be coloured for the ones aged 7 to 8 years, copy-books for the ones aged 9 to 12 and bigger copy-books for the ones aged 13 to 14. The official time for the party to
And their father is dead. They live with their mother in a house given to them as a present from a old woman of their village. And they are really poor. When we revealed our intention to give the Christmas tree to them, they remained speechless for a while. Then they thanked us with a feeble voice and got completely speechless for fifteen minutes. They could not believe to have, maybe for the first time in their life, their own adorned Christmas tree. Dear Rotaractors from District 2100, the children wait for you during next Easter´s holidays in Varnita. To thank you. In a warm way. And we wait for you too. Eleonora Popescu Rotaract Bucharest
About the French Rotaract & Interact Convention
More than 250 young people and Rotarians converged on the city of Reims, France, on 19-21 October for the 32nd annual Rotaract and Interact France Convention. Organized by the Multidistrict Information Organization of France and the Rotaract clubs of Reims, this year´s meeting focused on communication as a tool for increasing the number of Rotaractors.
Rotary International President Richard D. King was represented by Past RI Director Jacques Berthet, chairman of the RI European Affairs Committee and member of the Barcelona Convention Committee. "It is Rotaractors´ destiny to become Rotarians," he said in a keynote address. "Rotaract is the future of Rotary. A recent study shows that in France in 2000-01, almost 40 percent of Rotaractors who left Rotaract joined a Rotary club. At the plenary session, Hervé Piglowski (Rotaract Club of Montpellier), manager of the Rotaract France Communication & Information Division, presented the new Rotaract France Web site (www. rotaract.org/france) as a public relations resource for Rotaract clubs and districts. Many clubs also displayed their public relations projects at an open forum session. The Rotaract Club of Nantes Cité des Ducs, District 1510, with the help of local Rotary clubs, published a colorful pocket-size bro-
chure carrying information about Rotaract, club projects, and a contact address for prospective Rotaractors. The Rotaract Club of Lyon International, France, used the city subway as an advertising medium to promote the Rotaract national service project for children at risk. Claudius Schwittay, national chairman of the Rotaract Multidistrict Information Organization of Germany, discussed techniques Rotaract in Germany uses to get information published in local newspapers. Anne-Cécile Six, chairman of Rotaract France National Social Project, made a presentation on the 2000-01 project "Fay Jay-FIRE OF THE HEART in support of the Fay Jay association, which runs a center
in Pattaya, Thailand, for the rehabilitation and care of children affected by prostitution. At a convention gala dinner, the France Rotaract Communication Awards were presented to winning clubs and districts in RI Zone 11. Patrick Poivre d´Arvor, host and producer of National Evening News on TF1 Channel (the most watched TV news in France), was guest of honor at the event. Marie-Clementine Dervaux of the Rotaract Club of La Défense Esplanade, succeeded Cyril Noirtin as Rotaract International Representative for RI Zone 11. Noirtin will be the charter president of the new Rotary Club of Paris Agora, a New Models Rotary club. Cyril NOIRTIN Past Rotaract France MDIO President
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RGBI celebrates successful new start After the slow d ec lin e in membership experienced over the p a s t decade Rotaractors in Great Britain and Ireland have built on the foundations laid last year and are once again growing in numbers. Although the growth is not dramatic it is none-the-less pleasing to say that the past few months have seen an unprecedented number of new Rotaract clubs being formed. We hope that this growth is not a flash in the pan, last minute gasp, to improve the 2001-2002 performance but a result of the hard work many people have put in over the year to raise the awareness of Rota-
ract in the UK. Under the determined leadership of Mike Foster (the current Rotaract in Great Britain and Ireland Chairman) Rotaract in Britain and Ireland has continued to receive fantastic publicity both within Rotary and wider-a-field. Mike has pushed for Rotaractors to join in with community projects planned by other organisations (such as the Scouts) and this has meant that Rotaract now has a much higher local profile than ever before. A report written by Mike and the members of the RGBI Executive was presented to Rotary detailing a proposed Emergency
Rescue Plan for Rotaract. This report was well received and it is hoped that 2002-2003 will see continuing involvement and co-operation between Rotaract and Rotary. As is customary at this time of year Rotaractors have been voting to elect next years Club Presidents, District Chairman and RGBI executive. Rotaract in Great Britain and Ireland is pleased to announce that the RGBI Chairman for 2002-2003 is Victoria (Vicky) Wood. Vicky has worked closely with Mike over the past year and firmly believes that "Rotaract is an opportunity….". Vicky has been a Rotaractor for over 7 years serving as a Club President and District Chairman for District 1070 before moving to District 1090 last year. The following Rotaractors have been elected to serve on the RGBI Executive: Darren Hands - Treasurer
Jason Stoyel – Publicity During 20022003 as well as increas i n g membership Rotaractors from all over Britain and Ireland will be encouraged to raise money for PolioPlus - "The Final Push" in November - and to help their local Rotary clubs during April as Rotary tackles the growing occurrence of Strokes by setting up free blood pressure monitoring stations. Jason Stoyel ERIC Representative for Great Britain and Ireland jason@stoyel.co.uk
The Groceria Giovani WHAT? It is an old tradition for the District 2030 to organize every year the "Crociera Giovani", a 10-11 days roundtrip in the northwestern regions of Italy for foreign Rotaractors. 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 email 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!!!".
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ERIC on tour! European Rotaract Friendship! Sunday, 10th February 2002 : 45 Rotaractors from 14 nationalities returned home by plane, train or car : some were very exhausted, some were relaxed, some of them still had a hard afternoon cleaning a 17th-century fort, some still had a slight hangover, some could have done with a one-week holiday to recover, some were quite happy that it all went well, many had forged new contacts with Rotaractors from around Europe, quite a few had been for the first time ever in this coun-
try, … and all of them had been together at one and the same event : the ERIC committee meeting and International Weekend in Luxembourg ! It was an interesting and exciting weekend : full of fun, joy, and ... some minor surprises! That's what makes such a weekend so interesting for the organizers as well: a flat tire, a time management problem during Saturday lunch, a guided city-tour drowned by rain showers ... but overall we all remember happy faces on Saturday at the disco-party, a large attendance from all over Eastern, Western Eur ope, South America, and from across the channel :-) , and a very good atmosphere !
ERIC Representatives
After arrival on Friday evening and a nice dinner, all participants were facing the first
challenge : the ROTAPOLY ! ... Never heard about Rotapoly ? well it’s kind of a Monopoly, but happens in Luxembourg. You cannot buy streets or hotels, but are invited to look for pubs, spend a few good moments there, have a drink, and get the bar’s stamp on the Rotapoly board. This earns you points, and together with a tough questionnaire about Luxembourg and the EU, 3 teams were finally honoured as the winners, and received WIL 2002 Tshirts, drinks and recognition by all of us ! Participants were not only there for fun, the ERIC committee members came along well prepared and all set through the 6-hour meeting session, discussing points like promoting ERIC better, improving the directory content, making the web site more efficient, discussing the Barcelona convention, and welcoming new keen Rotaractors who want to help out on these tasks !
Saturday n i g h t arrived, and this gave an opp ortunity to change from serious ERIC meetings, or the historical content of the professionally guided tours : dinner and a disco party were held in the recently renovated 17th-century fort ‘3-Eechelen’, and all this under the theme of CARNIVAL ! A unique location for a private dinner-party, and luckily no people living in the vicinity, as the stoned walls of the fort radiated the disco sound over quite a distance. … mmh considering also that this was the first disco
Rotaract Club of Luxembourg ever held there !
Italy’s Rotaract Clubs 4 Children 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
From the 25th to the 28th of april the italian Rotaract Clubs met in Milan for their annual national convention. Over 500 rotaractors from all the ten italian districts celebrated the success of the annual national service project called "Rotaract 4 children", whose goal was to fundraise in favour of an italian foundation named "Fondazione Bambini in emergenza" which operates in Romania assisting and nursing orphans affected by HIV. On that occasion the founder and president fo the foundation, Mr Mino D'Amato, a very famous italian TV journalist who has devoted his life to helping the HIV positive romanian children, spoke to the rotaractors about his experience during a very emotioning and touching plenary session. That was also the moment when the DRRs officially gave the Foundation the funds raised by tens and tens of activities carried out by the
clubs during all the year: over € 70.000,00, also thanks to help of the Rotary districts. With those funds the foundation will finance the complete renovation and fully furnishing of another house in Singureni (not far from Bucharest) able to host 30 children, whose name will be "Casa Rotaract" and which will be visited by a delegation of italian rotaractors next year.
Valentina Dell-Acqua Italy ERIC Representative
Some of the guests apparently got lost when going downstairs to the toilets. One of the 3 ‘casemates’ galleries led to the ‘trendy’ toilets, the other 2 underground tunnels carved into rock ended in darkness after some 100-200 meters. We all had fun, and the dance floor was just crowded from 11:00pm until 3:00am ! Did you say Rotary IN ACTION ? Yes, indeed ! We did not spend Sunday in underground galleries and tunnels, but with a visit of the wine cellars and winery of Vinsmoselle. Now we are all experts in making white wine from selected grapes, blending according to Méthode Champenoise, bottling, and storing the bottles for one year until corking and selling. Out of the Rotaract world, back home on Sunday night, we are all looking forward to the next international events, among others the Barcelona Convention, and the next ERIC meeting on 7th September in Romania ! Georges Hilbert ERIC Treasurer Founding President, Rotaract Club Luxembourg Luxembourg@rotaract-eric.org
E.R.I.C. Newsletter
June 2002, Special Edition for Barcelona
Page 8 Dear Readers, You will have noticed that I often talke about the regular service we are offering. Even though it is true that most ERIC officers enjoyed their – sometimes rather long – summer break, we haven’t been lazy all time since the wonderful European Convention in Antalya. In fact the first European Rotaract Project organised by Peter Quantrell, former ERIC Representative of Great Britain and Ireland, together with the Rotaract Club of Sofia / Bulgaria and a multinational team of volunteers was carried out in August, and in September Rotaractors from 12 European countries met in Sofia on the occasion of the first ERIC Meeting of the year. In addition our normal web-based services have been running all time. You wonder what these services are? There are two ways to find out: 1.) You explore our website at www.rotaract-eric. org. The first one who sends me an email with the correct list of all services ERIC provides will receive a bottle of Champaign at the RI
On a cool Saturday morning in March a small international group of five brave Rotaractors met their native guides to conquer the rough Middle European Mountains in the area with the awsome name of " A x a m e r L i z u m " .
World Convention if he or she attends (present and past ERIC officers are of course excluded!!!). 2.) You wait patiently and keep on reading the monthly editions of the ERIC Newsletter in which you will regularly find information about ERIC. Still, I am often confronted with the question: ”Why the hell do we need a European or an international MDIO?” I have to warn everybody never ever to ask me this question again or you risk to be forced to listen to a two hours lecture! Don’t worry, I am not going to give this lecture now. But I would like to show you one very basic reason. A few weeks ago, in September, the world was shocked with horror. Many felt as if they had seen the face of pure evil - the worst nightmares seemed to have come true. The horrible attacks on innocent people caused even more violence and more suffering. It is not up to me to judge what happened or what is happening now. Everyone can and should form his own opinion. But what is the message of this terrible tragedy that changed the world? We, especially those of us in the so called “Western World who had been spoiled with freedom and constant economic growth in a globalising world after the end of the cold
truly internationally mixed with participants from Austria, Germany, Italy and the United States. We soon noticed that our skiing skills leveled, and under the guidance of our Austrian hosts who showed us the area we managed to "fly" down the former "Womens Olympic Down Hill Slope" in a near olympic time. As the sun was shining in the absolutely blue sky (I am sure Innsbruck Rotaractors had organized the weather as well), some of the group got slowly reminded of the cocktails and the little sleep they had the night before, so we interrupted the skiing and went for a long break on the top of the hill for sun-bathing and to admire the spectacular view of the white mountains that laid in front of us. Because the Presidential Conference started in the afternoon I had to leave the mountains rather early. I have to admit that I really regretted having to go to a Rotaract Conference…
ON
All right, before this story gets too pathetic I better stick to the truth. In fact it was a brilliant day for skiing when Rotaractors from different countries met in Innsbruck (Austria) for the Charter Celebrations of the Innsbruck Club, the joint Presidential Conference of the Districts 1910 and 1920 and - of course - to have fun together. So, on the above mentioned bright Saturday morning in March we set off for an international skiing experience. The group was rather small but
war, suddenly have to realise that our earth is not yet such a nice place after all and that we have neglected and almost forgotten a big part of this world with millions of people for years. It is certainly useless to ask for the reasons of fanaticism but we should look at the reasons for the hatred amongst people which is the foundation and support of fanaticism. One of the most fundamental reasons is certainly the lack of knowledge and understanding which leads to prejudice, mistrust and eventually to hatred. One way out of this vicious circle is to start to communicate with each other and to be open to learn from each other. People who talk with each other, who meet, who work together, who have a common goal will eventually begin to understand each other even if they have different backgrounds, different interests and worship a different God . We, as Rotaractors, belong to an international organisation and share a common vision. We have the chance to talk with people from all over the world, we can learn from each other, we can work together and follow common objectives and, as a result, can build friendship and have a lot of fun together. But how do we use this unique chance? I know, there already have been successful inter-
national projects and some Rotaractors regularly meet at international conventions. But how efficient are we? Do we really use the huge potential we have? This is where ERIC and other international MDIO’s can help. We organise international events (like the annual EUCO or the regular ERIC-Meetings) where Rotaractors can meet. We provide a regular flow of information between countries and offer a platform for communication amongst Rotaractors. Furthermore we possess a network of experienced Rotaractors who are happy to assist clubs in organising international projects, finding twin clubs or simply getting contact information. Don’t misunderstand me: I know that we can not heal the world at once – it takes a lot more to do it. And if we are now all looking at the Middle East we should not forget that this is not even half the picture. The same kind of hatred, envy and misunderstanding has been around for years and in most parts of the world. We don’t have to look too far away: Israel and Palestine, Spain, Ireland, Turkey, Germany and many other countries – examples can be found almost everywhere. In the same way we must not forget the injustice and inequality the international community still faces.
one in the meeting wearing skiing boots, but mainly because of the unique constellation of the two districts meeting there. While one half of Austria belongs to the District 1920 the other half is part of the multinational District 1910 together with Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia. As always, a multicultural structure like this offers plenty of opportunities but it also bears a bigger potential for conflicts. I found it alomost amusing to see that Rotaractors of these two multinational Districts were discussing similar problems with the same arguments as we have been disussing in ERIC for years! Apparently also in the Rotaract World (as in the "real" world) we are not free from the tendency of thinking about our own countries first instead of thinking about what is the best for all of us together.
In the same way a sensible solution was found to the problem who is going to represent which country internationally in the European Rotaract Information Centre (ERIC). Normally there is one representative who represents the districts of his/her country. Here we have the situation that there are only two districts with five different countries with different characteristics and needs. The compromise found after some discussion will enable the countries a fair representation in ERIC and an efficient work. Ulf Müller from Innsbruck will be the representative for the District 1920 and the Austrian part of the District 1910 while Ivana Bedenikovic from Croatia will represent the former "Countries in Transition" Croatia, Hungary and Slovenia. Knowing both of them I am sure they will do a good job for their countries as well as for the MultiDistrict 1910 / 1920!
However, I was impressed how well the Rotaractors from these two Districts dealt with their problems. After some disussions they came up with solutions they could all agree on.
Even though I couldn´t stay for the Charter Party later that night I was told by reliable sources that I had missed a great event…
Even if Matthias BOERNER ERIC President
E G D E E H T
But afterwards I was quite happy having been there because it turned out to be rather interesting. Interesting it was not only because I was the only
Matthias BOERNER ERIC President