May 2008
European Rotaract Informational Centre
Newsletter Bringing people together!
h t t p : / / w w w. r o t a r a c t e u r o p e . o r g
Issue #3 (8)
REM THESSALONIKI 2008 During REM Thessaloniki 2008 over 250 Rotaractors from more than 25 countries from around the world gathered in Thessaloniki! We celebrated 40 years of Rotaract in the biggest ever Rotaract event held in Greece confirming that Thessaloniki Rotar-acts and Shares with Spirit Culture and Fun! The days of 11 to 13 January were full of Rotaract activity, Greek food and drinks, excursions, dancing and joy!
enjoyed traditional Greek dances by young students from Anatolia College, theatrical musicals by the Kafantari dance school, great food and wine, dancing and partying until very late or better until early in the morning! Sunday was the day we had to part as participants started making their way back home with some having the chance to enjoy bou-
delicacies! Many participants enjoyed their first encounters with the city shopping, sightseeing, following the City Game, while some rested after their long trips to Thessaloniki. The night closed with dinner at a traditional taverna and clubbing until late! Saturday was a full day with the excursion and the gala and meetings for the board and country representatives! We visited the archaeological site of Vergina, the site of the Ancient Greek Royal Macedonian Tombs, where King Philip the Second, father of Alexander the Great, is buried, and all Rotaractors were impressed by the presence of rich history spanning thousands of years! The Gala dinner in the evening was something extraordinary that had not been witnessed before – over 330 Rotaractors with Rotarians, Inner-Wheelers and distinguished guestslike the Consul General of the United States of America in Thessaloniki,
gatsa first! Our next appointment: Rotaract Europe Autumn Meeting Budapest 2008! Good luck Budapest! Special thanks go to our Grand Sponsors Albus Leibadopoulos Bakeries, all the Rotaractors who participated in REM Thessaloniki 2008, all the Rotaract Clubs of the City of Thessaloniki and their members, Grand Hotel Palace, the Greek National Tourism Organisation, the Traditional Dances Group of Anatolia College, the Kafantari Dance School, Dayrise Travel and M.G.K. Web! All of you made it possible for REM Thessaloniki 2008 produce a financial result of 750Euros in fees to be given to Rotaract Europe/E.R.I.C. and over 1700Euros to be given to Charities in Thessaloniki and Greece!
The REM started early with the arrival of certain Rotaractors even a couple of days earlier, but as you can imagine even sooner than that! Organizing and planning began a long, long time ago...Jim had discussed the issue with us and AnnaMaria managed to secure the REM for Greece and Thessaloniki while in Bursa in 2007. After that many months of planning and organizing took place. Stylianos with the Site, International Relations and Communication for the REM, Pepi with the Secretariat assisted by Zoi and Marios, Jim and Christos with Marianna, Christos, Michalis and Alexandros with the Treasury and Public Relations – everyone put a lot of effort into preparing the largest until now Rotaract Europe Meeting! Registration kicked off early Friday with Rotaractors arriving from far away by bus, trains, airplanes and welcomed at the airport with traditional Greek sweets and
On behalf of REM Thessaloniki 2008, Stylianos A. Kelaiditis www.remthessaloniki2008.com
Dear fellow Rotaractors, In Thessaloniki (11th January till 13th January) we held our second REM of the year. Upon arrival in the hotel I was warmly welcomed by the organising comittee and a lot of other Rotaractors I met during the past years., iIt felt like coming home. After some freshening up and a visit to the bar we went into the city to have a local meal in a typical restaurant. We had a lot of fun during dinner and I met also an American and a Canadian girl who were on an exchange programme and are living in the Netherlands. After dinner we went to the local nightclub and had a good time. On Saturday it was quite a busy day for me as a country representative. I attended the meeting together with eight other country representatives and the board. We discussed and voted on several issues (after the presentations of the different countries we voted for Istanbul for the REM in October 2008 and for EUCO 2009 in Istanbul. After the meeting we had lunch and then everybody was invited to attend the workshops about “Motivation – in your club, district, country” and how to divide the ERICfunds. We also discussed how we are going to celebrate our 20th anniversary of ERIC. The representatives, other attendants to the workshop and board took a quick shower and we arrived just in time to attend the Gala. During the Gala we could enjoy the local Greek Dances in various ways. When we finished eating it was time to exchange flags and pins and then we started the party. Thanks again for a great weekend to all Rotaractors from the organising comitte and all the people who were present. Christof Van Dessel Belgium Representative ERIC/ Rotaract Europe
Newsletter European Rotaract Informational Centre REM BUDAPEST 2008 adventures and fun, what else!
Issue #3 (8) May 2008
DISCOVERING GDANSK E.R.I.C. Winter Meeting 2009
Dear board, dear Rotaract friends…bla, bla, bla. Rotaract Club Trojmiasto is pleased to invite all Don’t want to make it too boring. I hope most of you Rotaractors to the E.R.I.C. Winter Meeting 2009 already know what to expect from Budapest and have which will take place in thousand-year-old hanseatic marked your calendars for the beginning of October!:) city of Gdansk !!!
REM Budapest won’t be about the conference only. It will also be about meeting and making friends...thus – to use a buzzword – socializing! So let’s not take it too seriously and concentrate on the adventures waiting for you! On Friday, we plan to take you to the Labyrinth of the Buda Castle, a very unique, 1200 meter long complex of caves and cellars inside the Castle Hill. The sinter-caves date back to the very early days of the history of the Earth and, the ball shaped chambers provided shelter for our ancestors half a million years ago. Later on it also served as an air-raid shelter for 10.000 people and as a wartime hospital. But now it will be the location for a great Rotaract team-building event, with interesting mental and physical challenges. Can’t tell you more now, but I’m sure you will love it! :) Saturday will be about beautiful landmarks, and an old thermal bath (but for the toughest and most privileged ones: conference and workshops! :)) Of course we also hope to see the
sun coming up in the morning on both days, but surely not because we will get up that early! So don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes! Any more questions? If your answer is no, then just wait for the time when applications start and sign up! If it is yes, then ask us and THEN wait for the applications to open! See you soon in Budapest, Ildikó Ignácz, Eszter Németh and Attila Paksi
Rotaract SPAIN
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROTARACT PARTY Forty years ago, on the 13th of March of 1968 in North Carolina a program for young people was created called Rotaract. Its name is a combination of the words “Rotary” and “Action”. The name still conforms with the reality because Rotaracts are the more active members of the Rotary family. Nowadays, there are 165,000 members that belong to 7000 Rotaract clubs in 151 countries.
Rotaracts have provided 40 years of exceptional social service to the community, and because of that the Club Rotaract Abad Oliba Condal with the help of District 2210, organized a big party to commemorate the Fortieth Anniversary of Rotaract in March. The party was a success because all the people who took part enjoyed it and the profit we took from the party we have destined to a social project called Gambasse. We hope that more people join this big family to learn, enjoying and contributing their grain of sand to make this world more fair, being Rotaracts like us. Diana Campo Julia RAC Abad Oliva Condal
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Now you have a chance to discov- the first Independent Trade Union, er this wonderful Baltic city – capital “Solidarity”. of the seaside region of Poland, world Nowadays Gdansk together with capital of amber and hometown of The neighboring towns of Sopot and GdyNoble Peace Prize Winner Lech Wale- nia forms an agglomeration of sosa. In only three days we will take you called Tricity (Trojmiasto). This is also on a fascinating journey through his- a name of our Rotaract Club which tory, cultures and spaces. will celebrate the 10th anniversary in Gdansk has for ages played a ma- the year 2009. We would be honored jor role in the commercial relation- to host this special year you and the ships between Northern and Western other participants of E.R.I.C. Meeting. Europe on the one hand, and the coun- We believe our picturesque home town tries of Central and Eastern Europe on of Gdansk with its fascinating history the other hand. In its “golden age” and multinational heritage is a perfect the city enjoyed the specific status venue for such occasion. of a municipal republic. It was also Sylwia Łapińska a melting pot of cultures and ethnic Vice-president 2007/08 groups. The air of tolerance and the Rotaract Club of Trojmiasto wealth built on trade made culture, science, and art. Today, works by outstanding Gdansk masters can be admired in museums, churches, and galleries. These collections, as well as the historic sites of enchanting beauty witness a thousand years of the city’s continued existence. In 20th century Gdansk was a scenery of events Preliminary program which played an Friday exhibition) important role 14:00 – registration (Workshop for in the European history. The break of guests in hotels, E.R.I.C Representathrough events which are situated tives ) 14.00 – lunch of the most in the heart of the 15.00 – sightseerecent period historical Main Town 20:00 – dinner & ing Gdansk, optional are documented at “Latający amber shopping at in the multi- party media exhibition: Holender” (The Fly- Mariacka Street 18. 30 – free time “Roads to ing Dutchman) in fa20. 40 – departure F r e e d o m ” mous Dluga (Long) to gala dinner arranged in the Street. Saturday 21.00 - gala dinner historic BHP hall 08:30 - 10.00 – at Polish Baltic Philof the Gdansk harmonic Shipyard. The breakfast 11.00 - Sightseeexposition recalls Sunday the local struggle ing Gdansk (incl. The 08:30 – 10.00 for freedom and King’s Route, The and Amber Museum and breakfast justice, 11:00 - Good byes the birth of “Ways to Freedom”
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Newsletter European Rotaract Informational Centre
Issue #3 (8) May 2008 My Rotaract Country
Great Britain & Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Great Britain, is a sovereign state and member state of the European Union, located off the northwestern coast of mainland Europe. The UK has a population of over 60 million, the third largest in the Eu-
ropean Union (behind Germany and France), the fifth largest in the Commonwealth and the twenty-first largest in the world. Ireland is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islets.
The population of the island is slightly over six million (2007), with 4.34 million in the Republic (1.7 million in Greater Dublin) and an estimated 1.75 million in Northern Ireland. Rotaract in GB&I covers the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle
of Man and has a total of 29 Districts spanning two Rotary International zones.
RGBI ROTARACT GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND The RGBI multi-district information oganisation (MDIO) was formed in 1993 and has a Council that consists of all 29 DRRs and an Executive Committee. Our motto is “Rotaract is an opportunity to...” and this expands into the following branding statement: Rotaract is an opportunity to… .....be part of a fun, dynamic and unique International organisation for people aged 18-30, offering a wide range of activities that will enable you to try something new, whilst having a great time and meeting others.
Rotaract Overseas Projects – An RGBI Award Winning Project The Rotaract Overseas Projects is just one way in which Rotaractors from Great Britain & Ireland can help those less fortunate than ourselves abroad.
We may only make up 1% of the Rotaract population but we certainly get around and make a big difference to the organisation throughout the world!
EUCO 2008 LONDON Rotaract in Great Britain & Ireland (RGBI), District 1130 and the EUCO 2008 Committee are proud to welcome over 900
Rotaractors from over 30 different countries world-wide to the largest gathering of international Rotaractors ever! It’s going to be a fun-filled EUCO as we all take on those Bond Villains and save the planet under the theme of “The world is not enough…for Rotaract!! 2008 not only marks the 40th anniversary of Rotaract but also the centenary of 007 novelist Ian Fleming’s birth, so what better place to enjoy our EUCO 2008 theme…it couldn’t be better! We look forward to relaying the adventures of EUCO 2008 in London in the next Rotaract Europe newsletter.
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In 1995 the Rotaract Overseas Project was established as a way for Rotaractors and Rotarians to make a difference in a hands-on, practical way. Since then teams have travelled to Tanzania, Romania, Malawi, Ghana, Bulgaria, Uganda and Benin; in each case doing a similar sort of job: decoration, refurbishment, construction. The team constructs what the local people want - a valuable resource to the community in the form of: - Education (classrooms) - Health (medical/health clinic) - Culture (community centre) The team always employs local craftsmen, labourers and cooks. This provides individuals with work and, more importantly, means that the team is not taking a potential source of employment away from the local population. The team lives as villagers in whatever conditions are available with the addition of their own sleeping bags, mosquito nets, etc The aim of the projects is to promote teamwork and foster good working relationships between Rotarians and Rotaractors by carrying out a worthwhile overseas task satisfying
the Rotary ideal of service above self. For our next project a team will be travelling to The Gambia in West Africa in January/February 2009. Entitled “Go Gambia”, this is going to be a great project. The aim of the project is to improve the daily lives of villagers in these remote villages by improving water supplies and building a washhouse for laundry. Another project aim is to protect and improve existing clinic facilities by building a wall around the clinic and simple toilet facilities in Sambel Kunda. The project will also help the animals by building a watering trough in Misira. Since the inception of the Rotaract Overseas Projects, RGBI have won the Rotary International Outstanding Projects Awards three times, most recetly in 2006 for our last project in Benin, West Africa. Visit www.rotaract.org.uk/rop for more information.
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Newsletter
Issue #3 (8) May 2008
European Rotaract Informational Centre Rotaract AZERBAIJAN
ROTARACT ANNIVERSARY
04 - 06 April 2008
On March, 2008 all Rotaractors in the world embraced the World Rotaract Week and celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Rotaract. To celebrate this milestone, Rotaract Club of Baku International and Rotaract Club of Baku, RI District 2430, organized a joint Reception on March 15, 2008 at Baku Entertainment Center and invited all the Rotaractors, Rotarians and Honorable Guests to participate at the Event.
Mr. Lutful Kabir – founding father of Rotaract Club of Baku and Dr. Rajani D’Mello- founding mother of Rotaract Club of Baku International also attended the Reception and briefed on the background of both clubs. Afterwards, founding and current Presidents of both Rotaract Clubs congratulated all the Rotaractors on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of Rotaract worldwide and spoke about upcoming new projects and plans. During the Event both Clubs demonstrated their past projects, played short films dedicated to a little over the year of existence of Rotaract Club of Baku International. At the happy moments Ms. Narmina Azizova, the President of Rotaract
DISTRICT 1911 CONFERENCE
Club of Baku International officially welcomed the acceptance of the two new members to the Club. Rotaract Club of Baku announced a happy moment for Tarana Bunyatova who has been appointed as DRR assistant for 08-09 term. To celebrate this momentous occasion in extraordinary way and to show the unity between both Rotaract and Rotary Clubs, the members performed Yalli- National Dance of Azerbaijan. At the culminating moment of the event a big Birthday cake was cut in the honor of 40th Birthday of Rotaract in the World. From left to right: Rotaract Club of Baku members, Ayla Alasgarova and Elchin Rzayev, Tarana Bunyatova, 2007-08 President of Rotaract Club of Baku and Narmina Azizova, 2007-08 President of Rotaract Club of Baku International. Rotary Club of Baku, Rotary Club of Baku International, Rotaract Club of Baku and Rotaract Club of Baku International members, past members and friends.
After a quite busy day and a not so great flight I arrived at Budapest airport around 19u30 in the evening where Ildikó Ignácz was waiting for me. We immediately went for a welcome drink. The Havana club is situated in the heart of Budapest city and this is on the Pest side of the river Danube. Hungry after a busy day, we ordered, Attila and me, spicy spaghetti and we ate this together - the Rotaract spirit was already among us. Around 10u30 pm we went to the Rudas Spa, a thermal bath built by the Turks around 1560. The place was renovated a few years ago and it is really an amazing experience, different baths with different temperatures, sauna and steam bath. Those of you attending the Rem in Budapest in October will be able to experience it as well. After a short night and a quick breakfast we headed for the conference and the workshops. Different clubs of the district presented their projects, the district governor had a small speech and of course there were some workshops. I attended the one concerning international Rotaract contacts. Robert made a perfect workshop and he took us on a trip around the Rotaract world. After this tiring day we headed back home to change and returned to the Pest side of Budapest where we had the gala night. Zoly, the main organizer, welcomed us in the beautiful casino Lido. Here we had the chance to talk about our tiring day with all the others. After a glass of welcome and the customary speeches we enjoyed a great
Yours in rotaract, Benoit Klinkers ERIC President 2007-2008
Minai Massimova Rep for AZERBAIJAN ERIC Newsletter Issue #3 (8), May 2008 MDIO European Rotaract Informational Centre www.rotaracteurope.org
Editor-in-chief Julia Kurbaka Marketing&Communication Officer, Rotaract Club Kyiv-Centre, D 2230, Ukraine Julia_kurbaka@yahoo.com
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gala dinner. In the private room of the casino, they reserved a dance floor and two play tables for us, so everybody could enjoy playing the famous Texas hold’em Poker game until early in the morning. Sunday morning, 09u30 we were already in the centre of the city because we had some 60 children waiting for us. Yes, today is kid’s day of district 1911 and we will entertain these orphans during the whole day. First we went to a technology museum where the kids enjoyed themselves for three hours. Lunchtime with pizza and Coke, and the afternoon movie IMAX 3D. Today was really one big party for these children and we experienced one more time the true spirit of Rotaract. Monday morning back to the airport and return to Belgium. Dear friends, thank you very much for the great weekend, for your great hospitality and efforts to give these children a day they will never forget.
Technical editor Andrij Eremenko Rotaract Club Kyiv-Centre, D 2230, Ukraine obshaga@ukr.net
Literal correction Thomas Krepitch East Valley Rotaract, D 5510, USA tkrepitch@cox.net
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