Organizing for a GSE Exchange

The decision to exchange GSE teams between districts must be ratified by Rotary International which often makes modifications to the original plan and/or suggests alternative pairings.  Once an exchange is approved, the work begins at both ends of the project.  Both Districts must organize a committee which will see to the recruitment and preparation of their team, and to the hosting and care for the team they will receive.

For the Capital Region District (7190) this process began in the late Winter of 2009 when Ellen Schaeffer of the Shenendehowa Rotary Club was named chair of the GSE committee .  Appointed to that committee were other senior leaders of the District Rotary who had experience with previous GSE encounters. This group included John Eaton, the sitting District Governor, Past District Governors Harriet Noble and Anne Cargile, District Governor elect Dan Stec, District Governor Nominee Bill Nathan and several others. 

In the Spring a notice was sent out to district Rotarians seeking a “Team Leader” for the district’s out-going team.  A GSE team leader is an active Rotarian from a district club who will travel with the team and be responsible for the orderly completion of the program abroad.  Team leaders are asked to demonstrate appropriate  travel experience, knowledge of the area to be visited, language capabilities or other skills which would lend themselves to the role.

After applications had been received, the GSE committee, conducted interviews and on August 8th issued the following press release:

Rotary District 7190 Names Team Leader for Group Study Exchange with France

Rotary District 7190 is happy to announce the selection of David W. Roberts as Team Leader as we prepare to share Group Study Exchange (GSE) teams with District 1730 in France.

Mr. Roberts’ extensive professional leadership experience, as well as his long standing membership in Rotary, makes him an ideal candidate to lead young business professionals on this 4-week exchange. He has traveled extensively in France and is fluent in French and well versed in French culture and customs.

Our team, consisting of Rotarian Team Leader Roberts and four non-Rotarian team members will travel to France for a four week stay during the month of May 2010. The 30-day exchange provides an opportunity for young business professionals from the Capital Region to share their knowledge of American business with the people of France while learning about the culture, business practices, and history of that nation. Round-trip airfare and accommodations in France are paid for by Rotary International Foundation and the host district, making this a great opportunity for young business people to experience how their profession is practiced in the host country. In addition to valuable professional contacts, long term personal relationships are often formed during this period.

Capital Region Rotary District 7190 is also actively recruiting candidates to represent us and our country in this important exchange. The ideal candidate is a professional or businessperson between the ages of 25 and 40. He or she should be mature, have at least 2 years of work experience in their chosen field, be open to new and different cultural experiences, food and lifestyles and well grounded in their American citizenship.

For more information, or to obtain an application to participate, visit the District 7190 web page at http://www.capitalregionrotary.org/study.asp or contact Ellen S. Schaefer, Rotary District 7190 GSE Chair at 518-371-0364 or at gse7190@nycap.rr.com

The Districts

District 7190 is in up-state New York and is know as The Capital Region Rotary because it is roughly centered in Albany, the state’s capital.  There are 44 clubs in the district.  Details about the district can be found at http://www.capitalregionrotary.org/

District 1730 is in southern France, along the Mediterranean Coast between the City of Toulon and Nice/Monaco and including Corsica.  There are 63 clubs in the district and details can be found at     http://www.rotary1730.org/main/roMain.php?langue=fr

Group Study Exchange to France May 2010

The Rotary International Foundation is one of the World's primary advocates for exchanges between countries and cultures. The Foundation sponsors several programs putting its money and members on the line doing so. One such program is called the Group Study Exchange through which young professional people of one Rotary District are exchanged with a similar group from another across international borders. The Foundation expedites and funds the international travel, and local Rotarians provide the hospitality, transportation and educational opportunities in their respective countries.

Rotary itself is an international movement dedicated to the principal of service; service to self, service to community, and service to the World. The fundamental organizing block for Rotary activities is the myriad of local Rotary 'Clubs' located all over the World. Clubs are organized into Districts, Districts into Zones and so on. The over-arching organization is Rotary International with headquarters in Evanston IL. Through regularly scheduled meetings at a club level, at which attendance by members is strongly encouraged, members share experiences, learn of problems and opportunities in their communities, and explore service projects at all levels. Through the discipline of regular meetings and the educational opportunities presented there, the individual Rotarian serves him or herself. By devising and participating in local projects in their communities members serve that community, and by supporting one of the many international initiatives or the International they help in service to mankind.

One of the most visible Rotary programs is the Youth Exchange through which high school-aged students are sent to be enrolled in schools in countries beyond their borders and are hosted in the homes of Rotary members around the world. It is one of the most basic of Rotary efforts with exchanges arranged by local clubs themselves. It is also the largest such program of its kind.

It is principally through its International Foundation that Rotary sponsors the major projects for which it draws support from its vast club-system network. The huge "Polio Plus" program, a $650,000,000 effort to wipe Polio off the face of the Earth is currently the most visible of such efforts. The Foundation also sponsors on-going cultural and educational opportunities of which the Group Study Exchange is one. In addition to Group Study Exchanges, the Foundation also sponsors the Ambassadorial Scholarship program for students seeking advanced degrees abroad and the Peace Fellowship Program located at 5 major universities around the World.

Group Study Exchanges are arranged between Rotary Districts. Rotary Districts are typically made up of a constellation of clubs in geographical proximity to one and other. Each District has its own hierarchy headed each year by a Governor. In the year preceding their governorship, the Governors Elect attend the annual meeting of the Rotary International hosted each year in different part of the World. It is at these meetings that the Group Study Exchanges are arranged.

This year, in May 2010, District 7190 in up-state New York will exchange a GSE team with District 1730 in Southern France.