Rotary has many youth programs. The programs for younger participants, such as Interact and Rotary Youth Exchange, are not funded by The Rotary Foundation, but they all give Rotary a very positive public image, which The Rotary Foundation benefits from. They are also very important to The Rotary Foundation, as the participants get their first contact with Rotary, which can lead to future membership in a Rotary club and, hopefully, becoming a contributor to The Rotary Foundation.
The programs for older participants, such as Ambassadorial Scholarships, Group Study Exchange, and Rotary Peace Fellowships, are funded by The Rotary Foundation. Of special interest to me is the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution – a program that one day might become the jewel in the Rotary programs crown. We have a fundraising effort running for this program – the USD95 million campaign – which must not be forgotten in our ambition to increase contributions to the Annual Programs Fund and Permanent Fund and to meet Rotary’s USD200 Million Challenge.
All our youth programs are peace programs. In particular, our Youth Exchange participants act as ambassadors of peace when going to a totally new environment. We ask a lot from them, and we can be very proud of them.
All our students – younger or somewhat older, at home or abroad – participate in local projects, thus Building Communities – Bridging Continents through Service Above Self.
Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar
Foundation Trustee Chair
Foundation Trustee Chair
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