3. What is Rotary International
Rotary International is an international service
organization whose stated purpose is to bring together
business and professional leaders in order to provide
humanitarian service and to advance goodwill and
peace around the world. It is a non-political and non-
religious organization open to all. There are over 35,000
member clubs worldwide, with a membership of 1.2
million individuals, known as Rotarians.
4.
5. History
The first Rotary Club was formed when attorney
Paul P. Harris called together a meeting of three
business acquaintances in downtown Chicago,
United States, at Harris's friend Gustave Loehr's
office in the Unity Buildingon Dearborn Street on
February 23, 1905. In addition to Harris and
Loehr (a mining engineer and freemason ),
Silvester Schiele (a coal merchant), and Hiram E.
Shorey (a tailor) were the other two who attended
this first meeting.
8. Interact
Interact is one of Rotary International’s
nine structured programs designed to help
clubs and districts achieve their service
goals in their own communities and in
communities abroad, fostering fellowship
and goodwill in the process.
9. What is Interact?
Interact is a service club for
young people ages 14-18.
Sponsored by local Rotary
clubs, Interact clubs give
young people an
opportunity to participate in
fun, meaningful service
projects while developing
leadership skills and
meeting new friends.
11. Interact Goals
• Develop leadership skills and personal integrity.
• Demonstrate helpfulness and respect for others.
• Understand the value of individual responsibility
and hard work.
• Advance international understanding and
goodwill.
12. A Part of the Rotary Family
Interactors and Rotarians
are partners in service.
Rotarians mentor
promising youth in their
communities. Interactors
bring new energy to a
Rotary club, inspire fresh
ideas for service, increase
support of projects, and
help develop future
Rotarians.
13. Interact History
• Interact stands for
international action.
• The first club was
chartered in 1962 at
Melbourne High
School, FL, USA.
• Today there are more
than 14,000 clubs in
over 145 countries with
an estimated
membership of 300,000
youth worldwide.
14. About Interact
• Sponsoring Rotary clubs provide support and
guidance, but Interact clubs are self-governing and
self-supporting.
• Club membership varies and can be single-gender
or mixed-gender, large or small.
• Members are drawn from one school’s student body
or from several schools in the community.
15. What are the benefits?
• Connect with leaders in your community
and around the world to:
• Take action to make a difference in your
school and community
• Discover new cultures and promote
international understanding
• Become a leader in your school and
community
• Have fun and make new friends from
around the world
16.
17.
18. Program Guidelines
Interact clubs are encouraged to
• Be school-based or community-based.
• Have a Rotarian adviser and a faculty adviser for
school-based clubs.
• Meet at least twice a month. Interactors must attend
60% of regularly scheduled meetings.
• Require no financial support from the sponsoring
Rotary club.
22. Service Projects
Popular projects
include:
• Fundraisers
• Blood drives
• Benefit concerts
• Clean-up campaigns
• Pen-pal exchanges
• Visits to nursing
homes, orphanages,
and homeless
shelters
23. How to Organize a Club
1. Form an Interact
subcommittee.
2. Identify the membership
base.
3. Hold informational and
organizational meetings.
4. Complete the Interact
Club Organization List.
5. Submit the list to Rotary
International.
24. Rotary Club Support
Successful ways to provide guidance:
• Invite Interactors to Rotary club meetings.
• Create an annual Rotary-Interact service project.
• Assist in production of a Interact club bulletin.
• Help develop membership recruiting strategies.
• Establish a recognition program.
• Publicize activities to the community and the
Rotary world.
25. Interact Club Structure
The Interact board of directors is the club’s
governing body. It consists of the following
elected officers:
• President
• Vice president
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Other officers as needed
26. Interact Club Committees
The Interact club president appoints four standing
committees to effectively help carry out the club’s
activities
• Club committee
• Finance committee
• Service committee
• International understanding committee
27. District Structure
District Interact chairs are appointed to assist Rotary
clubs as they administer, promote, publicize and
oversee the activities of Interact clubs. Interact
activities at the district level provide opportunities for
• Joint projects
• Training new club officers
• Sharing ideas for strengthening club service
• Promoting Interact extension into new areas
28. World Interact Week
Every year, Interactors and Rotarians celebrate the
charter of the first Interact club during the week of 5
November. Together they participate in a variety of
activities to increase Interact awareness in their
communities.
29. Participate
Interact clubs
• Allow Rotary’s new
generations to be
involved in community
life and develop skills to
become responsible and
productive members of
society
• Are one of the most
significant and fastest
growing programs of
Rotary service
