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Rotary Friendship Exchanges
The document outlines the Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) program, which facilitates international exchanges among Rotary members to enhance their global perspective and cultural understanding. It details the organization of exchanges, including types, participant guidelines, and networking opportunities, as well as personal stories from participants showcasing the benefits of the program. The RFE promotes peace and friendship among diverse cultures through shared experiences.
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Rotary Friendship Exchanges
- 1. 2014 ROTARY INTERNATIONALCONVENTION Rotary Friendship Exchange: enhancing the Rotary experience through international exchanges
- 2. WELCOME! Bo Hennby ,District 2390, Sweden - Moderator Lesley Dare, District 9830, Tasmania, Australia - Panelist Irene Hickey, District 5890, Texas, USA – Panelist
- 3. • Rotary FriendshipExchange overview • Organizing and planning exchanges • Rotary Friendship Exchanges: expanding your global perspective • Knowledge sharing, question and answer period Agenda
- 4. Rotary Friendship Exchanges TAKEACTION, EXCHANGE IDEAS, JOIN LEADERS A relaxing trip in the mountains…
- 5. • Started in1988 • More than 267 districts participate in the program today Overview Golf game in the midnight sun
- 6. • International reciprocal exchanges •Primarily organized at the district level • Open to Rotary members, couples, or teams • Exchange leaders coordinate and plan all components of exchanges (location, duration, itinerary, etc.) Overview
- 7. Exchange Types: Overview • Individual •Team • Couple/Family • Leisure • Service • Vocational/Hobbies Exchange Options: • Teams: 10-12 couples or singles • Visit period decided upon by exchange participants (typically 10- 14 days) • Payment and itinerary agreed upon in advance • Teams travel together during exchange (from start to finish) • Participants are hosted overnight in Rotarian homes
- 8. Unique way toexperience a new country and culture Redefining travel through exchanges
- 9. Exchange profiles/CVs Mikael andAnn Halling Bygatan XX XXX XX Helsingborg Phone: +46 XX XXX XXXX Mobile: +46 XX XXX XXXX Email: email.address@email.com Ann (61) and Mikael (59) are living in Helsingborg where Sweden is closest to Denmark, on the east side of the water in between. Mikael is member of Helsingborg-Landborgen RC since 199zi6, President 2002-03 and DG D-2390 2007-08. He was RI President, Ray Klinginsmith´s representative at D-2350 District Conference 2010 and representing RI President Kalyan Banerjee at District 2330 District Conference 2011. Mikael graduated from school of economics, now vice president in the public company Brinova AB. Ann has been working with media and advertizing, until 1995 where she become the business woman of the year in Sweden. In her own company she brought the Spanish franchising concept La Chemiserie Traditionnelle to Sweden, producing measure made shirts. Ann has now sold her company. Their favourite activities are golf, sailing, tennis, travelling, concerts, cooking, skiing and swimming, and for Mikael also hunting. We have been to New Zealand, South Africa, Peru/Bolivia and Alaska with RFE, a great and wonderful experience. Our family have four children, Cecilia 36, having our grandson, Cedric 9 years and little Chloé 9 months old. Christian 33, Mia 28 and Björn 25. And our hunting dog, an Hungarian Viszla, Micha. Ann is allergic to mould. Speaking; English and German.
- 10. Overview Starting point forservice partnerships, grant partnerships, and more!
- 11. Overview Members on teamexchanges visit as a group: • Always stick with the team and follow the same itinerary • Arrive as a team • Travel independently afterwards Hosts prepare a program for YOU! Don’t disappoint them!
- 12. Rotary Friendship Exchange Nicevisit in the morning
- 13. After this hour,we hope you find exciting RFE friends for establishing an exchange Visit the Billabong House of Friendship to continue talking about exchange opportunities! Networking
- 14. Lesley Dare |Organizing and Planning Exchanges TAKE ACTION, EXCHANGE IDEAS, JOIN LEADERS
- 15. So you wantto become involved… Becoming Involved
- 16. Getting Started • DistrictGovernor appoints District Rotary Friendship Exchange Chair (contact your Governor if your district doesn’t have a chair) • Chair establishes an RFE committee
- 17. Locating Exchange Partners •Online Rotary Friendship Exchange Matching Board • International projects/programs • International meetings
- 18. Establishing Guidelines • Dateand length of visit • Team size and composition • Transportation during exchange • Nightly accommodations • Language skills
- 19. Communication and Publicity •District Rotary Friendship Exchange Committee • Communicating with Rotary clubs
- 20. Team Exchange Details •Team makeup: couples and singles • Team guidelines
- 21. Preparing Exchange Participants •Hold a meeting to discuss: – Exact exchange dates – Travel arrangements – Accommodations – Transportation – Costs
- 22. Preparing Team forExchange • Complete questionnaire • Prepare brochure • Host family gifts
- 23. Preparing for InboundExchange • Draft itinerary • Transportation • Exchange dates • Club visits and activities
- 24. Exchange Organisation • Communicatearrival and departure times • Organise host families • Collect information to match families • Schedule free time
- 25. Host Planning Checklist •One contact person • Establish payment responsibilities in advance • Health and allergy concerns • Baggage allowance
- 26. After the Exchange •Evaluate the exchange • Share the experience • Maintain exchange relationships • PLAN FOR THE NEXT EXCHANGE!!
- 27. Irene Hickey |RFEs, more than leisurely travel TAKE ACTION, EXCHANGE IDEAS, JOIN LEADERS
- 28. At Rotary eventswe sing “Let there be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me…” Rotary Friendship Exchanges give us the opportunity to be part of the global peace initiative. Peace on Earth… It DOES begin with “me” Rotary Friendship Exchanges: expanding your global perspective
- 29. Through RFEs, ourglobal perspectives change. Rotary Friendship Exchanges: expanding your global perspective Through RFEs we: • lose our prejudices, • grow friendships, • expand our understand of other cultures and beliefs.
- 30. Rotary Friendship Exchanges:make new friends in every corner of the world
- 31. “It has beensaid that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly’s wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world.” – Chaos Theory Through RFE’s WE can, individual-to-individual, be the “butterflies” that, through the collective beating of our wings, ultimately cause the typhoon of peace and understanding. Rotary Friendship Exchanges: more than just leisurely travel
- 32. Questions? TAKE ACTION, EXCHANGEIDEAS, JOIN LEADERS
- 33. Discover the wondrousworld of Rotary Friendship Exchanges! TAKE ACTION, EXCHANGE IDEAS, JOIN LEADERS
Editor's Notes
- #2 BO: introduces himself and the session
- #3 BO: Welcome all! I am Bo Hennby from D-2390 Sweden and I’m here to help present this FUN program for Rotarians with the help of our panelists, Lesley Dare, D-9830, Tasmania, Australia, and Irene Hickey, D-5890, Texas, USA.
- #4 BO: Our session agenda includes: An overview of the Rotary Friendship Exchange program. Our first panelists, Lesley, will discuss details and best practices for organizing and planning exchanges. Then Irene will explain how the program helps participants make lifelong friends while expanding global perspectives and experiences. We will end with a knowledge sharing and questions and answer period.
- #5 BO
- #6 BO: This program was first started in 1988 and today 267 district participate in RFEs. Those of you who wants to know what RFE is Those of you who already are ”experts” How many have never been on RFE? How many have been on one trip? How many have been on several?
- #7 BO: The Rotary Friendship Exchange program is one of the most beloved, exciting activities undertaken by Rotarians. Exchanges consist of Rotary members, either individuals, couples, or teams, traveling internationally to stay with fellow Rotarians in other parts of the world. Exchanges are primarily organized between districts. To help coordinate and lead exchanges, each district governor has the option to appoint a District Rotary Friendship Exchange Chair. The exchange leaders work together on behalf of the Rotarian(s) interested in participating in the exchange to organize exchange location, length, itinerary, activities, housing, and more. The teams take turns visiting each other’s districts while experiencing new cultures, traditions, food, customs, and building lifelong friendships. So for RFE - Let´s talk about the basics: Team of 10-12 coupels and singels Visit period 10 -14 days Agree beforehand who pays what Team arrives together Team stays in Rotarian homes
- #8 BO
- #9 BO: Exchanges can also have a vocational focus where groups of specific professions visit an international district to experience how that profession is practices across borders. Exchanges are truly a unique way to experience a new country and a new culture, and to build life-long friends. Many times exchange partners end up working together on Rotary grants, sending youth exchange students to each other’s districts, and working together on service projects. Remember that if you are participating as part of a team exchange: - stick with the team - always - no program of your own - come as a team together - travel of you own afterwards when your team program is over The hosts have prepared a program for YOU! Do not disappoint them!
- #10 BO: sample exchange profile/CV for each participant
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- #15 BO: Our first panelist, Lesley Dare, is a native of Australia and has been a Rotary member for 18 years both in Sydney, New South Wales, and Deloraine, Tasmania. She is currently a member of the Rotary Club of Deloraine, District 9830, Tasmania, Australia. Lesley has been involved with sister club exchanges in Japan and the Philippines. She has also participated in visits to China, Vietnam, Nepal, and Turkey. Lesley has served as the District Rotary Friendship Exchange Chair for the past two years, organising exchanges between the south island of New Zealand and also Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. She is currently organising a Friendship Exchange with Sweden and a visit to India.
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- #28 BO: Our second panelist, Irene Hickey, has been a member of Rotary since 2009 and is incoming president of the Rotary Club of the University Area, District 5890, Texas, USA. At the district level, Irene serves as the Rotary Friendship Exchange and Fellowship Chair. Over the years Irene has arranged and participated in exchanges (both inbound and outbound) with Germany, Sweden, and Israel, and she is currently coordinating exchanges with Nigeria and South Africa. Her first experiences with RFE occurred in 2009 when she was the co-chair of the District 5890 exchange with Leipzig, Germany. 2009 marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and Leipzig had a significant role in the events which lead to the fall of the wall. The Rotarians who participated in that exchange had the rare opportunity to be part of the reenactment of the peace march that ultimately led to the Wall coming down. From that point forward, Irene has been involved with RFEs. Additionally, Irene is a facilitator for the District 5890 Gulf Coast Leadership Institute, a member of the Association of Contingency Planners Gulf Coast Chapter, the President Elect (2016) of the Houston-Leipzig Sister City Association, and a member of First Methodist Church. She is a native Houstonian and enjoys traveling with her significant other, Lindsey, who actually first introduced her to Rotary. He is past-president of the Rotary Club of Houston and together, they chaired the Friendship Exchange with Leipzig.
- #29 IRENE: My first “Rotary” moment was the first time I stood in a room filled with Rotarians and we held hands and sang this song. It gave me chills and it still does, every time I sing it. In Lisbon, I had the opportunity to visit with Jane Goodall for a few minutes. It was a moving experience. She looked me straight in the eye and said to me: “Irene, together, we CAN change the world.” Now that was quite a statement, but I realized as I thought about it, that she was right. Through RFEs, by giving ourselves permission to get out of our comfort zones and experience other cultures and lives, by opening our homes to complete strangers or to go to the home of a stranger and spend a few days there, we truly do live the meaning of the song. Peace on Earth… it DOES begin with me and RFE’s are the tools to get us started.
- #30 IRENE: Rotary Friendship Exchanges are so much more than just leisurely travel. They are an education unto themselves. Through participation, whether as a host for an inbound exchange or as a participant in an outbound exchange, you go through a learning experience. As humans, we have preconceived notions about other humans. It is our nature. Many times, though, we learn that those preconceptions are wrong or were biased or were based on experiences we heard about from others. By participating in an exchange, we educate ourselves, and ultimately our families, our friends and our fellow Rotarians about the cultures to which we have been introduced. RFE’s are never what you expect and that is part of the FUN of an exchange. You learn to expect the unexpected! RFE’s change who we are and they change our perspectives globally. RFEs move you from the “unknown” to the “known.” And you learn, that as Rotarians, we have one common bond, which is the bond of Rotary and everything that it stands for!
- #31 IRENE: There are the 3 basic “F’s” of an RFE: Friendships, FUN, and Food Sharing food is part of learning about other cultures. And, by sitting at a table with other Rotarians, it is like sitting at a table with your family. You laugh, you eat, you talk, you eat, you debate, you eat, you enjoy! But first and foremost, you learn and you grow your understanding of those with whom you are sharing the meal. Growing understanding is the first step to overcoming fears and prejudices.
- #32 IRENE
- #33 BO: Question/Answer period
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