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.
WHAT IS INTERACT?
INTERACT GOAL
INTERACT HISTORY
ABOUT INTERACT
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
SERVICE PROJECTS
INTERACT CLUB STRUCTURE
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.
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INTERACT GOAL
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.
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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 9,000 clubs in over 110 countries with an estimated membership of 200,000 youth worldwide.
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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.
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PROGRAMS 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.
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SERVICE PROJECTS
Interactors carry out activities to
• Benefit schools and communities
• Expand international understanding
Popular projects include:
• Fundraisers
• Blood drives
• Benefit concerts
• Clean-up campaigns
• Pen-pal exchanges
• Visits to nursing homes, orphanages, and homeless shelters
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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
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