Joining 282,000 young leaders in 12,225 Interact Clubs in SM2, the Caribbean & 120 countries worldwide
Since its earliest days, Rotary has been committed to helping children in need. But in 1960, the organization took a new approach to youth service.
Recognizing the untapped potential of young men and women, RI President Harold T. Thomas urged Rotary clubs around the world to find ways to encourage service among youth, foster their active interest in the community, and offer opportunities for them to develop as leaders.
Two years later, 23 students at Melbourne High School in Melbourne, Florida, USA, came together to form the first Interact club. Now, Rotarians were not just helping youth but empowering them to serve locally and internationally with their Rotary club sponsors. Ever since, thousands of communities around the world have benefited from the service of Interact clubs. Interactors have discovered a program that offers fun, meaningful service activities while providing a chance to develop leadership skills and meet new friends. In turn, sponsor Rotary clubs have gained increased support for projects and fresh ideas for service while helping to develop future Rotarians.
On Friday March 26th 2010 students of MPC joined the Rotary Family as Interactors in a formal chartering and induction ceremony witnessed by representative of Rotary as high up in the organization as assistant district governor to members of other Rotary and interact clubs. School management, parents and well wishers filled the room where the MPC Interact club made an impressive beginning.
About Interact
Interact is a service club for youth ages 14-18. Clubs benefit from sponsorship by individual Rotary clubs, which provide support and guidance. Interact has a membership of over 250,000 youth in more than 11,000 clubs worldwide. It’s one of Rotary’s fastest growing programs.
Interact clubs are self-governing and self-supporting and can be either school or community based. Interact’s name is a combination of the words international and action. With clubs in over 120 countries and geographical areas, Interact is truly an international phenomenon. Interact’s global youth network is dedicated to community and international service. Every Interact club project, great or small, has a lasting impact on society worldwide. Brazil, India, the Philippines, and the United States boast the highest number of Interact clubs.
President’s speech:
"It is both an honor and privilege to be able to stand in front of you today as the founding president of the Interact Club of Milton Peters College.
Interact clubs are one of the fastest-growing programs of Rotary Service, with more than 10700 clubs in 109 countries and almost 200.000 young members involved.
I am very proud to be part of such an international organization. This unselfish organization can help you advance in world understanding, teach goodwill, bring peace throughout the world improve and help the community with the support of education and decreasing of poverty.
I am sure that as you all may know our school needs all the support it can get to help shine and show its true colors in our community.
Hopefully, with the establishment of our club and it is well on its way and we will be able to show that there is much more that can come out of this wonderful institute of learning "Milton Peters College", and hope to encourage others by doing so.
We are aware that this a great challenge but with the guidance of our sponsor club that has maintained a high standard of service in out community at large we will be able to achieve anything.
I know that we as a new interact club will be constantly facing new challenges, but how we deal with these challenges will define us!
Do we choose to see them as obstacles and as we as friends may say "this to much work boy", or do we see challenges as opportunities to prove ourselves and use the experience for future development and to eventually achieve our goals!
We will not always be perfect as no one is, but trust me we’ll be working on that. We will have our moments and our doubts, but I am sure to say that we will get through them by just asking these four questions:
Is it the trust?
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build good will and better friendship?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?"
The newly appointed president also presented tokens of appreciation to Rotarians Bonita Hart, Fred van der Peijl and Maria Buncamper-Molanus for helping to make this MPC Interact a reality.
Presentation Vice President:
"My name is Celine Verheij and I am going to read a poem about friendships. Friendship plays a big role in Interact, whenever we host events just like this evening, we get to meet many new people and build friendships. I am new at MPC and used to live in England, at school we used to do creative writing in English class, I enjoyed this very much. We would have to write many articles, stories and poems. So I used my creativity to write this poem for you on this special evening
It’s called: what does friendship really mean?
What does friendship really mean?
Does it mean to be helpful to one and other?
Does it mean to stay loyal and keep promises?
Does it mean you are always there when that one needy friend needs you?
Does it mean not to betray each other?
Yes it does, and by just standing here I could name so many meanings of a real friend.
But whatever you do and however you treat each other, always remember that friends are like shooting stars, they come and they go. But real friends stay there all you life. Fake ones are no big deal, they aren’t real.
So whatever you do always stay true!"
Eastellah Lawrence also expressed her overwhelming appreciation for the initiative taken by the St. Maarten Rotary Club to take an interest in the MPC students by chartering the MPC Interact Club. Eastellah in what was clearly an emotional moment for her, impressed on all present the great appreciation that she and her fellow Interactors have for the opportunity to be part of this organization and be able to volunteer under the guidance of Rotary and work for the community. She shared the realization that this experience will benefit club members personally in becoming more community minded.
Master of ceremony Chantal Rogers guided the one and a half hour program which took place at the Milton Peters College and started with welcoming words by general director Mr. Wolf. Other speakers included Assistant District Governor Mr. Louis Wever, Vocational Director Bonita Hart, who initiated this project and Fred V.D. Peijl who will take over in the coming rotary year. Pierre Decelles spoke as president of the chartering club and also conducted the official ceremony. Pinning the almost 40 students and Faculty Advisor Cees Schotel was done by the Assistant District Governor, presidents and several members of all clubs present. Director of Have /VWO although not part of the official ceremony was instrumental in organizing the students which resulted in them joining the MPC Interact Club.
The evening was concluded with an auction, which served as the third fundraising event the club has put on thus far. The first was the very successful carwash held at Kooyman one week earlier, the second was the sale of drinks at the Great St. Maarten Bazaar. Maria Buncamper-Molanus closed off the evening’s program with words of appreciation to all who made the installation possible and encouraged parents to continue supporting their children in their efforts to serve the community.
Interact club : Milton-Peters-College March 26th 2010
President: Sakir de Castro
Vice President: Celine Verhij
Treasurer : Ikmareka Hunt
Secretary: Gerdwina Browne
Club-Service: Chantal Rogers
Community-Service: Kyara Walker
International-Service: Kim Nieuwenhoven
Vocational-Service : Theresa Alamake
Sergeant at Arms: Shanyca Colastica
Members:
Brenda Webster
Rainer Ranis
Pooja Baidju
Renee Drost
Geness van den Heuvel
Gishlianne Hodge
Shanella Cairo
Rjee Pantoplet
Theron Tuiff
Nikita Wilson
Murielle Nestor-Hubert
Vallensio Carty
Sharia Richardson
Sulaika Djaoen
Shardee Richardson
Georgia Casimir
Jean Illidge
Chenielle Rawlins
Shanika Williams
Keneisha White
Tannisha van Heyingen
Antionette Joseph
Fany Carolina Baez-Perez
Amanda Goberdhan