By Chiara, Saaimaegha, Nimar, Navya & Jan, students Grade 10 & DP1. Pictures by Eli, student DP1
The new International Interact Club at ISU has been established in partnership with Rotary Club Utrecht International. The club was inaugurated on 11 May by Nanning van der Hoop, District Governor, Rotary District 1570.
'My favourite part of Interact is that it gives people the opportunity to make a difference in ways that work so much better when you have a team you love and an organisation behind you. I am incredibly grateful for all the hard work that all the members have put in.' - Chiara, president
Service organisation
'Interact is a student-run service organisation whose main concern is to make an actual difference in both our school and larger community. Moving forward, we want to keep creating small, simple ways for students to help because even little contributions matter.' - Saaimaegha, member
Interact and Rotary
The International Interact Club s part of a global youth programme supported by Rotary International. Founded in 1905, Rotary is a worldwide network of more than 1.2 million members who work together to support humanitarian causes, promote ethical leadership and foster international understanding. Through its Interact programme, Rotary encourages young people aged 12 to 18 to develop leadership skills and make a positive impact in their communities.
Being part of the global community
'Interact Club, for me, represents an opportunity to help the community around me. It serves as a tool to provide aid for underprivileged individuals through fund-raising activities and events such as the Waterloop and Movie Night. Through this opportunity, students lead initiatives that tackle important issues in today’s world while being a part of the global community that Interact represents.' - Nimar, member and project logistics leader
Waterloop
'As a club member for Interact, I was selected to be the Project Head of Communications for Waterloop. Waterloop is a project that involves our students walking 5 km to raise money for the girls in Burkina Faso who can’t go to school because they must go collect water from towns more than 5 km away. Interact provides us with an opportunity to learn more about the world and act on our compassion so we can all make this world a slightly better place.' - Navya, member and project communications leader
'To put the gears into motion'
'My name is Jan, or more well-known as JJ. I am the vice president for the Rotary International based her at ISU. I come from the Czech Republic and have been living in the Netherlands since last August. I joined Interact in order to find and pursue change. Whether you like it or not, change is often slow and stagnant. That's why we are here! To put the gears into motion!' - JJ, vice president