Global Service
(1958-1984)
We create programs that emphasize leadership through local and global service.
Members of the first Interact club form the letter "I" with members of their sponsor club in 1962.
1962: Interact - a program for youth
The first Interact club is certified on 5 November, 1962 at Melbourne High School, in Florida, USA. Interact empowers students in intermediate and secondary school to learn leadership skills.
Listen to Carlos Canseco, 1984-85 RI president, describe the value of the matching grants program in an interview from 1994.
1965: Grants support service projects
The Foundation begins supporting club and district projects with matching grants, the first regular program to fund these service efforts.
Group Study Exchange team members from Australia visit the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) facility near Geneva, Switzerland. circa 1967.
1965: Group Study Exchange
Through the Group Study Exchange program, teams of young business professionals visit each others countries to learn their culture and gain business insights. Today the tradition continues through vocational training teams.
Members of the first Rotaract club at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA, plant a tree with members of the Rotary Club of Charlotte in 1968.
1968: Rotaract targets young adults
Rotary certifies its first Rotaract club at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the U.S. Rotaract is created as a program for college-age students and young professionals, but in 2019 Rotaract clubs are redefined as a unique type of membership in Rotary.
Participants at a 2022 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards event in Missouri, USA, took part in a simulated service project, team building exercises, and an introduction to Rotary’s areas of focus.
1971: Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA)
Rotary adopts the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). Events teach secondary school students through young professionals leadership, communication, and problem solving skills.
