The  May 2025 Video from Christine Etienne, Rotary International Director, Zone 28 & 32 

To our Rotary Family! in Zones 28 and 32 !!!

The month of May provides us the opportunity to celebrate our many Rotary youth programs.  It is so important for all of us to assist in developing the next generation of leaders.  Our youth programs help young people expand their education, build leadership skills and learn the value of service.

Through Interact, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, Rotary Youth Exchange and Rotaract, we can engage with young people in our communities from a very young age through high school, post-secondary education and beyond.

It is exciting that this year marks the 50^th anniversary of the Rotary Youth Exchange program as one of Rotary International’s official youth programs. Although the program started well before 1975, Rotary members, program volunteers, and alumni everywhere should be proud to celebrate the last fifty years as the program has grown and become a prime example of Rotary service worldwide.  For a bit of trivia, the Rotary Club of Copenhagen, Denmark initiated the first Rotary youth exchange in 1927 and the Rotary Club of Nice, France followed suit soon after in 1929.  Although exchanges today typically last ten months, the first exchange took place during school vacations for only a couple of weeks.

Please enjoy this month’s video with two of our youth exchange students.  These experiences are life-changing for our young participants. It is so important that we are intentional about staying connected with our youth as they are the future of Rotary.  

Yours in Rotary,