Reviving Interact

Interact, a movement which has a history of over forty years in Sri Lanka, has served the community in various ways. It has also inculcated leadership, responsibility, character, passion and the spirit of team work among the youth of ages 14 -18 years.
The project Inter-Eve is organized annually with the objective of making the school authorities aware of what Interact is all about and to uplift the standards of the Interact movement, while reviving the movement to what it was a few years back. This year, the event was held at the Galle Face Hotel on October 26, 2007.

"An idle mind is the devil's playground," said Dino Corera, the District Director for Inter-Eve, after the proceedings. "We believe that Interact is the best way for the youth to channel their energy, and it not only helps them to develop skills to succeed in life but it also does a lot of good for society," he further added. Listening to the report on the activities carried out by the movement, it was noted that the Interact movement should be spreading its roots further in to the four corners of Sri Lanka.

The Rotary movement has always been the driving force behind the Interact movement, doing there best for the youth of the country. Focusing on the above concern Past District Governor Rtn. Mangala Gunawardena proposed the introduction of Interact movement to more schools, throughout Sri Lanka as an answer. He also emphasized on the fact that a good staff advisor is mandatory for all school-based clubs such as the Interact Club to function at it's full potential and urged principals and staff advisors of schools present at the occasion to extend their fullest co-operation to help make Interact a worthwhile experience for everyone – both who serve and who are served.

And what better way to show the school authorities the true benefits of Interact than to serve the school first? And that is exactly what the Interact District has planed this year. "We have set aside the first one sixth of the Interact year for school-based projects in the avenue of community service, which is our main focus this year. We also plan to have vision camps in rural areas, play our part as a youth organization creating awareness on the environment through the annual environmental program "Green Life," and also plan to serve the Armed Forces," said the District Interact Representative Int. Zahrah Carder.

The official web site was also launched on this day. Those interested can access information on what is going on in the Interact Community and the check out the profiles of the many affiliated clubs, by logging on to www.interactdistrict3220.org. "Service Above Self" which is the motto of the Interact movement, is a phrase which is emphasized at every forum and is entrenched in the minds of the members of the District Committee. It is evident that they, as leaders of the movement, are striving to etch this phrase in the minds of the members of the interact community who are the future leaders of the country.

Interact, according to its members is one of the greatest experiences in life. By being involved in it, while getting an opportunity to learn many things, you not only do something for yourself, but also contribute to making the world we live in a better place. Isn't that is one of the greatest pleasures in life?