In 2008 Almancil International Rotary Club, (AIRC) for the first time joined with other Portuguese Rotary clubs in sponsoring young students to participate in the Rotary Summer Camp Scheme. The camps are organised by Rotary clubs all over the world, with the aim of introducing young students to their counterparts from different countries and cultures. In that first year AIRC sponsored two students to attend a camp in Manchester in the UK.
Since then the number of applications has grown exponentially. This year AIRC Rotarians Dr Raymond Parfait and Patricia Doling, together with Sra Lourdes Seidenstricker of Dra Laura Ayres School in Quarteira had the unenviable task of interviewing 22 students, from which 18 were chosen to spend two weeks at camps which included Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Slovakia and, of course, Manchester in the UK. The total number of students attending for the whole of Portugal was 27.
On Wednesday at a special dinner at the Conrad Algarve Hotel, some of these students gave presentations to Rotarians, guests and family members. Each of them commented on the special time spent with fellow students and their families and learning so much about the cultures of the country they visited. For some it was their first time away from home and there were many challenges to overcome, such as finding their way around airports and then flying alone. It was clear from their presentations that whilst the journey was at times difficult, the adventure and friendships they made was well worth it.
Exchanges are not restricted to students. In February of this year 6 members and friends of AIRC spent 3 weeks in India as guests of Bhanu Gupta, Youth Exchange Officer of Rotary District 3054, where they too were able to explore the culture, meet the people and visit places of outstanding beauty and interest.
“Our club has organised a number of fund-raising events to enable us to finance some of these students” said club President Brian Giles. “Watching the presentations and listening to the students’ reports on Wednesday made me feel very proud of the club and the students who represented their school and their country. It’s a scheme we hope to continue to participate in for many more years”.
