Five Avenues of Service - International Service

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John Atwood is the chair of the International Committee.  

            The Rotary Club of Damariscotta-Newcastle is joined again this year with Kieve-Wavus Education Inc. to host the “Friends Forever” visit in our community.  The group is in Mid-Coast Maine from October 17 until November 1, 2010. 

            The Friends Forever program, in existence since 1986, this year brought in 5 Protestant and 5 Catholic teens from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who came to our area for a week at Camp Kieve, placed into a carefully structured psychological “life raft”: housed together, transported in a single van, and equally “adrift” in an unfamiliar culture, teens that are “enemies” at home with nowhere to turn but to each other. The goal is that they became like brothers and sisters and teach their peers at home about peaceful coexistence once they return. The group consisted of ten teens (14-16 year olds, five girls and five boys) and three adult chaperon/group leaders; two from Northern Ireland and one Friends Forever USA staff person from Maine.

            The young people visit Lincoln Academy for an entire day, spend an evening for a meal in area family homes with teenagers, and work alongside Rotarians in a community service project at the Carpenter's Boatshop. They will hosted by the St. Patrick’s Senior Youth Ministry group  and the Second Congregational Church Youth Group for  Saturday and Sunday Services and will be feted at a Friday night Community/Teen dinner.  The entire group will be presenting programs at the Booth Bay Harbor and Damariscotta-Newcastle Rotary Club meetings. The group will spend an afternoon shopping as guests at hosting Damariscotta and Newcastle businesses and visited the CLC YMCA.

            The local Rotary Club provides a portion of the cost of bringing the group to the Mid-Coast.  Kieve-Wavus Education Inc. provides housing and the all important team building and educational leadership training for the group.

             Each year there has been a wonderful response from the community in welcoming the group to the Damariscotta-Newcastle area. Assistance with transportation, fuel costs, flower arrangements, gifts representing the Mid-Coast and welcome “goodie bags” are just a few of the items donated by area individuals and businesses.

            Friends Forever USA is an independent 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that has grown to host 60 youth from Northern Ireland annually and it has this year expanded to serve the Arab and Jewish youth of Israel by building hundreds of lasting friendships across the cultural, religious, and political divides of both Northern Ireland and Israel.

            Individuals wanting more information about the program may contact Damariscotta-Newcastle Rotary Friends Forever Visit Coordinator Gary Speers at 207-586-5898.

            The Club regularly participates in The Rotary Group Study Exchange for young professionals between the age of 25 and 40. This past year the group was from India. A group of USA young professionals travel to a foreign country and then that country sends a similar group to the US for a like period of time. Rotary club members of New England sent three outstanding professionals to visit Poland in May 2009 as part of the Group Study Exchange program of The Rotary Foun­dation of Rotary International.Through the program, teams of young professionals from two different countries exchange visits. For four to six weeks, team members experience the way of life, customs, and vocational practices of another country, while sharing information about their homeland.The purpose of the Group Study Exchange program is to promote international understand­ing and goodwill through personal connection. While abroad, team members stay in Rotar­ians’ homes and have the opportunity to meet their professional counterparts. They also give presentations to Rotary clubs and other groups about their home country.The Rotary Foundation pays for round-trip airfare, and Rotary club members in the host coun­try provide meals, lodging, and group travel in their district. Team members pay for personal and incidental expenses.Young adults between the ages of 25 and 40 who are interested in applying should be em­ployed full-time in a business or profession. Applicants must live or be employed in Rotary District 7780 (Newburyport, Massachusetts to Damariscotta-Newcastle, Maine).For an application, please contact John Atwood at atwood@midcoast.com or at 586-5557. Applications are due by September 1, 2010.  Applications and additional information about the Group Study Exchange program can be found at www.rotary7780.org .

The club is also involved in the Cap Haiten, Haiti water project which has been successful in getting 17 clubs throughout the district to come together to apply for district and international matching grants to provide a new well, pump and piping for clean water to a large regional hospital in Haiti. In 2010, the club supported Literacy projects in Guatemala and The Dominican Republic.