Gerald S. Besses GSE District Chair gbesses@comcast.net 707-763-6615

Applications for Team Leader and Team Members due by August 8, 2011. They must be signed by the sponsoring club president. And forwarded to Jerry Besses, District 5130 GSE Chair, at 124 Sunnyhill Drive, Petaluma 94952. Interviews will be August 27, with the possibility of a second day to be announced. The trip to France is April 14 to May 12, 2012; to Turkey it will be May 3, 2012 through June 4, 2012. In-coming from France will be March 10 to April 7, 2012; from Turkey will be May 18 through June 18, 2012. Volunteer guides and hosts will be needed for the in-coming teams.

Rotary year 2011-12 promises to be an especially exciting one for our GSE program. We are planning an exchange with District 2420, Turkey, and a vocational exchange with District 1750, France, targeting the wine industry. These trips will be scheduled in the spring of 2012.

We will need applicants for both team's members who should be between ages 25 and 40 and NOT Rotarians. Full qualifications and conditions may be found on page 19 of the GSE Program Guide. We also need Rotarian Team Leaders. Qualifications and conditions are given in the Program Guide starting on page 17. Although not a requirement, language skills in the host country's language is a benefit. Since the visit to District 1750 is specifically targeted to the wine industry, preference will be given to those with wine industry connections.

We also will be planning to host teams from each of these Districts in Spring 2012. We will need area coordinators throughout our District to plan and conduct the visit, organize host families and deal with the inevitable issues that arise during a visit. For information, feel free to contact District GSE chair, Jerry Besses, at gbesses@comcast.net or 707-763-6615. Club presidents and assistant District governors will be sources that applicants may go through for information.

Applications

Forms are available from this web site. Completed applications should be signed by the sponsoring club president and sent to Jerry Besses, 124 Sunnyhill Drive, Petaluma 94952.

Information from Rotary International

The Group Study Exchange program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young business and professional men and women in their initial years of professional life. The program is designed to develop professional and leadership skills among young adults so that they can address the needs of their communities and an increasingly global workplace. GSE offers Rotarians the opportunity to participate in sending, receiving, and sharing educational experiences of study teams that will enhance Rotary's worldwide mission.

GSE participants follow an extensive and rigorous program of international travel and team activities.

• Vocational visits
  • Provide opportunities to observe vocations as practiced in another country
  • Impact team members' long-term careers through participation in an organized program of study, discussion, and reciprocal exchange of ideas in their respective fields
• Cultural experiences
  • Allow participants to study another country and its people, language, and institutions through experiences in an organized and meaningful host program
    
  • Promote an appreciation of cultural diversity worldwide
• Fellowship opportunities
  • Encourage team members and hosts to meet, communicate, and live with each other in a spirit of fellowship and goodwill
  • Consider each other's problems, aspirations, and community concerns
  • Foster lasting friendships and international understanding
• Rotarian involvement
  • Offers Rotarians specific, practical, and meaningful opportunities for international service by providing young, formative professionals a different perspective of their vocation in another country and culture

Important web sites:
GSE Handbook:	http://www.rotary.org/ridocuments/en_pdf/164en.pdf
GSE Program Guide for Rotarians:	http://www.rotary.org/ridocuments/en_pdf/165en.pdf