BRATTLEBORO — The Brattleboro Rotary Club is seeking candidates for a Group Study Exchange (GSE) program to the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean which will take place from Sept. 21 to Oct. 20. The application deadline is March 23.
Sponsored by Rotary International's Rotary Foundation, the GSE program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who have been employed in their profession for at least two years.
The GSE team consists of one Rotarian group leader and four non-Rotarian team members who typically represent various professional fields.
Rotary International pays for travel expenses between the home and host countries. Rotarians in the host country provide individual home stays for each team member, as well as meals and group travel within their district.
Each team member is responsible for health insurance coverage and for personal expenses and incidentals. Team members are welcome to extend their stay for individual travel at their own expense after the program ends.
During the four-week program, team members participate in approximately four to five full-day vocational visits, 15 to 20 club presentations, 10 to 15 formal visits and social events, two to three days at the district conference, three to four hours per day of cultural and site tours, and three to four hours per day of free time with host families.
Each person on the team will have interaction with others in their profession several times during the trip.
Before departing for the host country, team members will communicate and meet several times to participate in orientation and cultural training, to become acquainted with one another, to develop a working relationship, and to prepare a group presentation to be given at host clubs during the tour.
The presentation will represent Rotary District 7870, which comprises central and southern Vermont and New Hampshire.
The application process includes an interview with the Brattleboro Rotary Club; all interviews will be completed before March 31. The successful candidate will then proceed to an interviewing process at the District level at a time and location to be determined. Applicants will be notified of their status in April.
Founded in 1950, the Brattleboro Rotary Club is an active community service club of about 80 members who meet every Thursday at 12:15 p.m. at the VFW Post on Black Mountain Road in Brattleboro.
For more information and to download a GSE application form, visit the club's website at www.brattlebororotaryclub.org.