Wednesday, August 15, 2007

What is Group Study Exchange (GSE) anyway?

This blog will get pretty confusing pretty quickly if you aren't familiar with the acronym "GSE"!

Let's get an explanation straight from the Rotary Foundation's website. This quote is taken from this website:


    The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.
    In a typical four-week tour, applicants participate in five full days of 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.


So, that's GSE! You now understand the theory as well as we do. But what will it be like in practice? Only time will tell... Please keep reading to follow our preparations, and then share our adventures!

Can't wait to get to California! But something tells me there's a lot to do between now and then...


Catch you later.

William

Monday, August 13, 2007

Welcome!

Hi everyone

First, an introduction...

We are the outgoing Rotary Group Study Exchange (GSE) Team from Rotary District 9830 (Tasmania, Australia) who will be visiting District 5220 in California, departing 29th March 2008.
The Team

(L-R: Sarah Mansfield, William Young, Chris Westlake, Glen Roland, Michelle Castles, Jill Gates)
Photograph Taken at the 9830 family picnic day, November 4th 2007 at Hobart's Botanical Gardens


We blog to create a record of our journey, to collect our thoughts and to share our experiences with you. Please feel free to ask questions, make comments, and send us emails.

Hopefully, we'll hear from you soon!

The Team