Friendship Exchange
The Rotary Friendship Exchange program gives Rotarians (including spouse, significant other or one family member) the opportunity to host and visit Rotarians around the world. In addition to experiencing other cultures and making lasting friendships, an exchange provides a strong foundation for carrying out other international activities and service projects.The primary goal of a Friendship Exchange is to build greater international understanding and goodwill. In addition, exchange participants can learn how their vocations are practiced in other parts of the world, observe new customs and cultures, and promote an appreciation of cultural diversity worldwide.
District Powerpoint concerning Friendship Exchange can be found here: District RFE Powerpoint
District Policy concerning Friendship Exchange can be found in the District Leadership Plan. Of particular note; the policy favors first time RFE'ers in cases where trips are oversubscribed.
District 6250 Friendship Exchange Committee Co-Chairs.
Contact any one of our chairpersons if you are interested in hosting or traveling. For specific RFE's listed below please note and use Team Leader contact information if it is given.
David Clemens
Email: dclemens541@gmail.com
Cell phone: 608-408-8941
Email: dclemens541@gmail.com
Cell phone: 608-408-8941
Mark Etrheim
Email: mark@mchlax.com
Edwin Bos
Email: edwin@bosdesignbuilders.com
Past District 6250 Organized Friendship Exchanges
- District 2231 Poland, October 2022. Team Leader, Edwin Bos
- District 3231 in Tamil Nadu, India, January 2019. Team Leader, Dave Clemens.
- District 4920 in Argentina, August 2018. Team Leader; Mark Etrheim.
- District 2410 in Latvia/Sweden, May 2018. Team Leader, Dave Clemens.
- District 4455 in Peru, November 2017. Team Leader; Dave Clemens.
- District 3060 in Gujarat, India, January 2017. Team Leader; Dave Clemens.
- District 2231 in Poland, October 2022. Team Leader, Edwin Bos. Poland Trip Report
- District 4340 in Chile, January 2020. Team Leader, Dave Clemens.
- District 5520 in New Mexico, October 2019.
- District 5520 in the Netherlands, May 2019. Team Leader, Edwin Bos.
- District 3850 in Philippines by Fort Atkinson Interact, March 2019. Team Leader, Jim Nelson.
- District 9640 in Brisbane Australia, February 2019. Team Leader, Mark Moody.
- District 3850 in Philippines, January 2017. Team Leader, Edwin Bos.
- District 3292 in Nepal, October 2016. Team Leader, Dave Clemens.
- District 3850 in Philippines, January 2015. Team Leader, Darla Leick.
- District XXXX in Australia, 2015.
- District 9110 in Nigeria, 2014.
- District 3230 in Tamil Nadu, India, February 2012. Team Leader, Dean Ryerson.
Friendship Exchange News - India
District 6250 will have a Rotary Friendship Exchange with District 3170 in India
What: Rotary Friendship Exchange (home and hotel stays, meetings and tours) with various Rotary Clubs and Rotarians in West Central India. Return leg will bring Indian Rotarians to our District. See also: Rotary International Website RFE Information
When: District 6250 travel to 3170 … February 4 to 14, 2023. District 3170 to 6250 … June 10-20, 2023. There are visa requirements in both directions, but it can be done simply on line.
Where: We will travel to Mumbai(Bombay), then inland to their district. We will move in their district to visit parts of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka.
Who: Maximum of 12 interested Rotarians, spouses and/or family members. If oversubscribed / too much interest, we will use District 6250 RFE policy parameters to put the final group together. Note that the policy favors RFE novices. If you travel to India, you are expected to host and to enlist your club members to host when the Indian Rotarians visit Wisconsin.
How: Details will be worked out together. We normally travel to the host city on our own, then meet our hosts. We will let our hosts organize our travel while we are there, living in their homes, while they share their lives with us. There are many rewards and challenges, with food, travel and accommodations. You can travel on your own after or before our trip, perhaps going to the Taj Mahal. Final District 6250 RFE group will meet in Wisconsin at least once prior to the trip to work out details, presentations etc.
Costs: Round-trip cost for a flight to Mumbai, India is between $680-1250 right now. There might be train or bus travel expenses. Typically, as part of the RFE, you are hosted by local Rotarians. They pay for travel and home stays while we are in their district. Details are being worked out by the Trip Leaders.
Timing: We hope to have the final group identified by the end of October, 2022.
Trip Leader 6250: Rotarian David Clemens, who was an exchange student to Goa in 1971, and has traveled to this area five times.
Please contact Dave Clemens, if interested, at dclemens541@gmail.com, or text to 608-408-8941. Questions are welcome but please realize that very few details of the trip have been worked out.
Map of Trip / Area
Friendship Exchange News - Budapest
Rotary Friendship Exchange to Budapest Hungary April 9 to 19, 2023.
Probably staying in a central Hotel in Budapest, some homestays possible.
9 Rotary clubs in Budapest will be taking turns showing us the city and important historical Stories and locations. 10 maximum team members.
The cost will be Airfare, probably hotel, meals, and incidentals. We would coordinate the flights with the team members if possible, so if you are a bit nervous don’t be, the team will take care of you!
If you have not been on one of these they are an amazing experience of seeing the sights, experiencing local culture and making real Rotarian friends
Group Leader will be Mark Etrheim, mark@mchlax.com, 608-769-7200. Any questions, please contact me directly.
Friendship Exchange News - Croatia
Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) – District 6250 (Western Wisconsin) and District 1913 (Croatia)
Please read fully … contact Edwin Bos at edwin@bosdesignbuilders.com if interested. If you don’t receive a confirmation your interest has not been noted. Please resend.
Your very own Rotary District 6250 is known for having the most robust Rotary Friendship Exchange Program in North American … take advantage of these once in a lifetime opportunities!
Background: Currently, the Rotary Club of Beloit is the primary international sponsor on a large Rotary “Digital Literacy” Global Grant that is benefitting schools in various parts of Croatia. The relationships Beloit has established over the past 3 years has led to this Rotary Friendship Exchange opportunity. Members of the Rotary Club of Beloit were given first “dibs” on this exchange, however, there are several spots remaining.
What: Rotary Friendship Exchange with Rotary Clubs and Rotarians in Croatia. Stay with local Rotarians, city and business tours, local food and drink, Rotary meetings and plenty of time for fellowship and discussion. Prepare to be surprised by the activities and tours organized for you. Return leg will bring Croatian Rotarians to Wisconsin in 2024. See also: Rotary International Website RFE Information and District 6250 Friendship Exchange Page
When: District 6250 travel to District 1913 in Croatia will be from September 7-18, 2023. District 1913 travel to 6250 is TBD in 2024. No visa requirements in either direction, just a passport.
09/07/23 Fly out of Chicago. Chicago -???- Zagreb, Croatia.
09/08/23 Arrive in Zagreb
Itinerary by Croatian Rotarians TBD.
To Get a Feel … 2022 Poland RFE Trip Report (Disclaimer: Every RFE is Different!)
09/18/23 Depart Zagreb and arrive in Chicago.
Where: Croatia. Fly into Zagreb .... Transport between cities by mini-bus, bus or train. In many of the places we visit Beloit has participated in the Digital Revolution Global Grant. We will be met by friendly faces. See also map below.
Who: Maximum of 12 interested Rotarians, spouses and/or family members. If oversubscribed / too much interest, we will use District 6250 RFE policy parameters to put the final group together. Note that the policy favors RFE novices especially younger Rotarians. If you travel to Croatia you are expected to host and to enlist your club members to host when the Croatian Rotarians visit Wisconsin … don’t let this scare you, you’ll get plenty of support.
How: RFE (10 days or so), must be willing to let others organize your life and to go with the flow during the RFE. Private travels within Europe both before and after the complete RFE are your choice. Final group will meet in Wisconsin at least once prior to the trip to work out details.
Costs: Round-trip cost to Zagreb is around $1,100 right now (may go up or down in the months ahead). There will be train and bus travel expenses. Typically, you are hosted by local Rotarians and it is fully expected that this will be the case in Croatia, however, every RFE is different, and we will need to be flexible. The Trip Leaders will be working out details during the first half of 2023 and after all the participants are identified.
Timing: We hope to have the final group identified by the end of February 2023. At that time, we will ask for participant bios so that our Croatian hosts can begin matching us with local host Rotarians and begin planning an itinerary. We will also ask for a $500 deposit (see below in red).
Trip Leader 6250: 2019-20 Past District Governor Edwin Bos, Fort Atkinson.
Trip Leader 1913: 2019-20 Past District Governor Danijel Jozic, Zagreb.
Please let Edwin know if interested at the e-mail given above. Questions are welcome but please realize that very few details of the trip have been worked out. Firm interest appreciated given the trip is only 8 months away. At the end of February participants will be asked for a $500 deposit which will be fully refunded upon return. Sorry to have to do this but we need to be certain that we only have seriously interested people signed up and, to be fair to our hosts, we need to be certain that everyone participates in the full RFE.
FREE Ukrainian / Polish Children's Books Below. NO Donation Necessary.
Ukrainian / Polish Children's Books (English Versions):
Ola and Borys go to school - the continuation of the therapeutic fairy tale for Ukrainian and Polish children is here! How will I cope with school in a foreign country? How will I get along with my teachers and colleagues? How will our class be when new students come?
Before the start of the 2022 school year, Wrocław scientists published a therapeutic fairy tale that will help Ukrainian and Polish students adapt to new school challenges. Prof. Justyna Ziółkowska from the SWPS University and prof. Dariusz Galasiński from the University of Wrocław once again headed the team that prepared the continuation of the therapeutic fairy tale "Ola, Borys and new friends". A therapeutic fairy tale is a professional tool supporting the youngest in coping with difficult situations. This time its heroes, Ukrainian children who came to Poland after Russia's aggression against Ukraine, go to Polish schools.
Prof. Dariusz Galasiński says: We directed our first therapeutic fairy tale to children from Ukraine. We wanted to show them that they are not alone, that they are safe in Poland. The second fairy tale is directed both to Polish children and to Ukrainian children. We want to show Polish children how difficult it is to enter a school where everyone speaks a foreign language. We want to show Ukrainian children that it can also be difficult for Polish children. The fairy tale is also directed to parents. We would like them to read it together with the children and talk.
The therapeutic fairy tale "Ola and Boris go to school" saw the light of day thanks to the financial and organizational support of many institutions, especially the Heweliusz Institute, Rotary District 6250 Foundation, the Fort Atkinson Rotary Club and the Wrocław City Hall.
The fairy tale is free, you cannot sell it, you can only give it to someone. Please contact us, if there are institutions that would like to print further editions, please contact us - summarizes prof. Galasiński
Link for Free Download or View Link Book #1 (Ola, Boris and their new Friends).
Link for Free Download or View Link Book #2 (Ola and Boris go to School).
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