SEASON 2013-14
ISSUE 13
ROTARACTION CYPRUS ROTARACT NEWSLETTER
District 2452 Armenia|Bahrain|Cyprus|Georgia|Jordan|Lebanon|Palestine|Sudan|United Arab Emirates
SEASON 2013-14
ISSUE 13
Dear Friends & Fellows
ROTARACTION CYPRUS ROTARACT NEWSLETTER
The Team
It is with great pleasure and honor to welcome you in one of the last Rotaraction Issues.
DRR: Vincent Fayad
After five years being an active member of Rotaract Club Nicosia and serving Rotaract from various positions, I have enriched my knowledge and I have been developed in personal level. I learned how to work, interact and cooperate with different people, with different backgrounds, cultures, attitudes and characters. I had the opportunity to work on projects with younger people (Interactors) and Rotarians. Through these years, I met amazing and adorable people that I call friends and that they will last for a lifetime! It is my belief that this is one of the most valuable things we get by being a Rotaractor.
drr2452@gmail.com
PDRR: Elena Aroti
drrep2450@gmail.com
Cyprus VDRR: Kyriacos Christofides christofidisk@me.com
Cyprus PR Coordinator Chief Editor: Hannah Mortaga hannahmortaga@gmail.com
Creative Advisor Mishel Fayad
contact@mishelfayad.com
After a busy Rotaract year 2012-2013. due to the position I had as Conference Chair for the Conference Cyprus organized in Limassol, this year I have been suggested of taking over the MDIO Representative for Cyprus position. That was a great honor and I really learned a lot from this position like working with people from other countries that you have never meat. As MDIO Representative for Cyprus and member of the Executive Board as Service Coordinator about MDIO I would take this opportunity and present briefly MED MDIO. The main purpose of MED MDIO is to develop international relationships between clubs and members all over the Mediterranean region by bringing Rotaractors together, which I confirmed when I joined this amazing team! Some of the organization purposes that give a clear picture on what we were responsible to do: •information and facilitation of communication between Rotaract clubs in the Districts of the Mediterranean region, •exchange of information among the represented districts of Rotaract in Mediterranean regions, the clubs and their members, •fostering international contacts among Rotaractors, •encouraging Rotaractors to work together in international projects, In accordance with the Rotary International policy, the Rotaract Mediterranean MDIO will have no decision making or legislative powers except for decisions concerning the activities of the organization and all the funds needed to implement the organization’s activities shall be obtained on a voluntary basis only.
Editorial “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on
Taking this opportunity, I can now announce that for the 2014-2015 Rotarian year, Antigoni Karakoulli from Rotaract Club Amathusia will take over and I wish her all the best. Antigoni is an experienced Rotaractor who will have the opportunity to explore the Mediterranean region through this new position.
the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction
Although this year was very busy and difficult for many reasons, I am really proud that I am a Rotaractor in Rotaract Club of Nicosia and I will always be one in my heart!
that life was beginning over again with the summer.” ~F. Scott Fitzgerald. In this issue, we are thrilled to have Evie Christodoulou give the welcoming word and have a look at the events of the clubs for the month of April and May. We hope you enjoy reading this issue and on behalf of the PR committee we wish you a lovely June.
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That’s why I would like to encourage Rotaractors and prospective members to take the opportunity and serve their club. By taking over a position in your club, you will have many things to do and you will spend some of your free time but it really worth it, as you will be developed, you will become a better person, you learn so many things, you meet people and you discover skills and characteristics about yourself you never believed you had!
Rotaractly Yours Evie Christodooulou MDIO Representative for Cyprus 2013-14
Rotaract Club of Limassol Amathusia
Lets Do it Cyprus – Clean Limassol Rotaract Club of Limassol Amathusia join the pancyprian campaign “let’s clean up Cyprus in one day”. Sunday morning we met at Amathus beach hotel and at that point we start collecting the rubbish that many “forget” around. It was a great project to put as a team not only for joining such a good campaign but also for us to do something to our own town. Also we had the chance to bond our relations and after the clean up we enjoy a lunch at plus sea. 3 | ISSUE 13 | ROTARACTION |
1st Rotaract District 2452 Conference - Dubai 2014 In May 2014 the 1st Rotaract District Conference 2452 was held in Dubai with the Carpe Diem. The Cyprus Delegation was composed by 7 Cypriot Rotaractors and was truly an incredible experience. The opening ceremony took place on the 15th of May at the Dubai Marriott Hotel Al Jaddaf. The Conference was declared
open by the Conference Chair Charbel Karta and short welcoming speech followed from our DRR Vincent Fayad. On the first day of the conference we attended a number of workshops on branding, basic finance and accounting principles, entrepreneurship and other related topics which would provide us with skills required for opening a business in Dubai. Thanks to our final speaker Mr Hassan Al Natour and his motivational speech the seminars ended with all Rotaractors standing on their chairs screaming “YES YES YES!’. In the afternoon we were given a range of activities to choose from. The Cypriot Delegation chose Madinal Jumeirah Souk where we strolled around the narrow hallways in which the
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spirit of the traditional Arabian market survives. Then we all met outside to have some refreshments and shisha by the lake enjoying the view of Burj Al Arab. Leaving Madinat Jumeirah we headed down to the Dubai Marina where we took a short boat ride along the coast enjoying the sunset skyline of Dubai. For dinner we went to Shera-
winning first prize by presenting a mobile phone application offering audio guides for Cyprus.
ton Creek so we could stuff our stomachs with an all you can eat and drink luscious asian buffet. An hour into the dinner we realized the all you can drink may not have been such a great idea since from that point onwards all that anyone can remember is the laughing, singing and shouting.
The conference ended with the closing ceremony at the luxurious Ritz Carlton Hotel of Dubai. The ceremony started with a speech from the DRR and the presentation of the awards to the winning clubs. The triumph of the Cypriot Clubs forced us to ship two boxes packed with awards in Cyprus. Gourmet dinner followed that left our taste buds satisfied and our stomachs half empty. Dancing and partying continued until the very early
hours when we had to get to the airport to catch our plane back to Cyprus. The 1st District Conference of District 2452 was a complete success and an amazing experience for all participants. The hospitality and kindness of our fellow Rotaractors was beyond expectation and we will hold this experience in our hearts forever. Thank you Rotaractors of Dubai for this amazing experience. We look forward to have you in Cyprus soon.
Next morning grumpy faces could be seen at the business challenge showing signs of how much fun we had had the night before. For the business challenge we were divided into 3 groups and each groups had 30 minutes to come up with a business idea and present it in front of a panel of judges. Despite taught competition our group was successful in
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Rotaract Club Nicosia Ledra
5km Charity Walk This April the concept of the Rotaract Club of Nicosia - Ledra’s Annual Charity Walk was estab-lished.
and col-leagues which are then donated to the chosen charity.
Each year our Club will choose a cause with the aim of raising both awareness and funds to support the cause. The participants in the Walk raise sponsorships from friends, family
Our first annual 5km Charity Walk tool place on April the 6th along the Linear Park of Piedios in Nicosia. The aim of the Walk to make the wish of child suffering from cancer, leukaemia or other blood diseases come true through the Cyprus Association “One Dream One Wish”. The walk had a great turnout and our participants managed to raise the substantial amount of €1340.
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On behalf of the Club, we would like to thank all our participants and their sponsors for their support. See you all again next year to support a new cause!
Rotaract Club Nicosi
International Project Peace Through Photographs Our club participated in an International Project with theme Peace Through Photographs.
The aim of the project was to make a real, touchable booklet consisting of photographs about “peace” from Rotaracts around the World. The purpose behind the idea was to show people that although we live in different cultures and speak different languages, we have Rotary’s themes and values (“peace” in that case) in our countries, houses and lives.
Thank you Rotaract Club of Sariyer for this opportunity!
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Rotaract Club of Nicosia
“RotarART” Art Exhibition 9-11 May 2014 RotarART art exhibition took place on the 9th – 11th of May 2014, a fundraising event organised by Rotaract Club of Nicosia to raise money for the “Elpida” Association of Friends of Children with Cancer and Leukaemia and Cyprus Autistic Association. RCN ‘s main goal was to create an event that will support edu-
cational needs for both associations. This has been achieved by collaborating with 39 artists, sponsors and various supporters, for a fiesta that lasted only three days and raised the total net profits of 6000 euros. The opening of the exhibition was made by Mrs. Photini Papadopoulou on the 9th and attracted a lot of visitors, among them were artists, politicians, Rotarians and Rotaractors and art lovers. The exhibition included 71 pieces of art, limited edition T-Shirts designed by Prodromos Syngrasitis (member of RCN) and booklets that included statements of the participating artists. All proceeds of these were contributed to the purpose. Ro-
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taract Club of Nicosia is very proud for not only organising this event, building new collaborations and contributing to the society, but also because it has managed to make Rotaract more known to a lot of people and showed what Rotaractors can achieved!
Rotaract Club of Nicosia
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Rotaract Club Nicosia Aspelia
Handmade Bookmarks for ShelterBox sils, a basic tool kit, mosquito nets and a children’s activity pack. If you wish to buy a bookmark and support the mission of ShelterBox please contact a member of Rotaract Club of Nicosia Aspelia. For more information about ShelterBox please visit www.shelterbox. org Members and friends of Rotaract Club of Nicosia Aspelia were asked to unleash the Picasso inside them and to draw in order to support ShelterBox! Each Aspelian has drawn a bookmark with the theme “Peace and Friendship” and then all bookmarks were sent at Kemanes Digital Printing for a massive colorful printing. The bookmarks are currently sold by the members of the club at the price of EUR 2 each. All proceeds will be donated to ShelterBox. ShelterBox is a charity organiza-
tion and a Rotary International project partner. The organization’s mission is to rapidly provide emergency shelter and vital aid to stabilize, protect and support communities overwhelmed by disaster and humanitarian crisis. Each ShelterBox contains a disaster relief tent for a family, thermal blankets and groundsheets, water storage and purification equipment, solar lamps, cooking uten-
We would like to thank Kemanes Digital Printing for fully sponsoring the cost of printing the bookmarks.
Shadow Theatre Performance Karagiozis Chef “Karagiozis Chef”, at the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation. Before the main performance, kids of all ages but also many kids at heart had the opportunity to participate at a workshop and learn how to create their own Karagiozis figures.
On the 31st of May, Rotary and Rotaract Club Nicosia Aspelia, successfully organized a shadow theatre performance titled
The performance was delivered in Greek language by Mr. Thodoris Kostidakis and Mrs. Katerina Pantela, workshop animator. Net proceeds from the event
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were offered to the Rotary Nicosia Aspelia Scholarship fund.
Rotaract Club Nicosia Aspelia
Winners of E.R.I.C. Twin Club Award Rotaract Club Nicosia Aspelia is very glad to announce that on the 3th of May 2014, has won the first place at the Twin Club Award for the “Smaller World” project.
The award is given by the European Rotaract Information Centre (E.R.I.C.) to the best European twinning project. “Smaller World” is a mega twinning project between 18 Ro-
taract clubs all over the world and its main objective is the culture exchange and world understanding between the countries taking part in the project. The results were announced during the Gala dinner at EUCO 2014 in Monte Carlo. The Aspelians: Charis Michael, Alexandra Papadopoulou, and Antonis Yemenaris, proudly received the award at the stage of Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo in front of 1000 Rotaractors and Rotarians from all over Europe.
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Rotaract Club Larnaca Kition
Lets Do it Cyprus – Clean Larnaca
Let’s Do Cyprus Belongs to the campaign Let’s do it World, a worldwide cleaning campaign, which aims to remove the rubbish from the natural sites of the world. It is the largest volunteer program and the largest citizens’ initiative ever organized throughout the world.
bers along with the sponsoring Rotary Club took advantage of this great opportunity and on the 6th of April they visited the Tekke Park and do some cleaning!
Rotaract Larnaca Kition mem-
Meeting & Pinning! lysmos event is the last event of the year and it is one of the biggest fundraisers of the club happening for the 3rd year in a row. A lot of options were put on the table and it was decided that the money raised would go to the “Shield of Aeanta”. On the 6th of May Rotaract Larnaca Kition members met for the first meeting of the month. This was an interesting meeting since everyone was excited to discuss about options for the Kataklysmos event. The Katak-
Shield of Aeanta is a newly established organization that is aim is to provide any needs for kids that can’t afford them. Apart from the Kataklysmos, we
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were very proud to pin Penny, our latest member. We would like to congratulate Penny and welcome her to the family of Rotaract Larnaca Kition.
Rotaract Club Larnaca Kition
Kataklysmos Preperations Rotaract Larnaca Kition members met at Socrates, the incoming president’s house to prepare for the Kataklysmos event. One of the things that it was decided to be sold is painted rocks. Some members were assigned the task to go to the beach and collect some rocks to be painted
at. Different sizes and shapes of rocks were available and members had the opportunity to play around and be creative. It is so pleasant to see how much fun someone can have if you give them a brush and some colors.
“Start your dream” Project Hotel in Larnaca. Universities from all around Cyprus gathered and supported the event and kindly offered their advices to the attendees. The participants were: University of Cyprus, Cyprus University of Technology, UCLan Cyprus, Higher Hotel Institute, University of Nicosia, Intercollege Larnaca, Frederick University, Alexander College, CDA College, and Atlantis College. On the 30th of April a joint educational project titled “Start your dream” of Rotaract Club of Larnaca Kition and the Cyprus Human Resources Management Association took place at Atrium Zenon
Additionally representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Insurances and the Human Resources Authority of Cyprus were there in order to assist the attendees.
The goal was to gather money which will be used to get a tuition fee reduction from an Academic Institution. The beneficiaries were young people who are supported by the Municipal Welfare Store of Larnaca and other similar charitable organizations. Larnaca Mayor Andreas Louroutziatis, Volunteer Commissioner Yiannis Yiannaki, Member of Parliament Aristotelis Misos, and representatives from vast majority of organizations created an amazing spirit of hope and solidarity for the young students and tomorrow’s active citizens!
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Rotaract Club Larnaca Kition
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A final note Summer is finally here and we are loving it! As the sun is burning the sands on the beaches, it was with great diffeculty that we managed to find the strength to sit down and make this issue. The temptation (and temprature) is too high! Despite these distractions, we finally did it! This was the first and only double issue of it’s kind! So until our next issue, please listen to mum and take that hat and sun cream with you so you can freely and fully enjoy the heat of summer that has embraced us!...
SEASON 2013 - 14
ISSUE 13
ROTARACTION CYPRUS ROTARACT NEWSLETTER
This is the Official monthly Cyprus Rotaract Newsletter. For any suggestions, ideas or thoughts about the uproming issues, please contact us directly at hannahmortaga@gmail.com or contact@mishelfayad.com