Interact is Rotary International’s service club for young people ages 14 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, which provide support and guidance, but they are self-governing and self-supporting.

Club membership varies greatly. Clubs can be single gender or mixed, large or small. They can draw from the student body of a single school or from two or more schools in the same community.

Each year, Interact clubs complete at least two community service projects, one of which furthers international understanding and goodwill. Through these efforts, Interactors develop a network of friendships with local and overseas clubs and learn the importance of

1. Developing leadership skills and personal integrity

2. Demonstrating helpfulness and respect for others

3. Understanding the value of individual responsibility and hard work

4. Advancing international understanding and goodwill

As one of the most significant and fastest-growing programs of Rotary service, with more than 10,700 clubs in 109 countries and geographical areas, Interact has become a worldwide phenomenon. Almost 200,000 young people are involved in Interact.

F-V High School Students Present Community Work at International Conference

Credit: Photo: Thomas Ray

Geovanny Solera (left), and Anthony Prince (right)

FUQUAY VARINA, N.C. With over 14,000 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) professionals and educators from 123 countries, two Fuquay Varina High School rising seniors descended on San Diego, California for the 2008 Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) International User Conference, August 1 – 6, 2008.

For two years now, the FVHS 4-H Interact Club sponsored by the FV Rotary has engaged a small number of club participants in utilizing cutting edge GIS technologies to implement community service activities. GIS, along with nanotechnology and biotechnology, has been identified as one of the top three emerging fields by the U.S. Department of Labor. Through the club's partnership with 4-H Youth Development and ESRI out of Redlands, CA, club members have been granted use of ESRI's ArcView 9.2 GIS software. Club members have used the software to create maps for community projects and have become GIS educators for adults and youth.

Projects to date have included mapping gang tagging in Fuquay Varina; growth of businesses; Fuquay Varina WiFi locations; and Wake County shelters for people, large and small animals during times of coastal evacuation.

Anthony Prince, 17, and Geovanny Solera, 18, told their story to hundreds of attendees at a reception walk-through on Sunday night of the conference. Networking with GIS professionals from around the world was a highlight of the conference that allowed Anthony and Geovanny to gain ideas about what educators, professionals, and other youth from around the world were doing with GIS. Several professionals also offered tips on how to improve on various aspects of GIS work. Anthony and Geovanny presented on Tuesday morning of the Conference the development of their shelter map. Additionally, their map was posted in the Youth in GIS area of the map gallery. The presentation and display were well received by conference attendees.

Thursday evening of the conference, the team joined up with youth from Oregon Intel 4-H TechWizards youth who are partners in EquipoGIS at the Latin American Regional User Group (LARUG) session. EquipoGIS is in effort to promote International understanding and education with GIS as the primary vehicle. The goal of EquipoGIS is to use GIS to create lasting leadership skills by connecting youth with other communities and countries, enabling them to affect change not only their own communities but also communities around the world. Gustavo Riveros, representative from the Chilean Ministry of Education, discussed plans for EquipoGIS youth to educate and collaborate with a local high school in Santiago Chile on a GIS community project. 4-H EquipoGIS will teach GPS/GIS skills to the Chilean youth, and then facilitate a community project. Together they will also present at the ESRI LAUC conference. This project is not yet funded.

Other educational sessions that Anthony and Geovanny have conducted include educating afterschool professionals in GIS at the 2008 Synergy Summit in Greensboro, NC (this session was done with team member Jose Martinez, also of FVHS), GIS day at 4-H Betsy Jeff Penn Camp in Reidsville, NC, and EnviroCamp at Historic Oakview Park in Raleigh, NC.

Sponsors are being sought for the team's trip to Santiago, Chile. Team naming rights are available for a sponsorship of $10,000. For more information about the team, how to sponsor, or to schedule the team for an educational event, contact Thomas Ray at thomas.ray@co.wake.nc.us or 919-623-2199.

Highlights:

* FVHS 4-H Interact Club is sponsored by FV Rotary Club

* EquipoGIS is a partnership with 4-H youth in Oregon

* Club youth make maps for community service projects

* Youth are GIS educators across the State

* Youth present at International Conference in San Diego, CA

* Youth are seeking sponsorship for International GIS Education opportunity

Story at MyNC.org