Paul Harris never was an Interactor. I believe he missed a lot, but what he did is much more important – he gave thousands of young people of today a chance to become Interactors and Rotaractors, to become a part of one idea and one unity – Rotary. We thank him for that.  

INTERACT 

It was October 1993 when English Rotarians visited our school # 631. They told us about the ideas of Rotary and suggested we establish an Interact Club in our school. Some time later, after a visit to the United States, where we met with the members of the Key Club, we were also encouraged to organize an Interact Club. At that time we did not have the slightest idea of being honoured to become the first Interact Club in Russia.  

Today, looking back at that time, we recall all the excitement and difficulties we came across, all the inspiration and fear we had. There was so much to learn and to do to make an Interact come true . 

At first we were a school-based Club of 14 members. We cleaned the school ground and did some other work for the school in order to earn money to buy toys and fruits for a group from an Orphanage. We collected toys at a toy exhibition and clothes through school as well.  

In 1994 we have started corresponding with an Interact Club from Colchester, UK and organized an exchange program with them. 

In October 1994 we were charted by Rotary International as an official Interact Club. Michael Siggs, Rotarian from Colchester and the honorary member of Rotary Club "Saint-Petersburg NEVA" presented us a small bell and wished that one day bells like that would ring throughout Russia. 

In 1995 there were 22 members in the Club, half of which were girls and half - boys, from 15 to 18 years old, who came from different schools and Universities of St.Petersburg. Most of Interact members were in the Club till August 1997, when those of us who were older than 18 have established a Rotaract Initiative Group - with the intention to found the second Rotaract Club in St.Petersburg. Most of us speak English fluently and almost everyone studies a third language.  

We visit the group of children from an Orphanage every month or two. During these years we have become good friends with these children. It is so much pleasure and fun for us - to play with them, to see how happy they are every time we come.  

Once, not long ago, when we came to their summer camp in a suburb and saw their eyes shining with delight and excitement, it has become especially clear for all of us – it is not only them who need us to come and play and talk to them. This is us who need their smiles and happiness.  

These visits have become a good tradition for our Club, as well as our annual trip to a suburb or somewhere in the country for a few days to rest. We also celebrate our Club's founding on March 10 and October 27, the anniversary of our official certification. 

We keep in touch with the Rotaract Club, sponsored by RC "St.Petersburg NEVA". Besides the toy collecting and joint meetings, together we arranged a fire-alarm instruction in one of the boarding schools. 

One of the most recent social program in the Club have been the healthy life-style program "Healthy Pleasure". On March 7 1996 our Club held the first anti-smoking Disco Dancing in our school as a part of this program. More than 150 students came there and it was a great success. On May 1 1997 the second Disco Dancing was arranged. 

On March 17 we met with RI President 95/96 Herb Brown, who visited St.Petersburg Rotary Clubs. We told him about our Club and gave him our badge, with which he was pleased and proud. 

On November 15 1996 the Club's President Eugene Mizin went to Prague to the RI Presidential Conference. There he gave a speech concerning Rotary Youth in Russia and our Club especially. Also he met RI President 96/97 Luis Giay and has been persuading Rotarians to use Internet for communication. 

On winter holidays, as usual, most us went to the country-side for a few days and stayed in the country cottages, skiing, playing table-tennis and giving themselves a rest after the winter-exams. 

On March 25 1997 clothes collecting was arranged by our Interact. A lot of warm things and shoes were sent to children from the Orphanage, situated in Karelia, north-western part of Russia. 

ROTARACT 

There are lines in the Constitution of an Interact Club saying that you have to be from 14 to 18 to be an Interact member. We seriously disliked these lines and stayed in the Club till most of us celebrated 19^th and a few even 20^th birthday. After that we have stopped side-stepping the Constitution and applied for Rotaract. 

Today there are 17 members in the Cub. We study at the Universities of St.Petersburg, most of us combine work with study, and still we find time to work on our Rotaract projects. We do this because we believe – it is time to act. 

On September 19-26 we presented the "15 Hours of Healthy Pleasure" Program in the High School #2. As a result 15 students from that High School joined the Interact Club we come from. 

On the last days of September 1997 we have been certified as an official Rotaract Club. We were honored to get our charter from RI President Glen Kinross at the first RI Presidential Conference in St.Petersburg, Russia on October 4th 1997. 

This Conference was truly an exciting experience for our Rotaractors and Interactors. We had a possibility to meet hundreds of Rotarians from all over the world, Rotaractors from different parts of Russia and other countries. We made presentations of our projects and had a possibility to watch others during the Interact/Rotaract Forum. 

Starting Ocotober 1997 our Club president became the member of Board of Editors of "Rotary Digest", the first Rotary Magazine published in Russia. 

On November 1997 together with Interact Club we arranged a children clothes collecting in the High School and delivered to clothes to the Orphanage.  

On November 1997 club members participated in launching the "Rotary in Russia" web-site ( www.rotary.ru ), designed to bring information about Rotary to people all over the world, to help Rotarians and Rotarian Youth find new friends in other countries and to guide to Rotary Projects. 

The projects and we plan to work on in 1997 / 1998 are as follows: 

1. 15 Hours of Healthy Pleasure;
2. "ROTARY IN RUSSIA" web-site development;
3. Exchange Program with Rotaract Club from other city or country;
4. School-Internet;
5. Patronage over the Interact Club;
6. Maintaining all the projects we had being Interactors in cooperation with today's Interact;
7. Cooperation with Rotary Digest, the first Rotary magazine in Russia;
8. Participation in Interact/Rotaract Forum on the RI Convention in Indianapolis on June 1998;
9. Thousands of nice things will do without any projects;

The official definition of Rotaract says: "Rotaract is an international organization of service clubs for men and women aged 18-30 that fosters leadership and responsible citizenship, encourages high ethical standards in business and promotes international understanding and peace." 

Fortunately, Rotaract is not only this. There are a few things about Rotaract we feel obliged to declare.  

1. Rotaract is fun.
2. Rotaract is friendship.
3. Rotaract is action. 

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