The committee members of the Trinity College Interact Club along with their staff advisor participated at an orientation programme organized to educate the office bearers of the Interact Clubs around Kandy.
The programme was held on 7th of August 2019 at Oak Ray Hotel, Kandy and was organised by the Rotary Club of Kandy.
The programme aimed to define and improve administrative skills of the participants, teaching them the duties, responsibilities and the importance of their posts so that they can create and maintain an effective club.
The following members of the Trinity Interact Club took part in the event:
- Rahul Jayaram – President
- Luqman Ziyard – Treasurer
- Kasun Karunaratne – Editor
- Musharaf Farris – Director of Community Service
- Abdul Rahaman – Director of International Understanding
- Khaleel Suleiman – Director of Club Service
- Mohandas Yadesh – Assistant Secretary
- Akmal Fareekdeen – Assistant Treasurer
The event commenced with the following:
- Welcome speech delivered by Rtn K. Wigneshwaran (Acting President of the Rotary Club, Kandy).
- A speech by Rtn Avanti Karunaratne (Director of New Generations).
- A discussion on district Interact activities for the year by Dr Ranjith Gunathilake (Regional coordinator for Interact and Rotaract).
- A discussion on the role, duties, and responsibilities of an Interact President by Dr Gamini Abeyakoon (Past President Rotary Club of Kandy).
- A discussion on the importance of a secretary by Rtn Rosemary Grieve.
“For an Interact Club to thrive, the development of strong leadership and a committed, interested membership is vital!”
Afterwards, there was a Q&A session where members cleared their doubts and got the opportunity to find out more about the specifics of management and committee work.
Later, PDG Dr V. Vijayakumar discussed how to maintain the club accounts.
During the tea break the Interactors of different schools discussed potential collaborations on future projects, while staff advisers and Rotarians discussed the formalities and procedures of the clubs.
Following the break, Rtn Girish Atmaram gave some pointers on the duties and responsibilities of the directors, and after PDG Dr V. Vijayakumaran addressed the basics of writing a project proposal.
One of the most important presentations of the programme was Dr Vijaykumaran’s “Dos and Don’ts”. He gave straightforward advice to help an Interact committee to work effectively with the parent club and avoid disastrous shortcomings.
Another open forum was held on club operations and new project ideas.
The vote of thanks was delivered by the Trinity Interactor, Yadesh Vinothkumar Mohandas. The programme concluded with the national anthem.
The committee of Trinity College Interact club greatly benefited from this programme and has already implemented an objective to increase their use of technology by having the club’s projects and events published on the College website.
The club’s President, Rahul Jayaram commented:
“We were inspired as Interactors at the orientation programme as it gave an insight on how prestigious an Interact Club can be.
I and my committee members received an intensive and simple insight to our roles and responsibilities of the club. We were also impressed to hear about the support and the backup Rotary Club of Kandy promised to give us throughout the year.
It was nice to see many Interact Committees from various schools participating at the event.
We not only had the chance to learn about leadership qualities but also to learn the aspects of management and social service.
I’m sure that what we learnt from the Orientation programme would play a pivotal and crucial role in our club’s activities while the Interactors look forward to contribute their best for the future activities.”
The Staff Advisor of Trinity’s Interact Club, Mrs Agra Ratnayake had this to say:
“The programme covered many areas related to roles and responsibilities of the office bearers. The presentations and speeches were very informative. Lot of discussion and sharing took place as many questions were raised and suggestions were made by Interactors representing various schools where our boys were able to learn many aspects of Interact.
I’m assured that my committee would perpetrate their duties to the best of their abilities on behalf of Trinity Interact. I hope to guide them in developing their leadership skills and personal integrity while prioritizing the community service for the needy.
Furthermore, I’ve requested every committee member to chair a project, all the directors covering their avenue. We hope to plan and arrange these projects on time to avoid any rush and ensure a productive outcome at the end.”
