How did the project start?
On the 7th of May 2025, we were pitched the idea of creating a Rotary Interact Club in our school by members of Rotary Club Utrecht International (RCUI). The creation of this club would then be centered around one main event taking place the following month, a Waterloop. The goal of this event would then be to fundraise for one of RCUIl’s projects, the EmpowerHer initiative. The event would be organised by the members of our newly formed club, and we immediately opened sign-ups. This wonderful idea to contribute to a humanitarian cause sparked up some students’ interests (more specifically, mine Rabia, and Arthur’s). We then, following our first meeting on May 19th, took on the roles of President and Vice President of Rotary Interact ISU, which included 11 other students, and started the very basis of this project.
Potential Challenges
Going into this project, we were not aware of the challenges we were about to face. Whether that be keeping other students on track and making them uphold their role, or reaching the goals we had set ourselves, and even the event coming to life. On May 19th, as part of our first meeting, 5 members resigned from their roles, which included the school’s Green Team, who aimed to oversee the sustainability of the event. We then went on to simply discuss the overall event and how it would take place, and started by dividing our peers into small departments. These departments were Marketing, Logistics, and Finance. By the next meeting, we had created a structured plan regarding what needed to be done by each department, but one of our first mistakes was not setting strict deadlines for these tasks. This unfortunately led to procrastination, and unfortunately, with 2 weeks left before the event, almost everything still needed to be done. Imagine the panic on our side. But we stayed calm and composed, knowing the event was relying on us to be successful.
Successes
Arthur and I had to learn how to clearly communicate our wants and needs, as well as understand how to be in leadership positions. We decided to organize individual meetings with the departments to discuss progress and help them with their tasks. This decision contributed immensely to being able to achieve our goal.
The Event
June 18th, the date of the event, quickly came, and it was a success! Each of our members showed up and contributed greatly. And while there is always room for improvement, it went amazingly well. The Waterloop successfully raised €2222! As a collective, we had an enjoyable day – the kids got to miss some lesson time, but had the opportunity to learn more about global issues, then we ended the day with ice cream and being hosed down.
While you could think we already hit the end of the blog, there was one thing left to do – formally deliver the check of the raised funds to RCUI. We did this at the EmpowerHer Benefit Concert. We handed the check over to the Club President and were incredibly lucky to meet members of the ASAP Foundation, to whom the money was going. This EmpowerHer initiative also partnered with a sponsor who doubled all funds, so our €2222 turned into €4444 through the match!
We can’t wait to continue growing our Interact club – this Waterloop was just the beginning.
Written by Rabia & Arthur, ISU Rotaract President & Vice President