Dear Rotary Youth Exchange friends and all Rotary friends from all over the world. I am very happy you are all here with us today. Some of you who are online today, remember that I shared my moto “Be happy” at the EEMA conference in Valencia.
I am still happy, very happy – because: I’m still the first EEMA president from Denmark ever!
Today I’m a happy President, proud that the team from the Netherlands has created the opportunity for this first web seminar in EEMA’S history. A Digital EEMA conference. Will digital be the future conference form because of Corona? I hope not, because I like to greet you all personally. There is nothing better than a good Rotary Youth Exchange hug! We must and we shall be positive about Rotary Youth Exchange.
Lucien and I made the decision to postpone EEMA from 2020 to 2021. After close dialogue with Laura from Italy and Viktorija from Lithuania. In this way we know that EEMA conferences will continue in the future. In the Netherlands in 2021, in Italy in 2022 and in Lithuania in 2023. Although we do not yet know the form, because CORONA is still active…so stay tuned.
Now I like to share my happiness about EEMA projects. To start with the biggest project we have ever undertaken: The Power of One.
- Wow EEMA, we started thinking of Africa instead of just letting Africa be the A in EEMA.
- Leadership of Past president Serdar, who started the project.
- Together with ABIJ, Nayen and Taiwan.
- Past president of Nayen and secretary of the project, Terrance who made a difference, and led us to the situation we are in today.
- Corona does not kill the project. It’s possible to continue, even with CORONA, we just be positive about Rotary Youth Exchanges so we will be strong with or without CORONA!
A second project is the working group on Rotary Short Term Exchanges. I am happy and Proud that we have almost finished the new Rotary Short-Term guidelines, as well as the application form. Many zoom meetings took place and a final check is to be done soon.
I would like to thank Ursula Gervasi from Switzerland, leader of the Short Term working group and I would also like to thank Di King from England, helping us putting all guidelines and forms into correct English.
And so, I can say with peace in my mind “Be happy” Youth exchanges live despite Corona, together we become stronger!
