As the Life Changing year nears its end, the month of May served as a time for preparation and gearing up for the incoming term. On the 6th of May 2022, the Rotaract Clubs of Rotary International District 3800 hosted the incoming District Rotaract leaders of the country at the heart of the festive city of Antipolo for a three-day face-to-face training dubbed as The 15th District Rotaract Representatives-Elect Training Seminar, or as we like to effortlessly call it – The 15th DRRETS.
The event set off with a welcome treat of the jovial experience of the iconic Sumakah Festival, a glimpse of the city’s pride of its major products; the Suman, Mangga, Kasuy, and the Hamaka, which is the old mean of transportation going up to the highlands of Antipolo. The first day mostly featured a time of warming up, with the incoming District Rotaract leaders branding each districts’ pride, meeting one’s classmates, and becoming acquainted with the incoming Pilipinas Rotaract MDIO Chair Alstair Rey Tecarro. A promenade of the delegates in their Mindanaoan inspired garments ended the night with a dip and fellowship.
During the second day, the visitors got to listen and learn with the esteemed resource speakers from in and out of the country. With CP Bing Carrion (RID 3810) on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, PDRR Kaushal Sahu (RID 3053) on Membership Growth and Retention, PP Jeng Liban (RID 3800) on Measuring, Reporting, and Communicating Impact, and incoming MDIO Chair Alstair Rey Tecarro (RID 3860) on the Elevate Rotaract Workshop – the incoming leaders is offered the opportunity to learn and share ideas. The day culminated with a team building activity and with incoming Chair Alstair Rey Tecarro accepting the challenge from incumbent Chair Manuel Joseph Franco the endeavors of guiding the Pilipinas Rotaractors for the new Rotary Year to come.
Lastly, a time of reflection and action transpired on the last day. The delegates participated in a service project to the nearby Sitio Dumpsite Child Development Center, inspiring hope and joy to the beneficiaries through an endowment of much needed support and supplies to keep the daycare up and running. Truly, it is an act worth of living up to the Rotaract tenet – Fellowship Through Service. The day ended with a parade of thanks and goodbyes, with unforgettable learnings, ties, and memories to keep as the visitors set off to journey back to their home districts.
The Life Changing year is indeed nearing its conclusion as the year of Imagine Rotary sets in. It is in the hopes of the host district that the time spent together fired up imaginations and gave the incoming leaders the power to turn those visions into a reality.
