A once in a lifetime opportunity, too good to be true. A life-changing learning experience. These are phrases past participants have used to describe Rotary Internationalís Group Study Exchange program.

Group Study Exchange (GSE) is a unique educational experience that furthers international understanding by providing an opportunity for outstanding business and professional people to study another country, its people, its culture and its institutions. Each GSE team visits a Rotary district in another country for four weeks. Team members stay in the homes of Rotarians, if possible, and follow an itinerary of educational and cultural points of interest.

A Rotary District 5960 GSE team will visit Australia, from mid February to the end of March, 2007. A second Rotary District 5960 GSE team will visit Ecuador in the month of May, 2007. Rotary offers this opportunity to spend a month living with local Rotarians and seeing the country in a way few will ever experience.

The teams will consist of four non-Rotarian professional or business people and a Rotarian team leader. Candidates must be engaged in a recognized business or profession on a full-time basis for at least the past two years. Employers must give permission for the candidate to participate BEFORE the interview process. Candidates must be between the ages of 25-40 years and must live or work within the limits of Rotary District 5960 and its clubs (St Paul, southeastern and central MN, parts of western Wisconsin). Applicants cannot be spouses or lineal descendants of current Rotary members. Applicants must be citizens of the United States of America. Applications must be received by your local Rotary Clubs by September 15, 2006 for Australia and September 22, 2006 for Ecuador.

District level interviews will be held on Saturday, October 7, 2006 for Australia and Saturday, October 21, 2006 for Ecuador. Applicants must be available all day, starting at 9:00 a.m. for interviews which will be held at the Northern Star Council Boy Scouts of America, 393 Marshall Avenue, St Paul, Minnesota.

For an application form and/or local Rotary club information and contact person, please call Jingle Mahan at (651) 636-9054 or jingle@rotary5960.org.

GSE applications available for downloading at:

http://www.rotary.org/newsandinfo/downloadcenter/foundation/educational.html.