GSE

One of the most popular programs of The Rotary Foundation is Group Study Exchange. Since the first exchange between districts in California and japan in 1965, the program has provided educational experiences for more than 44,500 business and professional men and women who have served on about 9,000 teams. The GSE program pairs Rotary districts to send and receive study teams. Since 1965, almost US$79.5 million has been allocated by The Rotary Foundation for Group Study Exchange grants.

One of the attractive features of GSE is the opportunity for the visiting team members to meet, talk, and live with Rotarians and their families in a warm spirit of friendship and hospitality. In addition to learning about another country through visits to farms, schools, industrial plants, professional offices, and governmental establishments, the GSE team members serve as ambassadors of goodwill. They interpret their home nation to host Rotarians and others in the communities they visit. In recent years, teams of a single vocational or cultural group have been exchanged. Some GSE teams help create humanitarian projects between their countries. Many of the personal contacts blossom into lasting friendships. Truly, the Group Study Exchange program has provided Rotarians with a most enjoyable, practical, and meaningful way to promote world understanding.