BRUNCH WITH THE NEW HAVEN ROTARY CLUB

Sunday 19th the New Haven Rotary Club welcomed the GSE with a wonderful brunch at the historic New Haven Country Club. 

New Haven is the third largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area. It is located in New Haven County, on New Haven Harbor, on the northern shore of Long Island Sound.

One year after its founding in 1638, eight streets were laid out in a grid of four streets by four streets creating what is now commonly known as the "Nine Square Plan," which is recognized by the American Institute of Certified Planners as a National Historic Planning Landmark. The central common block is New Haven Green a 16-acre (65,000 m2) square, now aNational Historic Landmark and the center of Downtown New Haven.

New Haven had the first public tree planting program in America, producing a canopy of mature trees (including some large elms) that gave New Haven the nickname "The Elm City."The city is the home of Yale University. Along with Yale, health care (hospitals, biotechnology), professional services (legal, architectural, marketing, engineering), financial services and retail trade form the base of the economy. Since the mid-1990s, the city's downtown area has seen extensive revitalization.

Building Bonds

During the month stay the GSE members board in the homes of Rotarians who make them part of their family. 

The Quentins family from the Milford Rotary Club, the hosts of Ana Cristina G., held a welcoming gathering at their home.

In the picture below Janette Quentin's neighbor and her two children adopted from Guatemala! 'An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break.' -Chinese Proverb-

MADE IT TO CONNECTICUT

The GSE made it safe to Connecticut. After a good night sleep they are picked up by Rotarian Don for breakfast and their first day of activities, more to follow.

Rehearsing the GSE Presentation

The GSE groups has invested a lot of time an effort in conjunction with Dra. Jeane Fuenmayor, Plastic Surgeon from the Unidad de Niños Quemados, to put together a very appealing presentation of the group, Guatemala and the Borrando Huellas project.

GSE and Guatemala Metropoli Rotary Club

The GSE is working hand in hand with the Guatemala Metropoli Rotary Club to bring interest, funding and volunteer work to the proyect Borrando Huellas.

The avenues of works are:

• Specialized Training
• Foundations and International Cooperation
• Community Education
• Public Relation
• Legal Matters

In the picture a GSE representative participating in one of the weekly meetings of the Project Committee.  

Group Study Exchange District 4250 2009

This year's GSE  is conformed by a multidisciplinary team with one link in common, they all are part of the Guatemalan Pediatric Clinic for Burnt Children. We are thrilled to be able to engage in this wonderful opportunity of professional exchange as well as to be able to reach out to helping hands across the world.

The Group Study Exchange departs the 18th of April to Connecticut, USA where they will stay for one month.

The Rotary Foundation’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for businesspeople and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country's culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.

In a typical four-week tour, applicants participate in five full days of vocational visits, 15 to 20 club presentations, 10 to 15 formal visits and social events, two to three days at the district conference, three to four hours per day of cultural and site tours, and three to four hours per day of free time with host families.