Progressive Interact is a program that engages our youth in Interact Clubs as the progress from elementary school, to middle school and then to high school. Its goala:  To grow leaders from an early age with a love for community service and to provide students a strong support system through major transitions from 5^th to 6^th grade and from 8^th to 9^th grade through member connection and community service.  The Interact Clubs provide a needed link during these critical transitions. Interact Clubs encourage students to demonstrate “Service Above Self” by implementing their own service projects and working with their sponsoring Rotary Club. These students learn to lead their clubs and service projects—each year becoming better leaders and better people.

Progressive Interact works!  Since 2013, Roswell Rotary has implemented and sponsored a dozen Interact Clubs, including 5 elementary school, 2 middle school and 5 high school Interact Clubs. The Interact Clubs in the elementary schools select officers, hold meetings and serve their community with a wide range projects, including writing letters to the troops, visiting nursing homes, and collecting food for others.  As they move into middle school, those students have a familiar club to join and many join right away.  The Interact Clubs in the middle schools select officers, hold meeting and serve their school and community with projects like food drives, raising money for local charities and serving at the local humane society.  They also participate in projects with the high school Interact Clubs and the sponsoring Rotary Club.  As these students transition to high school, the Interact Clubs at the high schools are there to welcome them and put them to work on projects that are familiar to them, like eradicating polio, clothing drives for youth in other countries, End Human Trafficking, Be THE Voice®, food drives, blood drives, and volunteering at non-profits. 

Interact grows leaders.  By the time the Interact Club members get to high school, they are ready to lead others in projects that make a difference.  They know how to organize a group, they follow-up and engage others—not just in their club but throughout their school.  Their leadership skills are strong and continue to be strengthened by the leadership opportunities offered by Interact and Rotary. One example is RYLA, where the Rotary liaisons and Interact faculty advisors select active Interact leaders for RYLA each year.  These students return to their schools with the leadership skills needed to lead the Interact Club their junior and senior years.   

Rotarians are actively engaged with the youth through Interact and the youth have access to our community’s leaders and great role models through Interact. Interactors want to hear from people in all types of careers and club meetings are a great place for Rotarians to highlight career options. Progressive Interact provides students a strong support system through major transitions from 5^th to 6^th grade and from 8^th to 9^th grade and grows leaders.  Progressive Interact provides a wonderful platform for these extraordinary students, teachers and Rotarians to impact their schools, their community and the world!  That’s success by any measure.