District Governor George Granade joins welcome for this year's Rotary Youth Exchange students

DG George and the D6910 and 6920 DGs at the GRSP Conclave this August

Rotarians work all year round to support education and literacy, but it's a special focus of Rotary International in September. Education is for everyone and there are several places we can improve our Rotary education. Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) is an excellent place to start. RLI is both in person and by Zoom. The courses in RLI cover the basic information about Rotary and one can meet other Rotarians to exchange ideas. You can also visit the Learning Center at My.Rotary.org to learn about Rotary - with plenty of courses about all areas of Rotary as well as Toastmasters classes.

We offer many opportunities to support education for young people - through the work we do at local schools, specific Rotary programs for youth, Georgia Laws of Life, and at the college level, the Georgia Rotary Student Program. I recently had the privilege to attend welcome events for this year's incoming Rotary Youth Exchange students and GRSP students - and I'm looking forward to seeing more of these young people - and proud of all we do to support education and peace through those programs!

Let's focus for a minute on Rotary Youth Exchange and RYLA.

Rotary Youth Exchange is available for our high school students - giving students the opportunity to study abroad for a school year. They must learn a new language and become proficient with that language before leaving for the country. When students arrive in their host country, they learn about that culture and share our culture with the host families and friends they make. From this experience, the student develops lifelong leadership skills, learns a new language and culture, builds lasting friendships with young people from around the world, and becomes a global citizen.

Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) is for high school students to:

• build communication and problem-solving skills
• discover strategies for becoming a dynamic leader in their school or community
• learn from community leaders, inspirational speakers, and peer mentors
• unlock their potential to turn motivation into action
• have fun and create lasting friendships

Rotary clubs in District 6900 all work on improving literacy in their communities. Some clubs buy dictionaries for grade school students. Others are mentors by reading to students or assisting them with their school projects. Other Rotary clubs are partnering with their school systems to build better educational services. Some clubs offer financial assistance to technical college students so they can get their GED. We have clubs that provide financial support to the Georgia Laws of Life to sponsor schools to write essays on a quotation or saying that is dear to the high school student.