The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Flin Flon Rotary Club has been active in the Rotary Exchange Program since 1977. Flin Flon exchanges with France, the Netherlands, Japan, Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, India, Argentina and South Africa. There are two exchange programs: the long- and short-term exchanges. The long-term exchange is the exchange where students stay for a full year while studying and travelling the country and attending school during the school year. The short-term exchange runs through the summer from June to August or until the middle of September, depending on where you go. On the short-term exchange, students don't go to school, they hopefully get to travel their host country instead. These exchanges promote international understanding and help the students mature faster by making them fend for themselves in a country where they may not speak the language. The exchange makes you realize just how lucky you are at home. It also makes you appreciate many beautiful things that can never have a price tag attached to them, such as watching the sun set on the other side of the world. During the exchange you make a lot of great friends who you will probably keep in touch with next to never, but you'll always know that they are out there, and it feels great to hear from them. For the exchanges in District 5550, the Flin Flon Rotary Club invites them all to come to Flin Flon for a retreat at Camp Whitney. Transportation, food and billeting, as well as gas for boats used for water sports, is all paid for by the Flin Flon Rotary Club. Before everyone heads out to Camp Whitney, all the exchanges get to ride on a float in the Trout Festival parade. That night, all the exchanges (usually around 48 of them) are billeted out to local Rotarians' homes, where they are entertained for the evening. The next morning, they all head out to Camp Whitney for four days to go fishing, kneeboarding, waterskiing, biscuiting and hiking. During the week, Native tribal dancers come out and dance and get everyone involved in making bannock, smoking the peacepipe and trying their luck with moose calling. A motivational speaker also comes out and talks about all the difficulties that life can throw your way. The exchange shares an understanding that doesn't need a common language to be expressed. Friendship is a feeling of international understanding.
