The name Interact comes from the words "INTERnational" and "ACTion".
It welcomes boys and girls aged 12 to 18, with the goal of helping them develop leadership skills and discover the value of serving selflessly.
Interact clubs organize at least two projects a year: one benefiting the school or community, and the other to promote international understanding.
Today there are 14,500 Interact clubs, for a total of 330,000 members worldwide.
To start an Interact club, having a Rotary club willing to sponsor it is essential. An Interact advisor will need to be identified within the sponsoring Rotary or Rotaract club, or else a teacher, parent or community volunteer.
There are two types of Interact clubs: school-based or community-based. Interactors can choose to meet in person, online, or in a hybrid format. If they meet in person, choosing a venue practical for everyone will be essential.
Once the group of members has been recruited, the club can adopt the Interact Club's standard bylaws, which supplement the constitution and help develop common practices. Members can work together to customize the bylaws and adapt them to their club's needs, provided they do not conflict with the rules set out in the constitution and the Rotary Code of Policies.
At this point the Interact club can use the guidelines laid out in the bylaws to elect its own board of directors, made up of: president, vice president, secretary and treasurer.
Once the certification form has also been filled in and sent to interact@rotary.org, it will take 4-6 weeks to draw up the charter certificate. As soon as the certificate is received, the Interact club is officially chartered.
Interact clubs must be safe environments, where members are encouraged to draft DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) statements together, aimed at making the club inclusive for current and future members.
Young members shape their own club first-hand, define the programme and plan the projects. The club's board of directors must call regular meetings to discuss club activities, and will be responsible for drawing up an annual report.
Meetings are an opportunity to share news and announcements, and to plan projects and service. It's important to encourage and involve new members in club activities immediately after they join. Interactors carry out service that requires preparation and planning, and it can be of three different types:
- Direct service: members work in direct contact with beneficiaries
- Indirect service: members work in support of other initiatives
- Advocacy service: aimed at raising awareness of an issue
Supporting every Interact club is, first and foremost, the Interact advisor, but also a system made up of sponsor clubs, mentors within those clubs, and the Interact district.
The district is responsible for giving voice to individual clubs, helping them grow, and promoting Interact within the Rotaract and Rotary district, providing training and support to ensure compliance with Rotary's youth protection rules.