In an effort to promote international understanding and good will, a group of Iowa Rotarians are renewing their participation in the club’s Group Study Exchange program this year. Rotary District 6000, which encompasses Iowa cities from Council Bluffs to Des Moines and Davenport, is seeking four professionals to travel to south-central Mexico from March 29 through April 29, 2004. A service of the Rotary Foundation, the exchange will take place with District 4180 in Mexico, which includes the areas of Tlaxcala, Puebla, Morelos and Guerrero, just north of Acapulco.

Through the program, teams of professionals exchange visits between paired areas in different countries. The awards involve a four-week visit, during which members share personal knowledge of their country and experience the customs, vocations and lifestyles of another. The Rotary Foundation provides a round-trip airline ticket, and local Rotarians in the host town in Mexico provide meals, lodging and group travel in their district. Team members pay for personal and incidental expenses.

The Des Moines Business Record spoke with Todd Millang, a Rotary member who is employed as a sales associate for CB Richard Ellis/Hubbell Commercial. Millang, who participated in the program a few years ago during a trip to Argentina, said participants must be professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 and must apply before Nov. 1.

Q: Do you have to be a member of Rotary to participate?

A: No. Rotary pays for your travel expenses, but the only catch is that we ask participants to speak to a few Rotary groups about the their experience. We encourage them to join, but it’s not required.

Q: What are the program’s merits?

A: You get to know what life is like in another culture, and you get to share with them what life in Iowa is like. You also get to see how other cultures conduct business. Some people have used it to recruit business or have learned business techniques and incorporated them into their jobs.

Q: Do companies pay for an employee’s time away?

A: That’s between the employer and the employee. But some companies do pay their salary while participating in the exchange.

Q: How do people apply?

A: They need to fill out an application by Nov. 1 through any Rotary club in the district. It’s easy to do. They can contact the president of their local Rotary club or visit the Rotary Web page at www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/gse/prospective.html.

Q: Does Rotary hope to expand the program?

A: Not at this time. We just want to continue to do it. I know if I were offered the opportunity to do it again, I would apply immediately. I highly recommend it to any young professional.