From September 20 to October 3, 2025, a Rotary “Friendship Exchange” team from Districts 6910 and 6920 visited District 2483 (Serbia & Montenegro), fostering people-to-people connections, learning about Global Grant projects, and sparking new ideas and collaborations on future projects. Paul and Michele Matthews (Rotary Club of the Classic City of Athens) represented our district, along with three other Rotarians and one spouse, all from D6920, including team leader PDG Hamsa Thota. While Hamsa has led exchanges for the past four years, this is the first year that other Georgia districts have been included, since signing the statewide “Intercountry Committee” agreement with Serbian Rotarians at last year’s all-Georgia district conference.
Rotary Intercountry Committees (ICC) serve to “connect Rotary clubs from different countries to foster lasting connections between Rotarians around the world, and to promote peace and international understanding across borders” (see https://rotary-icc.org/). In 2025, District 6920’s successful ICC with Serbia & Montenegro expanded to include the entire state of Georgia. This ICC creates an umbrella organization and structure for multiple different ways for Rotarians and youth to engage across our countries. The ICC is organizing a visit from Serbian Rotarians this spring; it is also helping raise awareness about the GRSP program for eligible university students, and is investigating additional “friendship visits” or exchanges for high school students as well as Rotaractors.
During this year’s two-week trip, the Georgia contingent was hosted by Serbian Rotarians, who provided lodging, transportation, meals, and logistical coordination for the team, with outstanding hospitality and heart. In addition to activities in and around Belgrade led by PDG Vlada Matic, the team also was hosted by Rotary clubs and members in Pancevo, Smederevo, Ruma, Zrenjanin, and Sremska Mitrovica, as well as a district-wide ICC meeting, which summarized past projects and allowed clubs to propose new collaborations.
To date, eleven Serbian Global Grants have provided over $700,000 in funding support from the districts, their clubs, and The Rotary Foundation, focusing on basic education and literacy (technology education in primary schools via distribution of 1,700 educational “M-BOT” programmable robots and related teacher training; classroom infrastructure, cameras and furniture for kindergarten active learning), and community and economic development (manufacturing equipment for female entrepreneurs). Teachers have identified incorporation of 3-D printers as the next necessary step for enhancing student skill development, and these have been added as an additional focus for forthcoming Global Grants. Other Serbian clubs are seeking partnerships to support sustainable agriculture, classroom recycling education, workforce training for young adults who have aged out of orphanages, hospital equipment, and provision of Cyrillic early-literacy posters and motor-skills educational materials designed by a retired educator, artist, and former Rotarian.
In addition to visiting schools as part of the Global Grant-supported teacher training and robot distributions, the Friendship Exchange team from Georgia also experienced daily life with Serbian Rotarians, Rotaractors, and families, as well as lots of cultural events ranging from visits to Orthodox cathedrals, Roman history excavations, local and national museums, traditional restaurants and taverns, wineries and distilleries, Rotary-owned businesses, palaces, waterfronts, open-air markets, and much more. D6910 Governor-Elect Paul Matthews stated, “Our Serbian Rotary counterparts – now our close friends!– outdid themselves in their hospitality for our whole team, and we can’t wait to get to return the favor in showcasing our state to them when they visit next spring. We learned so much and met so many outstanding Rotarians!”
How can you be involved?
- Learn More: Members of the ICC and past Friendship Exchange participants are available for Rotary club presentations or for informal conversations about the grants and exchanges.
- Friendship Exchanges: Your club could help host members of the Friendship Exchange team from Serbia who will visit the state of Georgia in April/May 2026. And, individual Rotarians from our district are encouraged to consider being part of next year’s (fall 2026) outbound trip to Serbia (about 2 weeks, exact dates TBD).
- Friendship Exchange itineraries include visits to Rotary clubs and projects, cultural and historical sight-seeing, and person-to-person connections.
- Hosting clubs provide housing, meals, transportation, and other support to the members of the visiting team. (Participants cover their own airfare, insurance, and incidentals.)
- Up to 5-10 Rotarians and spouses from across our three districts can take part each year. Both newer and more-experienced Rotarians are welcome.
- Cultural Exchanges: Short-term group “friendship visits” by middle/high school student teams (with Rotary chaperones) are planned for piloting for next year. Your club could help host students from Serbia for a few days or you could also consider sending students for a spring-break or early-summer trip to Serbia. Interact students, children/grandchildren of Rotarians, or students from the local community could be selected. Additionally, Rotaract clubs in both districts are in communication about piloting Rotaract-specific friendship exchange teams. And, there are possibilities through the ICC for music/culture groups (such as youth orchestras) to travel to the other country to perform.
