Business à la Francaise: Rotary sends local professionals to Brittany

Business à la Francaise: Rotary sends local professionals to Brittany

Before April, Alissa Downing had never tasted foie gras. Now, after having spent four weeks in Brittany, France the 28 year-old professional photographer is a connoisseur of the goose liver delicacy.

Downing was one of four young professionals from southwest Florida to participate in this year's Rotary Group Study Exchange program. Each year, Rotary districts across the world send groups of four to six professionals under the age of 40, plus a Rotarian team leader, to a host district in another country. District 6960 (which includes Lee, Collier, Hendry, Charlotte, Glades, Sarasota, Desoto and Manatee Counties) partnered with Rotary clubs in Brittany, France for the 2007-2008 exchange.

The GSE program aims to expose young professionals to the wider international community. During the month-long visit, participants tour businesses and meet with leaders of government and industry in the host country. For a more personal look at the local culture, team members stay with Rotarian host families.

"These person-to-person programs have been the success of Rotary from the get-go," says District Governor Gary Israel. "They humanize everything and help us to understand people. That's our only hope for peace around the world."

The team participants - a teacher, photographer, writer and banker - joined the exchange with the goal of learning about their profession in another country.

"This is not a vacation," says GSE Chairman Don Thomas. Thomas has worked with GSE teams since 1990 and led his own group to Australia in 2003. "We keep them as busy as possible. That means a full schedule, seven days a week."

Thomas began meeting with members of the GSE team in January. Each week, members worked on creating an informational brochure and putting together a power point presentation to present to Rotary clubs in Brittany, all in French. Although it is not necessary to speak another language in order to be selected for the GSE program, all materials and Rotary presentations must be given in the host country's language. The team members for the Brittany exchange enrolled in a French class in Fort Myers to learn the essentials before departing.

In addition to the work that goes into an exchange, the GSE program does not come cheap. For each team member to spend a month in another country, including airfare, lodging, and activities, the cost is roughly $10,000. Participants themselves are not responsible for any of the costs of the trip (other than personal purchases, such as souvenirs). Each member has a local sponsoring club and expenses are covered by Rotary International's World Fund.

Thomas says the experience is worth the cost. "There are great vocational aspects," he says. "And the exchange creates pockets of peace and goodwill worldwide."

Team member John Weaver, a commercial lender at Florida Gulf Bank in Fort Myers, says the trip opened his eyes to the important relationship between America and countries abroad. Many of the French Rotarians he met during the exchange spoke about the American troops that came to the aid of France during World War I and II.

"They still remember that," Weaver says. During the visit, the team visited an American cemetery in Brittany where more than 4,000 U.S. soldiers are buried. "The trip was a phenomenal experience on a business and historical level."

Set in the northwest corner of France, Brittany - or, la Bretagne as it is known in French - has close to 3 million inhabitants. This number increases significantly during the summer months with the influx of tourists to what has become France's second most popular tourist destination. Visitors come to Brittany for its beautiful, rugged, coastline, and the city of Saint Malo, in particular, has garnered an international reputation. The medieval stone ramparts of the old city are a perfect place to watch the waters of what is known as France's Emerald Coast.

Oyster cultivation is an important part of the coastal economy, while, inland, agriculture remains key. Brittany is known particularly for its dairy production, accounting for 20% of France's dairy products. The Lactalis Group, a $10 billion worldwide dairy company known in America for its imported French cheeses under the brand President, is based in this region.

In November of 2007, a team of young professionals from the partner district in Brittany visited Southwest Florida. The team members included a carpenter, farmer, radio personality, and business consultant. During the four weeks spent in the south Florida Rotary district, the team visited the Lee County Sheriff's Department, Mosquito Control, and local citrus growers.

Rotary district 6960 has 2,800 members and 54 clubs in an area that extends from Tampa Bay to the north, Marco Island to the south, and towards the center of the state as far as Clewiston and Arcadia.

Internationally, Rotary has more than 1.2 million members. In an effort to promote peace on a global scale, Rotary International offers programs other than the Group Study Exchange. These include Ambassadorial Scholarships, year-long Youth Exchange programs, and grants for Peace and Conflict Studies. More information is available on the Rotary website, rotary.org.

Professionally, Downing was inspired by the trip and plans to use the knowledge gained in France for her own photography business in Fort Myers. She also looks forward to becoming a Rotarian herself.

"I've seen the benefits Rotary brings to the world," Downing says.

As for the foie gras? She laughs. "I wouldn't eat it again."