Cultivating Young Leaders: The Interact Leadership Program 2026
Initiated in 2025 by District Interact Committee Chair Dr. Liliana Chocarro, the Interact Leadership Program (ILP) was designed to empower and equip club Presidents and Vice Presidents with essential leadership skills.
The program's core objectives are to foster community engagement, strengthen leadership capacity, and build a unified network of Interact leaders in the District.
This year, the ILP 2026 took place at the Clarkson Community Church on Saturday, September 26, 2026, welcoming 15 Presidents and Vice Presidents of nine Interact clubs to a highly activity-based workshop.
The day began with an engaging icebreaker led by Dr. Vinaye Goodary, focusing on leadership and its core attributes of Clarity, Synergy, Action & Empathy through a four-phase activity (Scramble & Freeze, Connect & Pair, Forming the letter L and Exchange & Communicate).
The curriculum unfolded through dynamic interactive sessions. Session 1, led by Judy Warrington, introduced participants to the core principles of Rotarians and focused on advocating for Interact within schools, sponsor Rotary clubs, and beyond. Attendees were invited to reflect on the meaning of Rotarians and Interact, share their thoughts, and divide into four working groups to present their core values as Interactors.
Following the morning break, Susanne Zbinden led Session 2 on planning and delivering effective meetings. Students gained hands-on experience in proper handshakes, etiquette, effective meeting planning, and public-speaking essentials before collaborating in groups to plan mock meetings and presentations. Ultimately, this session prepared the students to become better speakers and manage their meetings in a more structured and effective l manner.
After a networking lunch break, Liliana Chocarro introduced Session 3 on planning and executing projects. She provided a deep dive into key project management concepts and geared her presentation toward planning and managing projects for Interactors. This was followed by a Matching Game facilitated by Neeraj Nulu, where students worked collaboratively in groups. Meera Chatooree then walked participants through project planning and Gantt charts using the planning of the ILP as a real-life example. Putting these project management principles into practice, students tackled specialized afternoon group assignments, developing comprehensive project plans and Gantt charts before presenting their work.
This year, we introduced a Post-ILP implementation commitment; we provided a guidance document for them to submit within 60 days, their individual reflection on the newly acquired knowledge and how they plan to put it into practice during their term as President or VP to make their Interact clubs better through improvements in their communication strategies, efficient meeting structure, and delegation.
The impactful event concluded with closing remarks from District Youth Chair Miles Ross, certificate distributions, and special 60-day planning envelopes designed to help participants apply their newly acquired skills at the club level. With high engagement throughout, students shared valuable reflections and feedback questionnaires to help shape the future of the ILP.
Avinthri Wickremasinghe, MBA | Secretary, District 7080 Interact Committee