Leeds Rotaract President and District Rotaract Representative Penelope shares an Interntional story:
This summer, I took part in a Leadership in Action project in partnership with the Laidlaw Foundation in Mexico City. I had the opportunity to work with make sense Mexico and Ecolana alongside my project partner, Saranya. Ecolana is an App that aims to connect people with recycling centres across Mexico and rewards people who upload their receipts for recycled items with Ecolanitas, which are points that can be exchanged for vouchers.
During my time in Mexico City, I recruited a team of 14 volunteers to assist with my project, co-created a social media and event strategy for Ecolana, painted a mural, attended a Sustainability Festival for NGOs in the environmental sector, and designed outreach packs to distribute and expand the Ecolana ally network. It was an amazing experience, and I feel really lucky to have had the opportunity to make a positive difference and explore Mexico City for a month.
On my final day in the city, I decided to meet the Rotaract Club of Mexico City and CR Plaza de la Republica Rotary Club, who were both volunteering at a local retirement home for Grandparents' Day in Mexico. I helped by handing out gifts to the residents and serving food, but it was great to be able to speak to some of the Rotaractors and Rotaraians about their project work too. The Rotaract Club of Mexico City donated toiletries and cleaning supplies to the retirement home. The Rotarians raised some money to be able to afford to buy the materials to renovate one of the bathrooms in the home. It was a very humbling experience and it enabled me to see first-hand some of the social issues that many places across the world are currently trying to tackle.
Now I have returned to the UK, I have remained in contact with the CR Plaza de la Republica Rotary Club and hope to support the people in the Retirment Home by arranging a fundraising project with the members of Leeds Rotaract Club. I feel really inspired to continue my work developing Rotaract across Rotary Yorkshire Lincolnshire and spending my time volunteering and fundraising for charitable causes across the world!