A dream. It began, like many important things in life - from a dream. How could the Rotary Club in Buenos Aires work to welcome and send Goodwill Ambassadors with disabilities around the world?

That was the first question posed when I returned from the Rotary International Convention. I was highly motivated after hearing a plenary session presented by the staff of the National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange [NCDE, a project administered by Mobility International USA (MIUSA) and sponsored by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State]. NCDE staff stimulated Rotarians to discover new ways of service in keeping with our institutional ideal of "Service Above Self," and encouraged us to think about how to include people with disabilities in our programs.

Rotary clubs around the world sponsor many types of international exchanges - from business-related programs to student ambassadorships. Our student programs have served students from all over the world. Rotary youth programs originally served students ages 15 to 19, but through the New Generations exchange, Rotary opened the program to young people from 19 to 25 years of age, extending an opportunity for young adults to participate in this life-changing experience.

Each year, we see how international student exchanges, in just a few weeks, can produce important growth in the young participants. They return to us with more confidence, know much more about themselves and understand the world as a common land. They are also proud of acquiring new tools with which to build their lives. I wanted to know how we in Buenos Aires could work to give the same international opportunities to young boys and girls with disabilities.

How to begin? Maybe with a good friend

I read the journal, A World Awaits You, and Rotary information about disability and exchange several times. Then I decided to share it with Salvador Minutella, President of the Rotary Club of Once. Salvador is blind and has a particular spirit of service and initiative. Salvador quickly recalled an outgoing, curious and intellectual blind girl, 17-year-old Nerina Russo, who might be interested in an international exchange.

Meeting with school authorities: Learning and motivating us

As shy but firm beginners, we planned a meeting with Nerina and the authorities of her school. We needed their opinions, knowledge and some help. They agreed to collaborate, and at the end of that meeting Nerina said some words that we will never forget: "I would like to participate in the exchange and become a Goodwill Ambassador, but if I don't, I will be grateful to you, too. Only knowing that Rotary thought that I could represent my country, I've begun to discover that I can do so many things with my life that I never imagined before."

We need a partner! An international exchange needs two countries

We investigated different possibilities. I sent an e-mail message to Rotary International (RI) and another to NCDE. A third message was sent to Donald Lukich, a Rotarian friend in Leesburg, Florida, who immediately sent almost 100 letters to schools and institutions for blind students.

We quickly received messages from RI and NCDE. They shared with us their experiences and answered all of our questions. We felt sure we were heading in the right direction.

The first partner of our exchange came from one of the letters that Donald Lukich sent. Yvonne S. Howze, the Superintendent of the Missouri School for the Blind, proposed that we start our exchange in June. Through the marvel of Internet communication we set up the steps of this first exchange. In Buenos Aires, we would welcome 15-year-old Ronnie Smith and 16-year-old Miguel Renaud, sponsored by the Rotary Club of St. Louis. Nerina and other exchangees were scheduled to be traveling to St. Louis by January the following year.

Welcome! We need to be ready

We planned a four-week program in Argentina, with daily schooling and dynamic social activities. Public and private schools interested in sharing the experience joined with the Buenos Aires Library and the Sports for the Blind Association to participate in and help coordinate the program. Host families and more than 50 foreign and Argentine students listened with great attention to the new program. The community became involved.

New energy appeared spontaneously. Young boys and girls taped more than 50 audiocassettes in Spanish and English for other blind students, recording the reports and interesting experiences that our exchange students were sending to us from many countries around the world. Nerina decided to translate the Youth Exchange Manual into Braille. Now, with all of these tools, more students could know about this educational option in the future.

In June 1999, Ronnie arrived and lived like a member of Nerina's family; in January 2000, Nerina was then hosted by his family when she traveled to St. Louis, Missouri for her exchange. Also in June, the Rotary Club of Moron hosted Miguel, providing unforgettable moments with the Pieras and San José Schools.

Miguel said to a local journal: "I knew almost nothing about Argentina. I thought that it would be like Central America, but it is more European. Now I love this country like my second one. I have a new family and many new friends, and I improved my Spanish a lot. San José School was not for blind students but they received me very well. In the beginning, everyone spoke in English trying to communicate with me. They were very friendly and we had a lot of fun."

Lessons learned

This fresh experience left us with many lessons:

• Work together on international exchanges for students and teachers. We chose teachers to help us with the selection and training process for disabled students. All of the applicants, with or without disabilities, lived the selection process together. The system matured and has become more sensitive and inclusive about respecting differences.
• Develop procedures for involving the applicants and their families. Most of the selection and training procedures are taped and the students take these videos home to share with their families. Every exchange applicant receives materials weekly through e-mail. This information is designed to familiarize potential exchange students with the exchange experience. Their families become more knowledgeable from this communication and regular participation, preparing for the moment when the outbound student is abroad.

Training includes reviewing guidelines, discussing with applicants' families real exchange scenarios, reading participants' essays, and becoming involved in activities such as visiting the sponsoring Rotary Club to speak in public and take pictures with the Club's members. Every two months, we also have a Saturday enrichment session, where students meet for educational and recreational activities. Re-Bounds (outbound students that have returned home) and Inbounds (foreign students) provide most of the organization and coordination for these sessions.

My closing thoughts

I heard these words in Singapore, spoken by Susan Sygall: "Give the same opportunity to all. Challenge yourself and change the world."We wish to continue growing step by step. After the first exchange, the Rotary International Convention was held in Argentina, in our district for the first time. As the host district, we received 25,000 Rotarians from all over the world. It was a special opportunity to plant more seeds of the service ideal in our hearts. Let us follow our dreams and build bridges all over the world together!