'In the Limelight'- 1st Quarter Roundup

RC UOC FMF began its journey in the Rotaract year 2015/16 with lot of dreams! Thus the year 2015/16 is considered as a beginning of a new era for the club. The club has set new standards and a new framework of operation that enables the club to carry out value adding projects both to the society as well as to the club members. This was clearly demonstrated by our club’s performance during the 1st quarter. 

With only 1/4th of the year concluded, the club was able to achieve great recognitions and appreciations for what we were able to do in such a short span of time. The main reason for this success is due to the active participation of our members backed by the dedication and commitment of each avenue directors. Thus establishing our theme for the year “Team work makes the Dream work”

President Rtr. Praveen Fernando expressed these views with regards to the club's performance during the 1st quarter of the year- 

Rtr. Praveen Fernando
President 2015/16

“This quarter evidenced some of our strength through successful completion of 3 club service projects, 3 professional development projects, 2 International Understanding projects and 1 community service project with the active participation of all our members. We as a club believe every step the club embarks on sets our individual lives reach better heights to journey upon in developing the club members’ personality as a Proud Rotaractor. 
Next quarter is even more exciting, especially with 2 mega projects planned out ahead. Execution of all the projects was/is made easy through effective delegation of authority to all members which has boosted all members’ enthusiasm towards the development of the club.
I wish to convey that let's dream big and we as RC UOC FMF will give our fullest contribution in reaching our objective of building up good relationships through fellowship and togetherness with the entire Rotary movement.”

Awards & Recognition

District Assembly

The last quarter started on a high note with our club winning various awards and citations at the 25th District Assembly. 

Our President Rtr. Praveen Fernando as well as our Vice President Rtr. Ruvindi de Silva were awarded the Effective Rotaractor citations. Our IPP Rtr. Romanthi Anandappa was awarded the President of the month (February) while Rtr. Praveen won the award for the Most outstanding Rotaractor of the month (February). In addition to this Rtr. Shehan Xavier was awarded the Spirit of Service Award for his immense dedication and commitment to the various activities of our club during the year. Our club also had one of the best newsletters in the past year in the District and thus Rtr. Supun Walpola won bronze in the Most Outstanding Editor of the Year award category.

iGenius being awarded the best IU project

Our club scored big in the avenue of International understanding by winning Gold for iGenius 2015 in the category of Most outstanding International Understanding Project of the Year. iGenius is a fun-filled quiz organized as a joint project by our club and the Rotaract Club of Colombo Midtown. 

Rotaractor of the Month- August

Rtr. Ruzni Faik
Editor 2015/16

The Rotaract District 3220 awarded our Editor Rtr. Ruzni Faik the title of "Rotaractor of the Month" for the month of August. There is no one in our club who deserves this award more than Rtr. Ruzni, as he is one of the most dedicated members of the club. He is the Editor of RCUOCFMF and launched the club blog in July 2015. Since then the blog has become one of the most viewed blog in the District. He has so far updated nearly 45 blog posts which have reached over 4000 views. We are indeed very proud of his accomplishment and he is certainly an asset to the club. (by Rtr. Nilukshi Jayawardena- Secretary 2015/16)

The Ultimate Dubsmash Competition

The Dubsmash presented by our club was awarded the winner in the Ultimate Dubsmash Competition organized by the Rotaract Club of Wellawatte. This competition was one of the most innovative competitions organized by a club in the District during the quarter. The competition was also equally competitive with various Dubsmashes being submitted by many clubs in the District. Thus our club is proud to have won the Ultimate Dubsmash Competition and we thank the Rotaract Club of Wellawatte for organizing such a fun-filled competition.

President Rtr. Praveen Fernando receiving the prize on behalf of the club

Here's the compilation of the best Dubsmash entries submitted for the Ultimate Dubsmash Competition (Source: facebook.com/RotaractClubOfWellawatte)

Dub IT Post IT - The Ultimate Dubsmash Competition
We thank the entire participants, who posted and enjoyed during the dubsmash period. Moreover, we would like to congratulate Rotaract Club of the Faculty of Management and Finance becoming the winners and Rotaract Club of Colombo Uptown (RCCU) for becoming the runners up.Above all, our main sponsor Team GiftSmart for the valuable contribution for making this event a true success.See you next year with '' Dubsmash II '', A bigger cash price indeed ;)Stay Tuned with Rotaract Club of Wellawatte and for our future live events.#RCW #dubsmash
Posted by Rotaract Club of Wellawatte on Sunday, September 20, 2015

iSpy

Two teams comprising of our club members took part in ‘iSpy’, a Scavenger Hunt organized by the Rotaract Club of Colombo Uptown (RCCU). The team “Snoop Dogs” which comprised of our President Rtr. Praveen Fernando was adjudged winners of iSpy. The team “Suicide Squad” also comprised two of our club members, namely, Rtr. Hiruni Perera and Rtr. Ranithri Samarawickrama

Avenue updates

International Understanding

‘Insight’–International Movie Week - With the motive of allowing club members to have a glimpse of the international culture, the club initiated a project to screen 5 different movies under the theme ‘International Movie Week’.The objective of the project was to celebrate the diversity in cultures of different countries appreciating the work of theatre and to let the members enjoy the movies while learning about new cultures. The club successfully screened 5 movies on a daily basis from 14th to 18th September 2015 at the faculty with attendance of club members, other undergraduates and friends. This project was chaired by our club member Rtr. Shenadi Basnayake. Read more

R-Dosti – This is a joint International Understanding project organized by the Rotaract Club of DYPVP in India with the partnership of 10 other Rotaract Clubs from the South Asian region. Our club represented Sri Lanka and actively participated in this week long initiative. This project, chaired by our Vice President Rtr. Shalini Wijewardana along with Rtr. Devmini Weerasooriya, was about exchanging the culture of one country with the other, celebrating peace and harmony among countries and creating friendships beyond borders. This project lead to the following-

• Formation of a twin club agreement with the Rotaract Club of DYPVP
• The publishing of a joint bulletin
• Presentation of a video depicting the culture of Sri Lanka
• Skype session with the participation of the members from both the clubs

Outlook for the rest of the year

Halloween Party, Pizza Night and Kite Festival are some of the key IU projects planned for the next quarter. The award winning iGenius, organized with the partnership of the Rotaract Club of Colombo Mid Town, will be one of the key IU projects for the year 2015/16. Some of the other IU projects planned for the year are International Day, Experience Share and Religious Day celebrations.

Professional Development

Workshop on Workplace Psychology - A workshop was held for the club members on workplace psychology which was conducted by Dr. Darshan Perera, the Founder of Colombo Institute of Research and Psychology (CIRP). Chaired by Rtr. Samuditha Ganepola, the purpose of the workshop was to provide an understanding of the necessary psychological aspects to look into when working in companies and also while seeking jobs. Read more

Dr. Darshan Perera at the Workshop for Workplace Psychology 

Aspirar 2.0 - A workshop on Media and Journalism was organized by the club along with the International Youth Alliance for Peace (IYAP). The project was a useful initiative for those who have a passion for writing, journalism and Blogging. This project was chaired by our Sub-Editor Rtr. Bhashini Gamage. Read more

SL2College Voices 2015 - Our club partnered with SL2College for the 2nd year in a row to organize Voices. The purpose of this project was to create awareness about undergraduate education opportunities available, inspire attendees to strive for success through the success stories delivered by the key speakers and a panel discussion was conducted on how to balance academic work and extra-curricular activities. This Project was chaired by the Director of Professional Development Rtr. Dinath Federico. Read more

Outlook for the Rest of the Year

“Glass Ice”, one of the mega projects of the club in the upcoming quarter, will be held on the 9th of this month. Apart from this Speak out, Workshop on Soft Skills & Public Speaking and Workshop on Communication Skills are few other Professional Development projects planned for the year. 

Club Service

The 5th Installation Ceremony - The First Club Service project for the year was the 5th Installation Ceremony of the Club to induct our President Rtr. Praveen Fernando and his Board of Directors. This was held on the 14th of August at the Royal College Union Skills Centre with the participation of not only Rotaractors but also AIESECers and Leos. 

This installation ceremony of our club was also significant for the fact that the Chief Guest for the event was the Dean of our faculty Dr. R. Senathiraja, where this is the first time a Dean of the faculty is attending an installation ceremony of our club. The Dean has been very supportive to our club and ensures to continue her support in the future. The Project was chaired by our Club Service Director Rtr. Mirangi Lanka Prasada. Read more

Outlook for the Rest of the Year

Some of the Club Service projects that are planned for the next quarter are the Club trip, Club Birthday party and the Christmas party. The other Club Service projects planned for the year are Treasure Hunt, Avurudu Uthsawaya and the Fitness day.

Community Service

"Battle of the Greens"- This is a joint Community Service and Green Life initiative carried out by our club in line with the campaign “Clean Up the World”. The first phase of the project was carried out during the first quarter, which is a competition to select the most Green Rotaract Club, for which Rotaract Clubs were asked to send in entries with the Green Life projects carried out by their club. This project is chaired by Rtr. Hiruni Perera, Rtr. Kasun Mullegamgoda and Rtr. Chathura Kularathna.

One of the key signature projects of the club “Future for Us” was selected for the Final Round in the CIMA ‘Hand in Hand’ Sustainability Competition. A team comprising of Rtr. Praveen, Rtr. Madhumali, Rtr. Aqeela, Rtr. Supun, Rtr. Nilukshi, Rtr. Bimla and Rtr. Ruzni were able to successfully present the project to the panel of judges who were impressed with our initiative and further they urged us to continue this project each year by covering more number of schools. 

Outlook for the Rest of the Year

The 2nd Quarter started with project “Hasareli” which is the Children’s Day celebrations at the Mother Theresa Home in Moratuwa. The second phase of the “Battle of the Greens”, which is “SAND-TASTIC” will also be held this month. Some of the other Community Service projects which are planned for the year are, “Clothing Drive”, “Make a Wish”, “Happy Street Pooch” and “Project Rebuild”.

Get your tickets now

Green Life

Meeting under the Shade- The 1st Board meeting as well as the General meeting was held on 15th of July at the Independence Square Park. The meeting was held beyond the brick walls and Air Conditioned rooms to give the members a relaxed and soothing atmosphere during the meeting. This was a part of the Green Life initiative, which is a new avenue commenced by our club in order to have dedicated focus on conservation of the environment we live in. This also coincides with the ‘Greening Sri Lanka’ initiative by the Rotary District 3220 with the objective of planting one million trees.

Meeting under the Shade

“Battle of the Greens”- this is one of the key Green Life projects for the year organized together with Community Service. 

Outlook for the Rest of the Year

In addition to “SAND-TASTIC” few other Green Life projects planned for the year are Wastage Management project and Save Water Poster Campaign

The RC UOC FMF Blog

During the quarter the club launched its blog and since then it has become one of the most active and viewed blog in the District. The blog has now published around 45 posts and has reached around 4500 views. The blog covers not only club related activities but also programs of other Rotaract Clubs and District related events. 

The blog is also viewed outside the Rotaractsphere where one of our blog post was praised by the Executive Director of UNFPA Mr. Babatunde Osotimehin. 

Check out this piece by @RCUOCFMF on #100voicesUNFPA & see how #youth are leading change! http://t.co/7u6WsN5fS3 @UNFPASriLanka #YouthNow

— Babatunde Osotimehin (@BabatundeUNFPA) August 7, 2015

Thanks to the support and enthusiasm of our club members in writing blog posts which has enabled us to maintain the blog as one of the best blogs in the District. With our members continued support the blog will continue to write more posts covering various topics and events inside and outside the Rotaractsphere.

Based on these highlights of the 1st Quarter it's safe to say that RC UOC FMF has got off on the right foot and consistently maintaining this good work for the rest of the year will enable the club to reach new heights in the District.

Dream work! Well in progress!

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