Written by : Rtr. Imandie Madanasinghe

“Life is full of adventures. Some are more challenging than others, but we’ll get through it.”

The Monthly Gathering of the Rotaract Club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura, for the month of August was held on the 27th of August 2024, from 5.00 pm onwards, at the university premises. The theme for the gathering was based on the movie “Inside Out” which explores the importance of growth through change and complexity. It highlights the value of balancing our emotions through the highs and lows in life, showing how all emotions are important and how emotions remain interconnected. The movie also emphasizes that change is a natural part of life, and with it comes emotional complexity. Accepting and understanding our emotions, rather than suppressing them, allows for personal growth and resilience, which we as individuals, and as a community hope to follow throughout our term.

The monthly gathering for the month of August was organized by the Club Service Avenue, led by the joint directors of the avenue, Rtr. Imandie Madanasinghe and Rtr. Desandi Ama.

The Monthly Gathering officially began with the Rotaract formalities presented by Rtr. Desandi Ama. Thereafter, the President of the club, Rtr. Akila Weerasuriya addressed the gathering. He emphasized on the importance of member engagement in club activities and meetings and encouraged members to keep up their enthusiastic participation. Followed by which, the Secretary of the club, Rtr. Nithara Dias presented the meeting minutes of the Monthly Gathering of the club which was held on 25th of July, 2024. The meeting minutes were proposed by Rtr. Arshaaq Amaan and were seconded by Rtr. Nimesh Fernando. During the avenue announcements, the directors of each Avenue/Committee gave updates on the projects lined up for the coming month, along with the progress of ongoing projects.

The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the Rotaractor of the Month of August, which was awarded to Rtr. Kulaji Patabendi from the Community Service Avenue. All those present at the gathering appreciated her utmost commitment towards the activities of the club.

Next, a small game session was carried out, where all those present at the gathering got together to play Charades. The moderator of the game session, Rtr. Desandi Ama explained to the participants how the game was to be played, and how the winning team would be declared. The participants were divided into two teams and a participant from each team was requested to pick a paper and they were to act out the character/act/ personality written on their paper for their respective team members to guess. Each team would receive a point for a correct guess. Although the first few guesses were easily made, the last few rounds brought around fits of laughter as it got harder and harder for each team to make their guesses. The game was carried out for 12 rounds, from which Team A emerged victorious after a close fight. All participants thoroughly enjoyed themselves during the game session.

The day came to a close with the birthday celebrations of Rtr. Arshaaq Amaan and Rtr. Burny Zaneeta both of whom celebrated their birthdays in the month of August.

Our goal as the organizers of the Monthly gathering  was to bring together as many members as possible for an interactive physical event and set the stage for achieving our club’s objectives in the coming period. We aimed to foster new connections, build teamwork, and develop a shared passion for our common goals to help us set the stage for a fantastic Rotary International Year.

The Monthly gathering for the month of August was successfully concluded by taking a group photograph, and the crowd dispersed among the happy chaos of missing buses and promises of meeting soon again!

Graphic Design by: Rtr. Imandie Madanasinghe