Written by : Rtr. Imandie Madanasinghe

The newbie orientation of the Rotaract club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura for the first quarter of the Rotary International year 2024-25 was carried out in two phases. The first phase – the Newbie Pre-Orientation organised by the Club Service Avenue of RACUSJ was held on the 26th of July 2024, via Google Meets from 6.30 pm onwards. The Garfield themed pre-orientation began with the Rotaract formalities presented by Priyashan Perera followed by the warm welcome extended by the club president Rtr. Akila Weerasuriya. 

The intention of organising a pre-orientation virtually was to familiarise the new members with the nine different avenues and committees of the club and to encourage participation in club projects. The directors of each avenue/committee presented a brief outline on their respective avenues and the planned project lineup for their avenues. The program was livened up by a guess the picture game session which turned quite competitive towards the end with multiple participants rushing to virtually raise hands at the same time.

The program concluded with the vote of thanks delivered by the club secretary Rtr. Nithara Dias with the theme of Garfield reminding us to embrace our own unique personalities for who we are!

The second phase of the newbie orientation, the RACUSJ HoliFest – organised by the Club Service Avenue in collaboration with the Membership Development Committee of the Rotaract Club of University of Sri Jayewardenepura was held during the bright evening of the 12th of September 2024, at the university premises. The festival was organised to physically interact and warmly welcome new members into the RACUSJ family.

HoliFest began with the Rotaract formalities presented by Rtr. Renish Perera followed by a brief address of the club president Rtr. Akila Weerasuriya. A Zumba session warmed up the attendees before the real festival of colours began. The atmosphere turned into a kaleidoscope of colours with everyone moving to the beats of DJ music while showering colours around.

With music blasting and the spread of delicious food stalls serving up a multitude of snacks, the Holifest created an immersive experience that invited everyone to participate, regardless of whether they were familiar with the concept of Holi or was experiencing it for the first time. A mix of beats and live DJ music filled the evening with non-stop energy, creating a dance floor where everyone could dance and enjoy to their heart’s content. Although the evening came to an end earlier than expected due to the university authorities deciding to close down the university and vacate the premises by 5.30pm, we believe that the RACUSJ HoliFest became an unforgettable experience and left a lasting impact on all those who took part in the festival of colours!

We are pleased to conclude the first phase of I’m A Rotaractor, with the successful execution of the Newbie Pre-Orientation and the RACUSJ HoliFest with which we managed to tighten the bonds among our fellow Rotaractors of our very own RACUSJ family!

Graphic Design by : Rtr. Sandali Mendis