LEWISTON – Applications to join Rotary’s Group Study Exchange Program are being accepted. The exchange will be with the Philippines and will take place from mid-February to mid-March, 2008.

Since its founding in 1965, the program has provided grants for countless teams of men and women in the early stages of their business and professional careers to travel abroad and share vocational information with the representatives of their respective professions in other countries.

Team members spend four to six weeks studying the host country’s institutions, economy and culture while observing how their own professions are practiced abroad. They follow a carefully planned itinerary, including visits to government and cultural institutions, schools, religious and historic sites and other points of interest. In addition, each team member spends at least five days studying and observing the practice of his or her profession in the host country. More than 500 exchanges between paired Rotary districts occur each year, advancing the program’s ultimate goal of promoting international understanding and goodwill.

To be eligible for the program, team members must be between the ages of 25 and 40 and employed full-time for at least two year and be U.S. citizens. They are not allowed to be Rotarians or children of Rotarians.

The Philippines is the third largest English speaking country in the world. The island nation is composed of more than 7,000 islands in the South Pacific and is a mix of influences from Spain, Latin America and the United States. The official languages are Filipino and English.

To download the application for team member, visit www.rotary7780.org or contact Karen Wendell, Rotary District 7780 group study exchange chairwoman, at 603-427-0200.