Ladies and gentlemen, the spotlight is shining, the stage is set, and the wait is finally over! We are excited to present the very first episode of our highly anticipated interview series – CENTER STAGE 2025 edition!
Kicking things off in true Rotaract style, we are pleased to welcome an exceptional individual whose dedication, charm, and spirit of service have made him a standout leader in our community. In this exciting debut, we sit down with none other than District Rotaract Representative PHF Rtr. PP Shanel Mendis. His vibrant energy and deep passion for Rotaract promise to set the perfect tone for this exhilarating series. Join us as we embark on this lively journey filled with laughter, reflection, and inspiration. This marks the beginning of a new era of storytelling and celebration!
Here are some questions we asked from him, and his thoughtful answers to them;
What inspired you to join Rotaract and how has it impacted your personal and professional growth?
Right, it’s a bit of a lengthy answer I’ll tell you a small story, so back in 2004, where we had tsunami where we went on a family trip towards Mathara and we stayed in a beachfront villa and we booked the ground floor room, but unfortunately, at that point, I thought it was pretty unfortunate because we couldn’t get that room. We had to stay on the second floor. But little did I know, I was very fortunate because the tsunami hit and the entire ground floor it was washed away and I was looking at our family car was getting washed away to the ocean as well. So, I, that day I saw a lot of, dead bodies, like little children and animals and a lot of people. So, and I saw a lot of helpless people. So that inspired me to, not exactly to join Rotaract but to Going to an organization where I could do some greater good. So then eventually in 2014, I got to know about Rotaract and joined in 2014, mainly because of the service element, to do, focus on the community service element and to help the people around us. But the reason I stayed in this, movement, mainly because of the professionalism and the network. And the person who I am today is because of, I can say proudly it’s because of Rotaract, because back in the day, I knew, of course, like how to write a CV, but I was a very shy kid back in the day, not a good public speaker but because of that, I would say because of rough. I am who I am today.
We believe Rotaract can promote inclusivity and diversity within its membership and project initiatives, what are your thoughts on this?
Right, in terms of membership, we have, Rotaract clubs in all around the country, not only in Colombo zone, we have, Rotaract clubs in Northern zone, southern zone, and from west to east to uh north to south. And there are a lot of people speaking different languages, especially in North, a lot of people speak Tamil. But Rotaract is a platform where we give the equal opportunity to everyone and, in terms of membership as well. And also, in terms of projects, we do a lot of projects, to help different, I would say people not focusing only on one set of people differently able people and if there are people are suffering from different diseases and for them also Rotaract is a platform where we can do something great.
Stay tuned and keep watching to find out who will be the next star of the CENTER STAGE!
Hosted By:
Rtr. Hanaa Abdeen
(Co – Director of Club Service 2024-25)
Written By: –
Rtr. Nethuli Mehara
(Junior Blog Team Member 2024-25)
Compiled By:
Rtr. Kavindu Hashen
(General Member 2024-25)
Edited By: –
Rtr. Moksha Munasinghe
(Junior Blog Team Member 2024-25)
