1962

The World Community Service program is adopted by the RI Board of Directors. The Board also approves Interact, a youth program for service and international fellowship. The program's name combines inter, for "international," and act for "action." It targets young men of secondary-school age. The first Interact club is formed in Melbourne, Florida, USA.

Read about Interact

1965

The Rotary Foundation creates Group Study Exchange, a cultural and vocational exchange program for young businesspeople and professionals. The first 34 teams, from Australia, Great Britain, Japan, and the United States, go abroad. The Foundation also initiates the Matching Grants program to support international service projects, ushering in a new era of global service.

Read about Group Study Exchange

1968

The RI Board approves Rotaract ("Rotary in Action"), a program for young adults older than Interact age to participate in service and fellowship. On 13 March, the Rotaract Club of University of North Carolina-Charlotte, USA, receives the first charter. The 21-member club plants a tree on the university's campus to commemorate the event.

Read more about the history of Rotaract

1970

The Council on Legislation, created in 1934, becomes the official law-making body of Rotary. Clubs gain a voice in Rotary governance by submitting legislation to the Council. Each district sends a representative to the Council to review and vote on proposed legislation.

Council actions spur some of Rotary's most important work, such as the creation of PolioPlus in 1986 and the admission of women in 1989.

Read about the Council on Legislation

1971

The RI Board of Directors approves the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program at the RI Convention in Sydney, Australia. The program is based on an Australian district project established in 1960, which trains youth ages 14-30 in character, leadership, personal development, and good citizenship.

Read about the history of RYLA

1972

Rotary Youth Exchange becomes an official RI program after more than 40 years of club-organized international youth exchanges. European Rotary clubs began facilitating youth exchanges in the 1920s to encourage the sharing of culture and ideas between Rotarians and young people. The practice was briefly suspended during World War II, but it resumed in 1946.

Read about Rotary Youth Exchange