World throughout the Lenses

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By Sikander Sabeer

Rotaract Shutterbug: ‘A Story with Every Click’ is an award winning initiative by the Rotaract Club of Panadura, supported by a coalition of partners who are recognized by international and local organizations in the country. This initiative is a provision of an innovative platform for amateur photographers and photography enthusiasts to explore themselves through a combination of segments which ran from July to December 2011.

The Shutterbug has now advanced to the international sphere and its phase I is conducted as a photo blog. It is a provision of a platform for Rotaractors and friends of Rotaract in Canada, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom, who are amateur photographers or photography enthusiasts to share images to promote cultural understanding and exchange. This is a joint initiative between the Rotaract Club of Rotaract Club of Burnaby – Vancouver, Canada; Rotaract club of Panadura – Sri Lanka and the Rotaract Club of York – United Kingdom.



This phase provides an opportunity to all to get exposed to a diverse experience of each other’s culture through this photo blog with the support of the online platforms and interactive options via facebook and twitter. The photo blog www.rotaractshutterbuginternational.wordpress.com was featured pictures depicting the cultural, social and environmental aspects of the Canada, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom under various themes.

This unique platform provided an opportunity to understand and learn about the three countries and possible exhibitions with the pictures as cultural exchange. The initial phase of the blog ran continuously for 21 days from 14 May 2012 and pictures for this initiative are obtained through club members of the three respective clubs and interested parties of the club which were then shortlisted and selected by the project team of each club. The blog is now being continued to make the initiative sustainable and meaningful.







Picture by: Rafael Ferrarezi, Rotaract Club of Burnaby visitor (Originally from Sao Paolo's Taquaritinga Rotaract) Canada Place is one of the more beautiful places in Vancouver. There you can spend many hours seeing the landscape. There is a brand new convention centre built here in 2009 and it hosts many events every month bringing international and local visitors in for a look at its state of the art building using green technology.

'Rotaract Shutterbug' project initiative was recognized by the Rotary District 3220 as the 'Outstanding Rotaract Project' for the Rotary year 2011-12. It was also recognized at the 22nd Rotaract District Assembly as the Most Outstanding project under the avenue of ‘Professional Development’.

From capturing motions through the hawk eye lenses to stunning still pictures, the Rotactors from Panadura club brought smiles in to people fighting cancer through their ‘Cancer Project’. Regardless of the cultural, social or ideological background the devastating effects of the menace of cancer can be a death sentence to any who does not have the right kind of support. Cancer is no longer a distant, empty threat, its effects are at your doorstep and people fighting cancer reside in the community around you and I. Cancer affects not only the physical but also ones psychological and emotional state. All what the community can provide for people fighting cancer is the quality of life they deserve and the protection and security they require.

The Rotaract Club of Panadura is a team dedicated to making the public aware that Cancer can be prevented and even cured with early detection and treatment. Therefore unlike traditional support provided by the community, their efforts promote patients to address their problems as a family within their own community. The support provided to these families cover their need for nutritious food, nursing and their immediate medical attention.

For the above purpose we created our project simply called, ‘The Cancer Project’. In September 2011 the Rotaract Club of Panadura completed its Phase I - ‘Hope’ to support people fighting cancer at the Maharagama Cancer Hospital. After seven months of preparation, in April 2012 the Rotaract Club of Panadura has launched its Phase II - ‘Care’ to strengthen the lives of people fighting cancer.

With phase II ‘Care’ the Rotaract Club of Panadura is supporting 100 people living with cancer around the country from April-June 2012. For this purpose we have raised Rs. 3.2 million through our networks, family and friends. The project will continue as a ‘buddy system’ in the months to come to empower lives of our brothers and sisters living strong with cancer. The project team successfully launched Phase III in this July to continue their journey to battle with ‘Killing Cells—Cancer”

Rotaract club of Panadura Founded in September 2008 and chartered in March 2009, the Rotaract Club of Panadura (of District 3220) sponsored by the Rotary Club of Panadura, works under the theme ‘Yeomen Service Towards Humanity’. We are a collective of young adults voluntarily working towards positive change in the society.

Since its inception, the Rotaract Club of Panadura has done many projects and has provided a platform for the enthusiastic youth in Panadura to approach the National level of activism, provided with networking opportunities and opportunities to sharpen their professional skills. Large projects of the club has completed successfully varies from Professional Development project such as ‘Rotaract Shutterbug’ to Community Service Projects such as ‘The Cancer Project’. The club award able to earn a number of outstanding awards from the 22nd Rotaract District Assembly took place on 30 June at Taj Samudra, Colombo.

Teen Inc wish the Rotaract Club of Panadura all the very best for their future endeavours.