Interact Leadership Training Seminar Equips Penang's Next Generation of Club Leaders

On 10 November 2025, Interact Club leaders, aspiring student officers, and faculty advisors from across Penang gathered at Inti International College in Bayan Lepas for the Interact Leadership Training Seminar (ILTS) — a full day of workshops, group discussions, and scenario-based exercises built to turn Interactors into confident, capable club leaders. The seminar concluded its programme on 13 December 2025.

Why ILTS matters

Youth development is one of Rotary's core areas of focus, and our club currently sponsors five Interact Clubs across the region. Keeping that many clubs running well depends on the students at the top of them — club presidents, secretaries, and project chairs who are often stepping into leadership for the first time. ILTS exists to give those students the skills the role demands before they're thrown into it: how to run a meeting, plan a project, manage a team, and work with a school and a sponsoring Rotary club at the same time.

Inside the seminar

The day combined interactive workshops with peer collaboration and hands-on scenario work, covering communication, decision-making, conflict management, and project planning. Rather than lecturing students on leadership, the format put them into group discussions and simulated situations where they had to apply the ideas immediately — the kind of practice that sticks better than a slide deck.

The seminar was organised under advanced programme status and drew participants from Interact clubs sponsored by four Rotary clubs working together: Rotary Club of Penang, Rotary Club of Bandar Sungai Petani, Rotary Club of Butterworth, and Rotary Club of Seberang Jaya. Mr Chandra Segar of Rotary Club of Penang led the project.

What continues after the seminar

The seminar's aim was never the day itself — it was what students do with it afterward. Participants leave with a stronger sense of their own leadership identity, sharper communication and teamwork skills, and a clearer read on what their communities actually need. For the clubs, that translates into Interactors who are more likely to initiate their own service projects, run their clubs more effectively, and stay engaged with Rotary's network rather than drifting away after their first year. Students from different schools also built connections across the Interact movement in the district — relationships that tend to outlast any single seminar.

Project at a glance

• Project chair: Mr Chandra Segar, Rotary Club of Penang

• Partner clubs: Rotary Club of Bandar Sungai Petani, Rotary Club of Butterworth, Rotary Club of Penang, Rotary Club of Seberang Jaya

• Location: Inti International College, Bayan Lepas, Penang

• Timeline: 10 November 2025 – 13 December 2025

• Team: 32 volunteers, 160 volunteer hours

• Funding: 800 USD, contributed by Rotary Club of Penang

• Impact: A new cohort of Interact Club leaders across Penang and Kedah trained in practical leadership skills, strengthening the sustainability of the Interact ecosystem the club sponsors