We are currently facing a serious situation that could have catastrophic consequences for the Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) program in our district. Our district governor, Josef Melecký, has submitted a request to Rotary International for the non-certification or revocation of RYE Czechia z.ú.'s full certification. This action not only jeopardizes the long-standing success and operation of the exchanges in our district, but it also directly threatens the reputation of District 2240, the trust of parents, students, schools, and cooperating foreign districts, as well as the expectations of our clubs and members for the proper and fair management of youth services and our district as a whole.
I was pleased to receive the news of the full certification for RYE Slovakia n.o. As the governor of District 2240 in the last year, I worked diligently to implement RI’s decision to establish a second youth exchange organization within our district, based in Slovakia. The granting of the full certification to RYE Slovakia n.o. confirms that the founding documents and statute of this organization - identical to the updated founding documents of RYE Czechia z.ú. - along with the Youth Protection Policies for District 2240, the Youth Protection Handbook, and the RYE Crisis Plan (which I previously updated for the Institute and which were either used directly or as models for the certification of RYE Slovakia n.o.) contributed to the smooth approval of its official certification. The trust and confidence expressed by our DG, Josef Melecký, in the reliability and hard work of the members he appointed to the board of trustees and the supervisory board of RYE Slovakia n.o., along with its director, Juraj Sabaka, also played a key role in this achievement.
However, it is an enormous paradox and a display of inexplicable malice that DG Melecký has requested Rotary International’s General Secretary, John Hewko, to withhold or revoke the full certification of RYE Czechia z.ú. This is the same RYE Czechia z.ú. that has perfectly organized and managed the ongoing youth exchange year of DG Melecký, hosting 55 foreign students (14 in Slovakia) and sending 60 of our own students abroad (17 from Slovakia). If DG Melecký’s position stems from his belief that the Institute should conduct and finance its administrative activities differently, the updated founding charter - on which I placed great importance - grants the governor full authority and veto power, preventing any major decisions in the Institute (and RYE Slovakia n.o.) from being made without the governor’s input. Thus, any issue with which the governor disagrees can be addressed and improved in a certified institution, without resorting to the drastic measure of revoking the full certification or dissolving the Institute altogether and transferring all youth exchange operations (both in Slovak and Czech clubs) to RYE Slovakia n.o., an alternative solution that DG Melecký is reportedly considering after consulting with RI.
I had hoped that by properly exercising the governor's authority as district leader, both entities for the youth exchange program could collaborate and thrive, with the governor contributing to the improvement of any issues through his powers. Above all, I had hoped that he would help to calm the situation and protect each club’s autonomy in running youth exchanges through the organization of their choice.
Unfortunately, DG Melecký's actions have demonstrated the opposite: rather than leading, he appears to govern as a dictator, making unilateral decisions about the existence and future of the exchanges without consultation or adherence to Rotary International’s Codes of Policies, District 2240’s statutes, or the founding documents of both subsidiary organizations. Since July, together with the other board members of the Institute, we have asked DG Melecký to officially remove us from our positions, as he has appointed a new District Youth Exchange Committee for the Czech Republic (and thus a new board of trustees for the Institute) in his email to us in early July, as well as in the district directory. This is his right, according to both RI and the Bylaws of District 2240, and I do not contest it. However, those of us listed in these positions in official registers must first be properly removed, as we still legally bear responsibility as members of the Institute’s highest authority, even though DG Melecký’s newly appointed members are now the de facto decision-makers.
I am thus appealing directly to our governor (who has not convened a meeting of the district’s executive council and has ignored communications from both DGE Bílek and myself as IPDG) through this message:
Josef,
Let us seize this historical opportunity to calm the situation and restore order in accordance with your mission and all the procedures required by law, Rotary International’s policies, and the documents of the district and its subsidiaries. Let us do everything we can to ensure that as many well-prepared students as possible can participate in youth exchanges from both of our countries. Let us also encourage as many clubs as possible to host foreign students - this greatly revitalizes club activities and fosters the enthusiasm that is crucial for the future development of our district. Please stop the reckless steamroller that you have set in motion against the Institute. Your mission should be to expand youth services, not to crush the Institute and execute Mirek Barák and the other Institute officials whose expertise and international connections can bring a lot of benefits to our youth exchange program now and in the future. If there are things that need to be fixed, do not leave it up to John Hewko. RI has already decided: we will have two organizations - work with them for the benefit of young people and Rotarians alike.
Dear readers,
All of us who care about the continuation and expansion of youth exchanges welcome your support. You can help by sending a short message to our district governor, urging him to maintain the full certification of RYE Czechia z.ú.
With hopeful respect for finding a proper and civilized path forward to saving the youth exchange program under the full certification of both of our district's subsidiaries,
IPDG Katarína Čechová
RC Bratislava International
