the Rotaract Club of Aruba successfully hosted the 11th edition of its annual YOU Inc. seminar, an event dedicated to personal and professional development through dialogue, inspiration, and knowledge sharing.
Since its inception, the YOU Inc. Seminar has focused on a central theme each year, bringing together experts and community voices to explore relevant topics. Past editions have addressed mental health, entrepreneurship, and tourism, always with the same objective: to empower attendees, stimulate important conversations, and motivate professionals to invest in themselves and their careers.
This year, the seminar emphasized the “Orange Economy,” a theme that the Rotaract Club of Aruba believes deserves more attention. The Orange Economy refers to the creative industry, which includes sectors such as art, design, music, film, fashion, digital media, and other forms of creative expression that generate cultural, social, and economic value. With innovation top of mind, Rotaract completely transformed the experience by hosting the seminar in San Nicolas, known as Aruba’s art district. Held outdoors—a first for YOU Inc.—the setting created an atmosphere that truly reflected the creativity of the theme.
The evening began with a dynamic first panel. The audience listened to honest and real reflections from young creators who are actively working in the industry. Mauro Caralps, Rocco Franken, Julissa Ras, and Sharkk Gario shared their experiences, challenges, and perspectives, giving the audience a clear look into the reality of building a creative career.
This first panel paved the way for the keynote address by attorney and expert Lincoln “Dello” Gomez, who delivered a powerful explanation on the importance of protecting creativity and the intellectual property of all creators, drawing from his own experience. His message resonated with the audience through four keywords: create, own, protect, and grow.
About Rotaract Club of Aruba: The Rotaract Club of Aruba is a younger-oriented group of professionals who are part of the well-established Rotary Club of Aruba. Our focus is to provide an opportunity for young men and women to enhance their leadership skills, address the needs of the community, and promote improved relations between all people through friendship and service.
The seminar concluded with a second panel featuring pioneers and changemakers within the creative industry: Edjean Semeleer, Ronchi de Cuba, Tito Bolivar, and Armando Goedgedrag. They shared the challenges they faced at the start of their careers, the hurdles they encounter today, and their vision for the future of the creative industry, emphasizing that this is a collective effort among creators, institutions, and all relevant stakeholders.
The program was emceed by Jonathan Trinidad, who guided the audience throughout the evening. Both panels were moderated by Derchlien Dijkhoff, a professional with extensive experience working alongside creators in the industry, ensuring deep dialogue and meaningful exchange.
The Rotaract Club of Aruba sincerely thanks all sponsors and partners for their contributions. Thank you to Aruba Bank, Aruba Tourism Authority, Aruba Airport Authority, Elite Productions, Setar N.V., Pepe Margo Distillery, Total Services, Albo Aruba, Express Events, and Accurate Security. A special thank you also goes out to all panelists and speakers for their participation, which made the YOU Inc. Seminar 2026 a resounding success. Finally, thanks to the YOU Inc. committee and all members of the Rotaract Club of Aruba for their hard work and dedication.
