What is Rotaract?
Rotaract clubs are part of a global effort to bring peace and international understanding to the world. This effort starts at the community level but knows no limits in its outreach. Rotaractors have access to the many resources of Rotary International (RI) and The Rotary Foundation. Rotary International provides the administrative support that helps Rotaract clubs thrive.
History
Rotaract has evolved quickly in its short but dynamic history. In the early 1960s, Rotary clubs around the world began to sponsor university youth groups as community service projects. The 1967-68 RI president, Luther H. Hodges, and the RI Board of Directors considered this club activity to have international relevance, and Rotaract was approved in 1968 as an official program for Rotary clubs. The first club chartered was the Rotaract Club of North Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, on 13 March 1968. Several decades later, the Rotaract program has grown into a strong, international network of 7,300 clubs in more than 150 countries and geographical areas. Rotaract’s 145,000 members are young men and women (ages 18 to 30) who serve the needs of their communities, widen their personal and professional contacts, and increase their understanding of the world.
Goals
Rotaract has the following goals:
● To develop professional and leadership skills
● To emphasize respect for the rights of others, based on recognition of the worth of each individual
● To recognize the dignity and value of all useful occupations as opportunities to serve
● To recognize, practice, and promote ethical standards as leadership qualities and vocational responsibilities
● To develop knowledge and understanding of the needs, problems, and opportunities in the community and worldwide
● To provide opportunities for personal and group activities to serve the community and promote international understanding and goodwill toward all people
How does Rotaract fit into the Rotary family?
Rotary International is a worldwide service organization for leading business and professional men and women, with more than 1.2 million members in over 31,000 Rotary clubs. Each Rotaract club is sponsored by a local Rotary club. This sponsorship is a result of Rotary’s belief that young people, or New Generations, should take an active interest in community life and have the opportunity for professional development. Organizing a Rotaract club is one of the most rewarding activities a Rotary club can undertake in its community. The Rotaract program gives Rotarians the opportunity to mentor dynamic young women and men interested in providing service to their own communities as well as the global community. In turn, a Rotaract club can bring new energy to a Rotary club, inspire fresh ideas for service, increase support for projects, and help develop future Rotary club members. Rotaract clubs are self-governed and largely selffinanced at the local level. Working in cooperation with their sponsoring Rotary clubs as partners in service, Rotaractors are an important part of Rotary’s extended family. The Standard Rotaract Club Constitution defines the role of the Rotary club sponsor in Articles III, V, and XIII.
What does a Rotaract club do?
Rotaract clubs organize a variety of projects and activities, depending primarily on the interests of the club members. However, within the Rotaract program, all clubs undertake three types of activities in varying degrees: professional development, leadership development, and service projects. Together, these three areas ensure a balanced club program and provide important experience and opportunities for the personal development of each Rotaractor.
Professional Development
A club’s professional development activities should expand the members’ understanding of the work environment and business opportunities within their community. These activities should highlight the Rotaractor’s role in the community’s economic development and illustrate how skills developed through service activities can help in resolving problems in the workplace. Each Rotaract club should provide professional development opportunities to its members through activities such as:
● Professional and vocational forums
● Business technology updates
● Management and marketing seminars
● Conferences on business and professional ethics
● Presentations on finance and credit options for business start-up
Sponsoring Rotarians can enhance the professional development of Rotaractors by providing practical advice on entering the business world and tackling business, vocational, and professional challenges. Making the club’s professional development projects into joint Rotaract-Rotary projects can also help Rotaractors get better acquainted with sponsoring Rotarians.
Leadership Development
A club’s leadership development activities aim not only to make members more effective leaders in their personal lives, but also to teach them how to develop and sustain strong clubs with relevant projects. Important topics to address in training club leaders include:
● Improving public speaking skills
● Developing techniques for marketing the Rotaract program to potential members ● Building consensus among members
● Delegating project responsibilities and ensuring necessary follow-up
● Identifying channels for project publicity and promotion
● Finding financial resources for strengthening club development
● Assessing project success
Service Projects
Service Above Self is Rotary’s foremost guiding principle. A Rotaract club’s service projects are designed to improve the quality of life at home and abroad. These projects often address today’s most critical issues, such as violence, drug abuse, AIDS, hunger, the environment, and illiteracy. Each Rotaract club is required to complete at least two major service projects annually, one to serve the community and the other to promote international understanding. Each should involve all or most of the members of the club.
Article VII of the Standard Rotaract Club Constitution outlines Rotaract club activity and project guidelines.
Why organize a Rotaract club?
Today’s young people will become tomorrow’s parents, professionals, business leaders, and community leaders. With the help of programs like Rotaract, they can gain the tools and skills necessary to develop into responsible, productive members of society. Now is the time for Rotary clubs to focus on the future by challenging the New Generations to test their talents, develop new skills, and confront issues they will face in their lifetime. The Rotaract program can instill in its members life skills that can be shared with others for generations to come.
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