The Rotaract Program

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The Rotaract Program
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The Rotaract Program

• What is the Rotaract program?
• How does a Rotary Club benefit from sponsoring a
  Rotaract Club?
• What are a Rotary Club's obligations to a
  Rotaract Club?
• Tips for successfully building up a Rotaract
  Club
• Pitfalls to avoid
• Rotaractors making a difference

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What is Rotaract?

• The purpose of Rotaract is to provide an
  opportunity for young men and women to enhance
  the knowledge and skills that will assist them in
  personal development, to address the physical and
  social needs of their communities, and to promote
  better relations between all people worldwide
  through a framework of friendship and
  service.Source Standard Rotaract Club
  Constitution Article 2

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What is Rotaract?

• Rotaract has helped me reach out to other
  people, which I really dreamed of a lot when I
  was younger. I have met a lot of people with
  different languages. I am able to talk with
  people of a different status in life. I am able
  to see me the real me. Aldrin
  Buelo Rotaract Club of
  Parañaque East Paragon
  District 3830, The Philippines

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What is Rotaract?

• The first time I visited an orphanage, I was
  struck by the huge effect we had on these
  children... I left that day feeling like queen of
  the world, like I could do anything, or solve any
  problem... Rotaract made me dream, and helped me
  to make other people's dreams come true.
  
• Nancy Eshre Rotaract
  Club of Alexandria Cosmopolitan
  District 2450, Egypt

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What is Rotaract?

• The 5 goals of Rotaract
• To develop professional and leadership skills
• To emphasize respect for the rights of others,
  and to promote ethical standards and the dignity
  of all useful occupations
• To provide opportunities for young people to
  address the needs and concerns of the community
  and our world

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What is Rotaract?

• The 5 goals of Rotaract
• To provide opportunities for working in
  cooperation with sponsoring Rotary Clubs
• To motivate young people for eventual membership
  in RotarySource Standard Rotaract Club
  Constitution Article 2

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Benefits of Rotaract

• Mentor dynamic young men and women
• help shape the community's future
• next generation of Rotarians
• Valuable partners-in-service
• new ideas alternate viewpoints
• more help for your projects
• access to younger networks

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Benefits of Rotaract

• Rotaractors are the enthusiasts who dare to try
  and explore. Rotarians are the practitioners of
  Rotary philosophy. By working together, they
  inspire each other and their horizons are
  broadened.
• 
  Florence Hui
  Rotary Club of Macau
  District 3450, Macau
  Former Rotaractor who joined Rotary in
  July 2005

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Benefits of Rotaract

• After having been a Rotary Youth Exchange
  student and in Rotaract for 11 years, becoming a
  Rotarian was a logical step for me... The
  Rotary club was very welcoming and recognising
  my solid background in the Rotary family, my
  membership was fast-tracked.
• Jonathan Nish
  Rotary Club of Putney
  District 1130, England
  Former Rotaractor who joined Rotary in July
  2006

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Benefits of Rotaract

• Whether Rotaractors become Rotarians or not,
  thanks to Rotaract they have become even better
  citizens of the community, and so they contribute
  to Rotary's good reputation.
• 
  Marco Kappenberger Rotary
  E-Club of Latinoamérica

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Obligations to Rotaract

• Training
• Incoming Rotaract Club officers must be provided
  with training by the district
• Multidistrict training for DRREs
• Funding
• chartering a club
• club district officer training
• Rotaractors should fund everything else

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Obligations to Rotaract

• Imagine telling the DGE that the district has
  decided that s/he cannot attend the international
  assembly... s/he can just learn from PDGs
  instead. Why then is this a common practice, for
  Rotaractors to be denied the training they are
  entitled to?
• PDRR Simone Carot
  Collins Rotaract Club of
  South Perth District
  9470, Australia

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Obligations to Rotaract

• Rotaractors in Argentina, Uruguay Paraguay
  hold a week long training seminar, ERAUP.
• Isn't this ERAUP an example of what we want
  for Rotarians all over the Rotary world? Other
  one full week training Rotaract meetings should
  be encouraged in other parts of the world.
• PDG Juan Pedro Torroba, RI Membership
  Development Retention Committee

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Obligations to Rotaract

• Meetings The sponsoring club is encouraged to
• send a Rotarian to a Rotaract meeting once a
  month
• invite Rotaractors on at least a quarterly basis
  to their meetings and events

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Building a Rotaract Club

• Read the Rotaract Handbook(available from
  rotary.org downloads)
• Another good resource is the Extension Manual by
  Rotaract in Great Britain Ireland(available
  from rotaract.org.uk)
• Visit other Rotaract Clubs
• Meet with your district's DRR and DCHR
• Source a suitable venue for club meetings

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Building a Rotaract Club

• Identify potential Rotaractors (18 28 years)
• Family members
• Past Rotary youth project participants
• Employees / work colleagues
• Members of other associations
• Any young adults you come across in day to day
  activities
• Extended networks

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Building a Rotaract Club

• Identify club leaders
• Start planning activities
• Joint Rotary / Rotaract projects
• Events of other Rotaract Clubs
• Projects through RotaractNET
• Help form their own identity
• Club tshirts, website etc

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Pitfalls to Avoid

• We don't sponsor a Rotaract Club because...
• There aren't any colleges in our area
• We're busy enough with our other projects
• We're a small club fighting for our survival

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Pitfalls to Avoid

• Relationship damagers
• Treating Rotaractors as children
• Instructing / taking over rather than advising
• Expecting help / support from Rotaractors but not
  giving any in return

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Pitfalls to Avoid

• A comment we often hear from Rotarians is, 'We
  tried Rotaract and it failed. All the members
  coupled up and left or got other jobs and
  left at once.' It is the role of a responsible
  sponsoring Rotary club to help Rotaractors to
  constantly recruit new members. Without
  constant and consistent strong Rotary support,
  the Rotaract club will not survive for long.
  Source RGBI Rotaract FAQ for Rotarians

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Rotaract in Action

• Self-Sustainable Farms Rotaract Club of Panama
• My experience with the Matching Grant has been
  one of the most rewarding of my life. We are
  improving their quality of life, providing
  them with more variety of food, and most
  importantly, we are making them feel
  special. Jeannette Vasquez Rotaract Club of
  Panama District 4240, Panama

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Rotaract in Action

• Dial-A-Santa Districts 9450 9470, Australia
• As a Rotarian, I get a great kick out of working
  with the people who order the Dial-A-Santa
  service. The joy on people's faces when they
  receive personalized attention from Santa is
  just great. Peter Kraj-Krajewski Rotary Club
  of Mill Point District 9470, Australia

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Rotaract in Action

• A Hand for PolioRotaract Club of Ciudad
  Satélite, Mexico
• It is possible to adapt this project to
  practically any space, regardless of the social
  conditions or culture of the community. Plus, it
  gives thousands of people the opportunity to
  know about Rotary and one if its most important
  programs Polio Plus.