Petar Pešić addresses a recent meeting.

By Petar Pešić, a member of the Rotary Club of Nis, Serbia

Driven by a desire to help my local community, I discovered Rotaract when I was attending the Faculty of Law at the University of Niš, Serbia. In the Rotaract Club of Nis, I met a number of young people who, like me, shared an interest in improving our community. It made our actions easier that we all shared the same goal, and we took part in many projects that made us visible in the community.

Belonging to Rotaract basically gives you free access to great mentors in your host Rotary club. They are always there to point you in the right direction and assist you in discovering better ways of doing things.

I did not know it at the time, but every project I was a part of and every meeting and event I organized helped me for my professional work as a lawyer. By working on service projects, I learned much about correspondence, negotiations, and drafting documents, all things I now do on a daily basis. Wherever I went, whether Berlin, London, or Split, Croatia, I had somebody to call, someone local to meet, or to show me around. Our network is as diverse and global as it possibly gets.

For me, life without traveling is meaningless.

In addition, I love to travel. For me, life without traveling is meaningless. Rotaract gave me so many opportunities to travel around the world, taking part in service projects, and meeting interesting people. In fact, it was memories of all my great travels with Rotaract that compelled me to seek out and join the Rotary Club of Nis, Serbia, when I learned about the new rule changes that allow Rotaractors to also become members of Rotary at the same time.

Petar Pešić and other members at a marathon organized by Rotarians and Rotaractors in District 2483 to raise awareness for people with disabilities.

Both Rotaract and Rotary have given me so much. In Rotary, I meet people who have more experience in life than I. Being in their company even for a few minutes a week allows me to hear from their different perspectives. I am learning to embrace diversity. That is the “school of life,” as I like to call it, that you get in Rotary.

Also, because Rotary members generally have access to greater resources, everything in Rotary is bigger. Projects involve more people and have a deeper impact on society. That is why I am excited to step up and expand on what I have learned in Rotaract as a member of my Rotary club.

I have just completed serving as my district’s Rotaract representative covering Serbia and Montenegro. At the age of 25, and now a Rotarian, I am looking forward to meeting new people across the globe, organizing new projects and spreading the idea of “Service Above Self.”

Throughout Membership and New Club Development month, we will be featuring blog posts that focus on club flexibility. From a hybrid club to dual membership, these posts feature clubs who have benefited greatly from restructuring or implementing new membership options.