Category Archives: Empowering youth

Get your professional development in Rotaract

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Peer workshops allow Rotaract members to learn skills from each other over coffee and doughnuts.

By Katherine Kirkpatrick-Wahl, Rotaract Club of Toronto, Canada

We are our own greatest networking asset. I realized that early on when I assumed the role of professional development director for my Rotaract club. It amazed me every time I spoke with one of our members how accomplished they were and how they were almost afraid to talk about what they had achieved in their relatively short careers. It became my mission to help members connect with each other. I did this in two ways, peer-workshops and members connect. Continue reading →

Bridging the gap between Rotary’s programs for young leaders

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Planting a tree

Jessie Case plants a tree with the Coronado Rotary Club.

By Jessie Case, Rotaract Club of Pacific Beach, California, USA

My very first Interact project was picking up trash at a nearby lake and recreation area. It was so simple, yet I was so moved by the idea that if you wanted something to happen, you could take matters into your own hands and get it done. I am still moved by that feeling that comes from identifying a problem, finding a solution, and acting upon it. Continue reading →

5 ways Rotaract can change your life

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Salman Ali Rajput

By Salman Ali Rajput, past president of the Rotaract Club of Nawabshah Central, Pakistan, and District 3271 secretary

I have always been involved in extracurricular activities practically since I was old enough to walk. But it wasn’t until I joined Rotaract in 2015 that I discovered the many ways a young person can learn and grow while serving the local community. My life has been transformed by Rotaract. Before I joined, I felt like a common man. Today, I have been groomed into a proud global citizen. Here are five ways Rotaract can change your life. Continue reading →

Who knew installing solar lights could have such meaning?

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A Navajo family enjoys their newly installed solar light.

A Navajo family enjoys their newly installed solar light.

By A.J. Holzer

As I landed in the Durango airport, cramped into a small airplane, my entire Rotary career flashed before my eyes. I had joined Interact at the beginning of high school as a way to help my community and connect with others. And for most of my high school years, I was able to do just that, growing as a leader and learning from my peers. The experience was uniquely personal – all I knew of Rotary was my club and the work we did in the community. But in the summer of my sophomore year, my knowledge of Rotary was about to explode to an entirely new level. Continue reading →

How we set up a Rotaract club in a refugee settlement

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A Rotary team visited the Nakivale Rotaract Club in January (select cc for English subtitles)

By Francis Xavier Sentamu, District 9211 (Uganda) governor-elect

When I first saw a story on BBC in the spring of 2016 about the Nakivale Refugee settlement, I didn’t give it much thought. It was distant to me. Somewhat coincidentally, I attended a “changemaker” event that November organized by the American Refugee Committee, where 13 youth from the Nakivale Refugee settlement were being honored for their project ideas to impact the refugee community. Continue reading →

Bringing the Rotary family closer together

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Albert E. Kafka, Rotary Club of Wien-Oper, and Peter M. Rabensteiener, Rotary Club of Wien-Stadtpark

Change is the only constant in life. No matter how prepared we think we are for it, transition can be challenging. Closing the exciting chapter of our lives as members of Rotaract and moving on to the new adventures that await us in Rotary can be difficult. As a young person, how do we fit in? A desire to help others through this difficulty and to promote true unity among Rotarians led us, along with Philip-Sebastian Marchl, to create Intarconnect. Continue reading →

Are you ready for the online challenge?

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Members of the NoBorders Rotaract Club meet.

By Patricia Mackenzie, 2017-18 president of the Rotaract Club of NoBorders

As a young professional, I found myself being short on time. I was starting my career, making new friends, and I really didn’t have time to meet in-person multiple times a week. I tried a traditional Rotaract club for just over three years, but always felt guilty when I missed a meeting because I was traveling or working late. I really wanted to be in the Rotary family, but I needed flexibility.

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MusiCamp breaks down barriers one student at a time

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By Sharon Bay, a member of the Downtown Breakfast Rotary Club of San Diego, California, USA

I had only been a Rotarian for a year, and was eager for another opportunity to serve, when I was asked by the committee chair of District 5340’s MusiCamp Youth Exchange if I would be interested in hosting two talented musical students for three weeks that summer. My husband and I had hosted an exchange student from Bolivia several years prior and had enjoyed the experience. This would only be for three weeks, and we felt we knew what to expect, so we enthusiastically said yes. Continue reading →

Crossing the border from Rotaract to Rotary

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Members of the Rotary Club of Sampaguita Grace Park and the Rotaract clubs of University of the East Caloocan and University of Caloocan City.

By I.J. Carido, a member of the Rotary Club of Smpaguita Grace Park, and the Rotaract Club of University of the East Caloocan, Philippines

During the summer when the weather is ever shifting, I joined members of the Rotary Club of Sampaguita Grace Park and the Rotaract clubs of University of the East Caloocan and University of Caloocan City to visit a majestic sight. The journey took us to Wawa Dam, a natural gem located two hours from the bustling streets and towering buildings of Makati and Manila. It was my first time to see a dam up-close and personal and as an aspiring engineer, the structure was a wonderful sight to me. However, what we were seeking lies far beyond the water reservoir.

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Becoming a Rotary alumni is just the beginning

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Members of the Rotaract Club of Birmingham attend The Rotary Club of Birmingham’s Annual Rotary Trail Party in May. From left: Erica Murphy, Mary Meadows Livingston, Jeris Gaston, Amanda Martin, and Uma Srivastava.

Jerris Gaston

By Jeris Burns Gaston

If you told me twelve years ago upon finishing my Rotary Ambassadorial Program year in Dublin, Ireland, that this was just the start of an adventure, I would have been hard pressed to believe you. The program itself was such a unique and enriching experience that improving on this worldview changing year seemed impossible. However, as I enter my thirteenth year as a member of the Rotary family, I now realize that being an alumnus is just the beginning. Continue reading →