RCNS Celebrates New Generation Month!
September is New Generations Month and RI President Sakuji Tanaka asks us all to remember that the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is upon us and the face of Rotary – especially in our district 7020- is rapidly changing. So I’d like to ask that we all place as much importance on recruiting young Rotarians as on training them to be leaders – in Rotary, in our community, and in the world.
September is New Generations Month and RI President Sakuji Tanaka asks us all to remember that the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is upon us and the face of Rotary – especially in our district 7020- is rapidly changing. So I’d like to ask that we all place as much importance on recruiting young Rotarians as on training them to be leaders – in Rotary, in our community, and in the world.
New Generations officially became an avenue of service in 2010 and the goal was to acknowledge and highlight the positive changes that young adults make to our communities. We can see these positive changes every day in the amazing service projects and fundraising activities Rotaract and Interact organize. I’m truly impressed by how much our Rotaract and Interact clubs contribute to our communities year after year.
We also have New Generations Rotary Clubs where the majority of members are between the ages of 30 and 40. These clubs truly Experience the Passion of Rotary. I recently attended a meeting of a New Generations Club, and I could clearly see the enthusiasm of that club shine through in all their projects. Some of the members also use very innovative means to communicate with each other very effectively as they build Peace through Service.
It is not enough, though, to just assist with the formation of these clubs. We need to guide and mentor our young Rotaractors and Rotarians. There is still much we, as more experienced Rotarians, can offer our younger, ‘newer’ family members. For instance, when was the last time your club sent a Rotaractor or a ‘young’ Rotarian to the Rotary Leadership Institute? Does your club have plans to send a Rotaractor to one of the three upcoming Global Peace Forums? Have we truly listened and supported their ideas about projects? Is your club hosting a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards session this year? Are we making sure they take leadership roles in our clubs?
These questions may begin to give you some ideas on how we can truly begin to tap the potential of our younger rotary family members. Another opportunity for us to allow our younger family members an opportunity to network will be at the District RYLA event being planned for St. Maarten/St. Martin early in 2013.
We must recruit, teach, support, guide because it is time to have our New Generations Rotarians lead. District 7020 is known for its vibrancy- something I am extremely proud of. Let us ensure that we uphold our reputation and continue to Experience the Passion of Rotary by making sure Rotary is as strong as ever by focusing on our New Generations.