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Ian on the Institute

On August 22, 2009, I drove down to Sechelt to attend the Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI). I went because I was told it was expected of all incoming presidents, and because I hoped to learn more of the mysterious working of the "Foundation" and the ability to multiply project funding.

RLI started in New Jersey to help prepare individuals for club and community leadership. It is a series of three full-day sessions covering leadership and Rotary knowledge.

We started off with introductions and quickly were put into small groups to explore various aspects of leadership, which we then discussed in the larger group. (There were 12 of us, 11 from the Sunshine Coast and one from Burnaby). We next learned about the Rotary organization structure, the strategic plans, and sources of information available on the web. Our next session covered membership retention, and I learned the term "Romeos"—Really Old Men Eating Out. This has apparently become a problem in some clubs, as people who have been members for over 30 years come to meetings to socialize and don't contribute to club initiatives. I heard a lot of great ideas for getting members involved.

We had an introduction to the Rotary Foundation—and I mean introduction, as there is a four-day program available to learn the ins and outs. The main message for us is that the model is changing this year, with more information to come. Many of the programs have had to be cancelled due to lack of funds from investments.

The afternoon finished up with a session on team building and committees, followed by a session on service projects where, in small groups, we chose a project and developed a plan to get it approved through the club, funded, and implemented.
 
The day was worthwhile, with much of the learning coming from the experiences of the participants: what has worked or not worked in their clubs, successful versus failed projects, etcetera. If you can schedule the day, it is a good investment in yourself and your participation in Rotary.