Rotaract is…
So much more than community service…
Rotaract is an international organization of service clubs for men and women aged 18-30 that fosters leadership and responsible citizenship, encourages high ethical standards in business and promotes international understanding and peace.
A relatively new club with a long history…
Rotaract is a program of Rotary International. These Clubs work under the guidance of their local Rotary Club, and take their name from a combination of the words Rotary and action. Rotaract was officially inaugurated during January 1968 under RI President Luther Hodges. The first officially chartered Rotaract Club was in North Charlotte, North Carolina, on 13 March, 1968; however, clubs with young people associated in service with local Rotary Clubs had existed for several years all over the world.
The earliest known predecessors to Rotaract, Twenty-Thirty clubs, were first sponsored by the Rotary Club of Sacramento, California, USA. These clubs were based on the principles and goals of their sponsoring Rotary clubs, and membership was open to young professionals and university students. The first meeting of a Twenty-Thirty club was held on 19 December 1922. At one point, the movement claimed as many as 125 clubs under the sponsorship of California Rotary clubs, and published a monthly magazine.
In 1927, Round Table clubs were founded in Great Britain and Ireland. Membership in Round Table clubs was open to young men ages 18 to 40, and by 1935 more than 90 Round Table clubs existed. In November 1930, the first Apex club was formed in Geelong, Australia. Apex clubs grew rapidly, expanding to more than 20 clubs in just a few years. These clubs were sponsored by Rotary clubs, and were open to professionals and students between the ages of 18 and 35.
Similar Rotary club-sponsored groups continued to spring up simultaneously and independently around the globe. Unisserve clubs in India, Orbis clubs in South America, Rotors clubs in South Africa, Paul Harris Circles in Europe, and Quadrant clubs in the United States are some of the best-known examples. Eventually, these clubs would provide the base for the future growth of Rotaract as the clubs adopted new names under the Rotaract program.
A Rotary-sponsored program for college students…
The decision to adopt the Rotaract program came at a time when student protests worldwide were of growing concern to Rotarians. The Rotaract program was adopted not only as means of keeping former Interactors within the Rotary family, but as a means of channeling the energies of young adults into positive activities that could benefit their communities.
One of the fastest-growing programs of Rotary service…
By 1981, Rotaract was so popular that Rotaractors in South Africa decided to host the first INTEROTA conference, an international meeting for all Rotaractors. Subsequent conferences have been held every three years. To date, INTEROTA conferences have been hosted by Rotaractors in Australia, Brazil, England, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey. International meetings for Rotaractors are also held every year at the Rotaract Pre-convention Meeting, that precedes Rotary’s annual convention. The first such meeting was held in Seoul, Korea, in 1989, with more than 450 Rotaractors in attendance.
In February 1991, the first Rotaract club in Eastern Europe was chartered in Budapest, Hungary, with the help of Austrian Rotaractors. Ties in Eastern Europe were further strengthened when the same Austrian Rotaractors helped charter the Rotaract Club of Prague in what was the Czechoslovakia later in 1991. In March 1992, the RI Board established World Rotaract Week, which is celebrated annually during the week of 13 March to commemorate the chartering of the first Rotaract club. During World Rotaract Week, Rotaractors attend meetings with their sponsoring Rotary clubs, undertake joint service projects, and speak with clubs that do not sponsor Rotaract clubs about the benefits of the program.
A positive impact on the world and global recognition…
Since 1968, Rotaractors have continually shown that they can be an innovative and positive force for change in their communities. Service activities commonly undertaken include projects to improve the environment, visits with the elderly or disabled, blood or organ donation campaigns, and aid to developing countries. One example of the ingenuity employed by Rotaractors is a project undertaken by the Rotaract Clubs of Heemstede and Hillegom-Lissee, the Netherlands, in 1987. In order to raise funds for PolioPlus, Rotaractors from the two clubs designed an amphibious cycle that would cross the English Channel under the power of 36 Rotaractors. The campaign raised US$210,000 for PolioPlus and earned the Rotaractors a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for their speedy crossing.
Rotaract Goals
– To develop professional and leadership skills.
- To emphasize respect for the rights of others, based on recognition of the worth of each individual.
- To recognize the dignity and value of all useful occupations as opportunities to serve.
- To recognize, practice, and promote ethical standards as leadership qualities and vocational responsibilities.
- To develop knowledge and understanding of the needs, problems and opportunities in the community and worldwide.
- To provide opportunities for personal and group activities to serve the community and promote international understanding and goodwill to all people.
Components of Rotaract (according to the official Rotaract handbook)
Membership Development
Today’s young people will become tomorrow’s parents, professionals, business leaders and community leaders. With the help of programs like Rotaract, young adults can gain the tools and skills necessary to develop into responsible, productive members of society. Upon completion of the Rotaract program, Rotaractors are encouraged to seek membership in their local Rotary club.
Professional Development
A club’s professional development activities should expand the members’ understanding of the work environments and business opportunities within their community. These activities should highlight the Rotaractor’s role in the community’s economic development and illustrate how skills developed through service activities can help resolve problems in the workplace. Each Rotaract club should provide professional development opportunities to its members through activities such as:
-Special professional and vocational forums
-Business technology updates
-Management and marketing seminars
-Business and professional ethics conferences
-Presentations on finance and credit options for business start-ups
Sponsoring Rotarians can enhance the professional development of Rotaractors by providing practical advice on entering the business world and overcoming business, vocational, and professional challenges. Joint Rotaract-Rotary professional development projects also can help Rotaractors get better acquainted with sponsoring Rotarians.
Leadership Development
A club’s leadership development activities not only aim to make members more effective leaders in their personal lives, but also to teach them how to develop and sustain strong clubs with relevant projects. Each Rotaract club should provide leadership development opportunities to its members through activities that encourage the following:
-Improving public speaking skills
-Learning techniques for marketing the Rotaract program to potential members
-Building consensus among members
-Delegating project responsibilities and ensuring the necessary follow-up
-Identifying channels for project publicity and promotion
-Finding financial resources for strengthening club development
-Assessing project success
Additionally, consider providing ongoing leadership development opportunities to Rotaractors in the district as they strengthen their understanding of Rotary.
Service Project Development
A club’s service projects are more than community service. It allows every Rotaractor to interact and acquaint him/herself with the community. Service defines Rotary’s character and is the basis for its appeal and visibility in the community. Above all other principles, “Service Above Self” is the credo that guides Rotary. Each Rotaract club is required to complete at least two major service projects annually, one to serve the community and the other to promote international understanding. An effective service project…
-Responds to a real issue, not an imagined one
-Improves community members’ lives
-Incorporates the abilities of those who are served
-Recognizes all participants’ contributions as important and necessary
-Is based on a realistic assessment of resources available
-Aims for specific goals and objectives with measurable results
-Builds working networks
Every Rotaract club and every Rotaractor assumes a responsibility to find ways to improve the quality of life for those in their communities and to serve the public interest.
Public Relations
Public relations are an important aspect of Rotaract club service. Public relations form the relationship between your club, your sponsoring Rotary club, and the community. While the practice of public relations varies between cultures, every club has outside audiences with whom it must communicate. Rotaract public relations can be directed at your sponsoring club, the business community, local governmental officials, civic leaders, other organizations, and people directly affected by your club service initiatives.
Our Mission Statement
The University of Michigan Rotaract Club is an organization of young adults that provides opportunities for individuals to serve the local and international communities, whilst providing professional development and leadership skills. As member of the Rotary International family, we have access to invaluable resources and an established network of professionals world wide
