This weekend a number of Tawa members have been in Hobart, Tasmania, attending the Australia New Zealand Rotary Conference 2018.
We have been inspired by both Rotary leaders updating us on the latest news from Rotary and human-interest speakers on some of the successful projects that Rotary has delivered.
High powered Rotary leaders included the Immediate Past President of Rotary International Ian Riseley, Rotary Foundation Trustee, 2016-2019, Mary Beth Growney Selene, and past Australian RI director, Noel Trevaskis. Some key note speakers included some great NZ speakers also; including our own Tony Heyward on tomorrow's members, John Prendergast on NGR (Next Generation Rotary Clubs), and Mitch Brown highlighting the success of the recent Cook Islands mobile health clinic project.
We were challenged to Tell our own Rotary Story, and to Tell the WHY, Why did we join Rotary and Why do we continue to belong to Rotary. It is the WHY that will capture younger members to join us.
A few of my takeaways included the following:
On Rotary topics we heard from:
PRIP Ian Riseley. Inspiration is like a wave - it carries you forward with it.
Amanda Wendt spoke about Understanding the Generations and activating our younger members, and exploring millennials. Give responsibility, Delegate decision-making, share knowledge, mentor and nominate. Recruit, Engage, Activate. Many employers see Rotary as a development organisation for soft skills and these is an area that millennials are keen to learn and get experience with, as well as joining with Rotary to pursue causes that millennials are interest in.
Mary Beth and others spoke about the magic of The Rotary Foundation, including Polio eradication. Rotary's charity - from which the majority of Rotary projects are funded locally and internationally. We were encouraged to consider bigger bolder and brighter projects - as these are also more likely to attract the support and funding of other partners.
We are so close to eradicating polio - but if we stop now then WHO predict that within 5 years the world will be back to over 200,000 cases of polio annually. Australia has already had some close polio scares with cases of infected carriers arriving into Australia from PNG.
There were panel discussions on Rotary and upcoming COL issues, great service projects, telling Rotary's story, public image and strengthening clubs.
On humanitarian speakers we heard about:
Timor L'est and PNG being part of Australian districts means that a number of Rotary clubs undertake international humanitarian projects in these countries. This includes taking RYLA to Timor L'est and building in-training training capacity. Food Plants International developing local village commercial agriculture and water projects to reduce dependence on imported food. Cervical cancer vaccinations. Outreach programmes in Burkina Faso. Teacher in a Box bringing literacy learning to places that don't have access to the internet.
A lot of medical assistance programmes to help the needy and disadvantaged; including ROMAC, Interplast, Busy Feet, Children's Mental health, Australian Compassionate Grants programme, the Australian organ donor programme, and eradication of Trachoma in Australia by 2020 (a blindness condition in some indigenous communities spread by poor hygiene and water conditions).
The work of Peace Scholars - and the fantastic example of young Australian Stephanie Woollard, at age 22, after encountering seven disabled women in Nepal, built a sustainable business of "Seven Women", that has assisted thousands of Nepalese women, and become a United Nations Rotary Responsible Business Award winner. Organised tours to Nepal to experience this service are also now available.
There were also a showcase exhibits area that included; the upcoming 2019 Australia and NZ Conference to be held in Christchurch, Australian Rotary Health, Disaster Aid Australia, Food Plant Solutions, Interplast, National Youth Science Programme, Operation Cleft pallet and Operation toilets, Probus South Pacific, Rotary ANZ Student exchange, Rotary Australia World Community Service, Rotary Down Under, Rotary NSW Emergency Service Awards, ROMAC, Shelter Box Australia, Teacher in a Box, The Deafness Foundation, The Rotary Foundation, and sponsors Avalon Waterways, and iTravel Carlingford.
