Message from our Director of New Generations

Dear fellow Rotarians, Friends, and family,

 

When I first got involved with Rotary, and helped charter the Galleria Rotaract in 2012, I did not know much about Rotary nor had any Rotaract training prior to being the charter president. "Service Above Self," and The Four Way Test was the only guideline I had to follow. As I’ve learn more about Rotary, I’ve found out there’s a shortage of (Young Professional Rotaracts) transition into Rotary (New Generation Rotarians). New Generations refers to the youngest generation in the family of Rotary. Many are participants in Rotary’s youth and young adult programs: Interact, Rotaract, Rotary

Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), and Rotary Youth Exchange. Others are service minded young people involved in Rotary club and district activities.

 

Past RI President Luis Vicente Giay coined the term New Generations when he shared his belief that the future of Rotary relied on involving young people in the organization’s programs and activities. At the 1996 RI Convention in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he said:

“Our vision for the future, now more than ever, is the difference between success and failure. The New Generations are our investment in the future. Let us begin to build that future today.”

 

New Generations Service became Rotary’s fifth Avenue of Service in 2010. It is defined in article 5 of the Standard Rotary Club Constitution:

 

New Generations Service recognizes the positive change implemented by youth and young adults through leadership development activities, involvement in community and international service projects, and exchange programs that enrich and foster world peace and cultural understanding. Rotary clubs should be committed to involving youth and young adults in their vocational, community, and international service projects, and to providing programs and resources that support them.

 

Reaching out to New Generations is a commitment to the future of your Rotary club. Clubs that build ties with youth in their communities cultivate future members and become rejuvenated by the energy and new perspectives that young people have to offer. Share Rotary’s ideal of service through vocational and community service projects that target youth, such as career days and mentoring programs. In some communities, New Generations Rotary clubs are chartered to offer young adults an alternative to existing clubs. These clubs can be valuable tools for encouraging younger people to join Rotary.

 

There are many ways to promote New Generations Service among club members, such as:

• Including articles about New Generations in your club newsletter

• Sharing details about New Generations projects on your club website and

through social networks

• Contacting local media to cover Interact and Rotaract club service projects and

sharing the stories with fellow Rotarians

• Recognizing Rotarians who demonstrate outstanding commitment to New

Generations

 

I hope my position as the Director for New Generations can make a difference based on my experience as a Rotarian and charter-president of Galleria Rotaract.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Nguyen T. Nguyen

Director of New Generation 2014-2015