The future of Rotary in our hands

Let’s start with a quick analysis of what is considered service in the 21st century.

Service is a unique combination of philosophy and actions and in this century will continue to have an ethical, responsible and humble role.

It will continue to be the antithesis of the impersonal low-level and narcissistic conduct of a part of our society that has deteriorated over time.

As a result of globalization, the 21st century will see the development of more multiracial and multicultural communities. This will generate opposed interests and consequently, the need for an entity capable of mediating these disputes and with emphasis in solidarity, peace and world understanding.

Rotary will become the catalyst of the forces generated by this new global community, for which service has been defined by providing financial or physical help, but that now needs to change.

Rotary will have to find possible solutions for the new requirements of service, and leverage their promotion.

The 21st century will surely be based on technology. Our mission will also be to serve as a bridge between these technological developments and people in need.

For Rotarians around the world to be successful in the future, they have to focus on three major missions of service:

 Create conditions for everyone to have access to comfort and progress;  Promote peace and assist in conflict resolution, even for those conflicts we still don’t know about today, and  Promote the supremacy of spiritual over material things, love over war or hatred and enhancement of loyalty that generates respect and leads to peace.

Clearly we have to keep focusing on projects to provide services to combat and mitigate hunger, ignorance, disease and lack of water and sanitation.

Thinking about how to solve a problem is free, it does not cost us anything.

But we have to care enough to take action.

Rotary must continue to promote the FRIENDSHIP that unites us, the RESPECT TO THE FAMILY that propagates values and the SOLIDARITY that ensures justice and coexistence.

Rotary will only have a future if we promote its ideals and values to new generations.

Rotary must continue to build its reputation as an organization that provides services under these new concepts - not just by the delivery of awards and medals of recognition, but through projects that are completed.

Our success will be measured by our ability to develop Rotarians capable of performing these new forms of service.

The training of new leaders will be essential to achieve these goals.

Governments, withdrawing from certain areas of service, will demand that we increase our actions on this sector.

As a result, the need for volunteer work from socio-cultural and basic education entities will grow.

Urbanization will also grow, which will take us to restore, as an institution, the Paul Harris’s idea that Rotary was created to operate in small communities, helping to rebuild them in a self-regulated manner.

Voluntarism will also increase among people with new paradigms of work, in need to feel more useful in this discretionary time. But on parts of the community where basic survival is more important, voluntarism will decrease. It's up to Rotary and Rotarians to balance these forces.

In this new scenario we will have to adopt a new approach, which will require that we have more clubs and Rotarians.

The new Rotarians will have to solve problems like:

 The need for a new way to express themselves and be understood;  An integrated and multilevel investment in the youth;  The evolution of operations and management in the three levels of the organization;  The implementation of a multiyear and multilevel planning;  The growing detachment between clubs and the community they serve;  The inadequate admission process we have today;  The lack of Rotary knowledge among the members;  The urgent need to develop new Rotary leaders;  The family involvement in service activities.

All this will require a revolution, or better, an evolution renewal.

The future of Rotary is based on a combination of resources and time provided by volunteers, and on our capacity to attract new members. Voluntarism is widely accepted among the younger and by the elders that have the ability to influence others. Together they are a combination so strong that are capable of changing nations.

The Vocational Services are another major challenge for the future since this is the characteristic that distinguishes Rotary among the others humanitarian entities.

The world needs more than ever the type of service Rotary provides through professionals.

The moral obligation to be part of a professional group that defends the same values and high ethical standards is indispensable. Those who fail in their duty to adequately represent their profession or business are blocking an artery through which flows the blood of Rotary.

And what about the youth? What are we exposed to these days?

Mainly to a rapid change in information and knowledge, the media in general, including telecommunication and advertising companies, and most businesses and industries have already realized this revolution and are trying to motivate the new generations to purchase products and services offered by them.

Rotary can offer them a more modern and attractive way to meet their expectations and at the same time perpetuate their values.

Rather than showing the youngsters the path to follow, it is much more rewarding to walk it with them.

Therefore the keyword is planning, aiming to have a multiyear, multilevel and integrated planning.

Are we creating organizational and emotional conditions for this?

Rotary administrative enhancements have been taking place for some years, with changes like the District and Club Leadership Plan, causing an organizational transformation aimed to adopt the same structure in its three levels. This should result in an integrated global implementation of the plans. So we have to strive to follow these unified rules and take advantage of the financial independence, since we are both members and owners of the organization, and we don’t have these advantages in multinational companies.

To build the future ahead, we must take actions in the present because the future is now. It is also our turn to prove that we have the vision to start planning it now.

For The Future of Rotary is in Our Hands.

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