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PROGRAMS OF
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL - Revisited!
ROTARY AWARENESS MONTH
The eClub
One program for the next two weeks is a complete list and brief description
of Programs and Service Opportunities of Rotary International and The Rotary
Foundation of Rotary International.
This list drives eClub One programming aimed at educating its members on the
wide ranging work of Rotary and The Rotary Foundation. The focus is on the
IMPACT of these programs on the people served by a program and on the
Rotarians engaged in planning and conducting a project in one of the
programs.
Several make-up visitors have suggested programs that fall within one or
more of these programs. Sooner or later you will see them here.
On occasion we may introduce a guest presenter who will expand our
understanding of some of the issues these programs seek to resolve…or
challenge us to consider new programs to meet our ever changing world.
The opportunities for Rotary service are endless. The work of Rotary will
never cease.
These
programs also drive our dues and our donations. It’s OUR money for OUR
programs.
(We suggest you scan both sections of the Program then select one RI program
that attracts your interest. Click on the link and learn much more from the
RI website.)
Programs and Service
Opportunities of
Rotary International
(From the RI
Official Directory)
Currently
there are nine structured programs that are defined as organized
activities recommended by the Board for clubs and districts that include a
recommended framework and guidelines. They are as follows and clicking on
the link will take you to the Rotary International website for a full
description of the program.
Interact
A world wide
network of school or community-based clubs for young people of secondary
school age. Each Interact club is sponsored by a Rotary club and is
dedicated to community service and international understanding.
Rotaract
A world wide
network of university or community-based clubs for young men and women ages
18 through 30 that afford members the chance to develop their own personal
and professional skills while addressing the needs of their communities and
the world. Rotaract clubs are sponsored by Rotary clubs.
Rotary Community Corps
(RCC)
Sponsored by
a Rotary club, RCCs are organized in rural or urban communities to promote
grass-roots, self-help development projects; develop local leadership
abilities, maximize local resources; and use appropriate cost-efficient
technology
Rotary Friendship Exchange
A program
enabling Rotarians and their families to carry out reciprocal visits with
Rotarians and their families in countries other than their own, either on an
individual basis or as a team.
Rotary Recreational & Vocational Fellowships
A means for
Rotarians sharing common vocational and recreational interests to associate
with each other to further international fellowship and service.
Rotary Volunteers
An
information network operating at the club, district and international levels
that encourages active volunteering by Rotarians, Rotary Foundation Alumni,
Rotaractors and others. Semiannual listings provide information on projects
that need volunteers and on volunteers who wish to serve abroad.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
Operates in
a variety of formats worldwide to provide leadership training camps and
seminars for young men and women between the ages of 14-30, sponsored by
Rotary clubs.
Rotary's Service to Women
The RI Board encourages Rotarians to identify the needs of women in their
communities and to develop projects and programs to address them.
Specifically, clubs are asked to focus on education, health, economics and
self development.
Recognition and Awards
Since 1981, Rotary International has honored
individuals and groups with the Rotary Award for World Understanding. Its
purpose is to honor non-Rotarians whose life or work demonstrates the Rotary
ideal of service, especially in the promotion of international
understanding, goodwill and peace. Recipients have included Pope John Paul
II, U.S. Past President Jimmy Carter, former UN General Secretary Javier
Perez de Cuellar, and Vaclav Havel, then president of Czechoslovakia. Since
1993, the award has carried with it a $100,000 grant from
The Rotary Foundation
for a charitable project or projects that are in harmony with the
foundation's mission of world understanding.
Revolving Loan Fund/Microcredit
A Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) provides small business
loans to people who have no credit history or access to commercial bank
loans. Borrowers tend to be small producers of goods and services —
typically farmers and artisans — and many are women. RLFs provide the
initial loans for business start-up and expansion. The ultimate goal is for
these entrepreneurs to become financially independent and eligible for loans
from commercial banks. Payments are generally returned directly to the fund
and used to make new loans — hence, the term revolving loan fund.
Vocational Service
According to Rotary's
classification principle, members join Rotary as the representative of
their particular business or profession. This gives Rotarians the dual
responsibility of representing their vocation within the club and of
exemplifying the ideals of Rotary within the workplace. The essence of
Vocational Service is the importance of high ethical standards in all
professions, the importance of all vocations, and the opportunity to
contribute one’s vocational talents to address the problems and needs of
society.
World Community Service
A program
which encourages international cooperation to carry out projects to improve
living standards and satisfy basic needs. A WCS project is a Rotary
club-sponsored community service project which receives support from
Rotarians in another country in the form of funds, donated goods or
volunteer support.
Youth Exchange
A program
which promotes international friendship by giving young men and women
between the ages of 15-19 the opportunity to experience a long or short-term
exchange (from a few days to an academic year) in a country other than their
own.
The Board
has also approved a Menu of Service Opportunities, a list of issues
and concerns that clubs are encouraged to give priority to when developing a
service project.
Children at
risk
Recognizes
the importance of addressing the needs of vulnerable children and encourages
the development of projects to assist them, such as sponsoring health
clinics, supporting educational programs, building schools, playgrounds,
recreation centers, and providing vocational guidance.
Concern for the Aging
Perceptions about aging are changing as rapidly as the older population is
growing. People are living longer and healthier lives. This combined with
medical advances, the eradication of certain diseases, and other factors is
contributing to a population explosion among the segment over 60.
Disabled
Persons
Encourages
clubs to be involved in projects that create jobs for disabled persons,
alleviate blindness through surgery, provide recreational opportunities, and
supply equipment such as crutches or computers to schools with hearing or
seeing impaired youth and adults.
Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention
The RI Board encouraged Rotary clubs to work with government agencies and
nongovernmental organizations to :increase awareness among Rotary members
and the broader community about local drug and alcohol abuse programs;
undertake or support drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs that focus
on young people; support local family-based drug and alcohol abuse treatment
programs.
Health Care
Rotary clubs
are very active in the area of health, working with projects ranging from
building hospitals and donating ambulances to awareness campaigns around
particular health issues and training of medical professionals.
International Understanding and Goodwill
Rotarians
are uniquely positioned to build peace and understanding in the local and
international communities. Actions to build understanding and goodwill can
take a variety of forms such as establishing “sister club” relationships,
increasing club membership diversity, or sponsoring a local peace essay
competition.
Literacy and Numeracy
Rotarians
are addressing a full range of literacy issues, including primary education,
vocational education, teacher training and adult education. Projects range
from individual tutoring and providing textbooks to promoting the
Concentrated Language Encounter methodology and building schools.
Population
Issues
Rotary clubs
are involved in projects that promote education on the issue of population,
provide access to family healthcare, adequate nutrition, and enable
individuals to make informed and responsible decisions about issues such as
child spacing.
Poverty and
Hunger
Closely
linked with poverty is hunger. In the developing world, only one out of five
people can get enough food to meet their daily needs. Today, Rotary clubs
design projects to provide people with the tools and training necessary to
produce their own food.
Preserve Planet Earth
Rotary’s
commitment to preserving our planet is evident in a wide range of Rotary
club projects. Many clubs are helping solve environmental problems by
reforesting, establishing animal sanctuaries, reducing toxic waste,
sponsoring educational activities and promoting responsible ecological
practices.
Rotary Responds to AIDS
Rotary
International encourages and supports the efforts of Rotary clubs, working
as appropriate with government health agencies and non-governmental
organizations to increase awareness among their membership and the broader
community about AIDS, and to undertake or support AIDS education and
prevention programs, enhancing AIDS awareness.
Urban
Concerns
Projects
developed by Rotary clubs to focus on urban concerns have included: hosting
conflict-resolution seminars, supporting shelters for the homeless or
victims of domestic abuse, mentoring youth at risk, recreating neighborhood
watch programs, and conducting community beautification.
Special
Programs of Rotary International
PolioPlus
Since the
program began in 1985, over one billion children have received oral polio
vaccine and are protected from poliomyelitis. With the end of polio in
sight, the eradication campaign enters the most difficult leg of the journey
involving the poorest regions of the world. Rotarians are now assisting in
vaccine delivery, social mobilization and logistical help.
PolioPlus
Partners
Polio Eradication Advocacy
Polio Eradication Private Sector Campaign
PROGRAMS OF THE
ROTARY FOUNDATION
OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
Ambassadorial Scholarships
Scholars
study in a country other than their own where they serve as “ambassadors of
goodwill” for Rotary and their communities.
Group Study Exchange
Teams of
non-Rotarian business and professional men and women visit each other’s
country for four to six weeks to study social, economic and cultural
conditions and the practice of their own vocations or professions while
staying in the homes of Rotarians.
Rotary Grants for University Teachers
University
and college instructors teach in developing nations on subjects of benefit
to their host countries for three to ten months.
Rotary Centers for International Studies -
World Peace Scholarships —in peace and conflict resolution
Seventy
Rotary World Peace Scholars are selected annually on a world-competitive
basis to pursue master’s degrees in international relations, peace studies
and conflict resolution at one of the seven Rotary Centers for International
Studies. Inaugural program year is 2002-03.
Matching Grants
Matching
funds provided for international, humanitarian service projects conducted by
Rotary clubs and districts.
Community Assistance Program
Grants
support projects that increase involvement or strengthen relationships in
the sponsor’s community or country.
3-H (Health, Hunger, and Humanity) Grants
Large-scale,
two to three year projects, international in scope, that emphasize self-help
and improve health, alleviate hunger and enhance human and social
development.
Humanitarian Transportation Grants
Funds
provided to cover the cost of transporting donated humanitarian supplies and
equipment.
PolioPlus
Provides
vaccine, social mobilization, surveillance, operational support and other
support necessary to eradicate polio and ensure the world can be certified
polio free by 2005.
PolioPlus
Partners
Provides
opportunities for Rotarians, Rotary Clubs and Districts to participate in
the PolioPlus program by adopting projects for social mobilization and
surveillance activities.
Grants for Rotary Volunteers
Subsidies
for Rotarians, Rotaractors and Foundation alumni to share their professional
skills internationally by providing service for four to eight weeks in
developing countries.
Rotary Peace
Program Grants
Grants
designed to support international conferences and other activities which
promote cooperation, goodwill and development.
Discovery Grants
Provides
seed money to Rotary clubs and districts to plan for potential international
service projects.
Helping Grants
Provides 50%
match to club and district funds for international humanitarian projects
which will take place in a non-Rotary country or in a Rotary country where
the local Rotary club cannot participate in the project due either to
distance from or inaccessibility to the project site.
New Opportunities Grants
Funded
through District Designated Funds (DDF), these grants provide districts with
the freedom to design international service projects which are new and
unique and to utilize DDF for international service projects which do not
meet all the eligibility criteria of the existing Rotary Foundation
Programs.
Disaster Relief
Allows
districts to use DDF to support Rotary International-approved disasters in
other countries.
Rotary’s
commitment to Service Above Self is broad and flexible. Many handles are
available to Rotarians and clubs to engage in community and international
service.
Choose a
program that interests you and follow the link to Rotary International for
more information.
Humanitarian Grants Cadre of Technical Advisors
The Humanitarian Grants Cadre of Technical Advisors is a registry of
Rotarians who are willing to provide technical expertise to The Rotary
Foundation and Rotarians who develop and implement 3-H and competitive
Matching Grants projects. Cadre members can be asked to serve as volunteer
site visitors, monitors, liaisons, or auditors to 3-H or competitive
Matching Grants projects worldwide.
Blane Community Immunization Grants
In response to this ongoing need for improved immunization, The Rotary
Foundation Blane Community Immunization Grants provide up to $1,000 in
matching funds to U.S. Rotary clubs to help them improve immunization levels
in their communities. The grants are intended for new projects in the USA,
undertaken by Rotarians together with other community groups, which address
immunization needs of underserved people of all ages. |
