Programme for week commencing Thursday 23rd October, 2014

Our theme from Rotary International is Vocational Service Month, to me this is an exciting time to consider how Rotarians are using their occupational skills, knowledge and talents in Service for others. The Object of Rotary that covers this Service area states:

“To encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise, and, in particular, to encourage and foster: high ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying by each Rotarian of their occupation as an opportunity to serve society.”

Wow using our occupation (vocation) to serve others, so how do we do that?

Another exciting thing that is now being talked about in our communities is building resilient and sustainable communities, doing so with the assets of the residents who live in them. More and more we are being urged that resources are getting smaller from local and national government and more emphasis is being placed on communities themselves to do more by volunteering.

So what assets do we have in our communities? The biggest is the people who live in them, so how do we know what they are and use them to achieve the best?

Hopefully you can see that Rotary has been on the right tracks all along, Rotarians have been encouraged to use their assets/vocations to help in Service to their communities since 1907. Today someone from the NCVO said Rotary continues to thrive after 100 years despite not having a ‘sexy image’. I believe that is because we have valued people’s skills, talents and knowledge and helped Rotarians to use them not just in their everyday jobs, but in helping to make a difference in our communities, locally, nationally and internationally.

The time for Rotary is now! Service is needed in every corner of our world, we need to be BOLD, INNOVATIVE and REVITALISING, embrace the changes of a 21st Century World and show that Service is key to building sustainable and resilient communities. It needs us though to be open to working in partnership, embracing diversity and above all we need to show that change is the name of our game. No, Rotary is not in a rut, it is ready to help communities and the people who live in them to use their assets to be world leaders for care, compassion and capacity building.

Vocational Service in Rotary and our Communities can help you personally develop team building skills, networking, project management and many other skills that can also help in your working life.

An exciting challenge is to just think of all the skills, talents and knowledge you have already and consider how these can be used in Service to others?

Secondly, how, as a Rotarian living in your community and developing projects, are you finding out what others have to offer?

Anyone viewing this page on an iPad or iPhone can view the ABCD Asset Building video by pressing the link Youtube.

Can Rotary use our Vocational Service ideal to build asset rich Communities, to revitalise our offer of what we do and achieve together?