Frank Deaver Rotary Editorials

     Look at the many Rotary programs serving youth and young adults, and you might get the impression that Rotary is a youthful organization.  But look in on many Rotary meetings, and the perception might be totally different, for the median age of Rotarians typically appears to be anything but youthful (with apology to those clubs that do in fact have younger members).

     September is New Generations Month, previously known as Youth Activities Month.  RI President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar wrote in the current issue of The Rotarian that “We could just as well call September the month of our future, because investing in our youth is our future.”  His emphasis was on four programs serving young people – Interact, Rotaract, RYLA, and Youth Exchange.

     Interact Clubs, typically on high school campuses, introduce students ages 14-18 to the concepts of civic responsibility and community service.  There are more than 10,000 Interact Clubs in 118 countries, with about 234,000 members.

     Rotaract Clubs can be college or community based, and have a membership ages 18-30.  They assume more independent organizational structure, emphasize career preparation and professional development, and take on more ambitious civic projects.  With more than 180,000 members, they are organized in nearly 8,000 clubs in 158 countries.

     Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is devoted to leadership development, with training seminars managed by a Rotary district or by multiple districts. 

     Youth Exchange facilitates international living in a Rotarian home for students ages 15-19, immersing them in a cultural experience that can range from two weeks to a full year.

     In addition to these emphases of the RI President, additional Rotary programs serve young adults.

     Group Study Exchange offers young professionals, two years or more into a career, an international cultural awareness, as counterpart teams visit each other’s country in a district-to-district pairing.

     Ambassadorial Scholars are sponsored by Rotary for a year – sometimes multi-year – study opportunity in a college or university of another country.

     Rotary Centers for International Studies, the newest of the programs, offers a select group of outstanding scholars the opportunity to pursue the study of international peace and conflict resolution.

     On the other hand, these excellent Rotary-sponsored programs for young people cannot obscure the reality that many of our Rotary Clubs are failing to enlist younger professionals who should be invited to membership.  As a district governor recently put it, Rotarians are generous with sharing our money and our time, but less generous in sharing the privileges and opportunities that come with Rotary membership.

     The numbers speak for themselves.  Worldwide, only 11 percent of Rotarians are under the age of 40, and 32 percent under the age of 50.  On the other hand, 39 percent are age 60 and above.

     Older Rotarians with many years of Rotary service bring to their clubs the benefits of accumulated wisdom and experience, and that is of inestimable value.  But it is younger members who bring vitality, enthusiasm, and new ideas, without which clubs are in danger of growing stagnant.

     Rotary clubs are to be commended for programs serving non-Rotarian young people.  But parallel to that, Rotary must enlist younger members, for to paraphrase the RI president, that is our future.