Rotaract

From: Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland 1975 - 2005
written by Norman H Proctor and published in 2006 by Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland

Chapter One, 1975 – 1980 page 14

"The Queens Silver Jubilee Appeal had been launched in 1977 and coincided with the conference by then. By the time of the 1978 Conference the Appeal funds had reached £13.5 million. No one can be sure what contribution came from Rotarians but known beneficiaries were Rotaract clubs including clubs from Littlehampton and Walsall. The funds, much of it raised by young people too, would long continue pump priming projects for young peoples benefit."

Chapter One, 1975 – 1980 page 17

"Rotaract was now 10 years old. For many their very existence was still felt to be a daring innovation. Many Rotarians thought it unthinkable that their organisation of middle class establishment clubs when allied to, what was seen as a club for 18-28 year olds that included young women, could succeed. Succeed it had, despite the oft heard complaint that Rotary clubs lost interest once their sponsored Rotaract club was up and running. Not so everywhere. A report from one of the two first clubs in RIBI clearly showed the members of the Ambleside Rotary Club maintaining constant contact with their off-spring Rotaractors. The young people in that Rotaract club were much concerned with service to others, for it is clear that their meetings were frequently disrupted, when members had to rush off to an emergency call-out of the local Mountain Rescue Team. It also seemed to be appropriate that the first RIBI Rotaract club, West Bromwich, had a lady, Barbara Mouzer, as President for the celebration year."

Chapter 3, 1987-1992 pages 82-83

'(Rotaract) had celebrated their 21st year in existence in 1989 and had grown to over 56,000 clubs in 111 countries with some 129,000 members. In RIBI the Rotaract organisation had worked with Rotary for some time to establish a Constitution suited to their special needs for eventual submission to the board of RI. There already existed multi-district events and District Officers had been meeting regularly at a multi district level. The benefit of this development gave opportunity for Rotaractors to get into the public's eye in a big way. Perhaps the most striking and original was their 'unusual meal challenge', where groups of Rotaractors needed to find the most outlandish place to take a meal. The effects of them eating in such places as in a shop window, on top of a cathedral, in a JCB bucket on a building site or even in a penguin pool was typical of the fun and fellowship that is the hallmark of these 18-30 year olds. Comment then suggested that if you had not lived through an RGBI (Rotaract in Great Britain and Ireland) multi-district Conference you had not lived. It was a certain way to miss a night's sleep for those who took up the challenge. The worth of Rotaract clubs was certainly widely recognised when, at the Rotaract Conference in Dublin, the Kingsbridge Club were awarded the top prize in the "Search for Service" competition for their organisation of a "Fun day at the Fair", for 600 mentally handicapped youngsters.'

Chapter 4, 1993-1998 pages 100-101

"This year (1994) was important for Rotaract, for they were celebrating their 25th Anniversary and, as ever, did so in style. The multi-district Conference took place in Ryde, Isle of Wight, in real party mood. Each delegate was asked to bring a single item for an emergency box and by the time the weekend was over they had packed and sealed eight full boxes. Finally too, there was broad agreement reached to form a multi district organisation along the lines set out by the RI Board. The final stage in the cooperation between Rotary and Rotaract set the seal on this special anniversary."

Chapter 4, 1993-1998 pages 155

(1998) "Rotaract too, were far from idle. Despite a slow decline in membership, mainly brought about by the changes in society affecting their age group, this history would be incomplete without record of their significant contributions to the service work of the Rotary family. Rotary clubs and districts needed only to ask for Rotaract's help and would have their unstinting support on any project being undertaken. They were also very competent in completing their own projects, both at home and overseas. As is frequently the case, it is an individual contact that gets the projects underway. Bob Cochrane of the Exmouth club had been a BESO volunteer lecturer in a Technical College in Bourgas, Bulgaria. He had seen for himself the dreadful conditions which 150 boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 17, had in their orphanage "home". Following a telephone call D1290's PDG Brian Stoyel, who had already run Rotaract Overseas projects, agreed to put together a team of 17 Rotaractors from RIBI to undertake the start of a major refurbishment of the building. The young people self-financed their travel and wee able, through help from Rotary, Inner Wheel, Rotaract clubs, other sponsors, and the Rotary Foundation, to fund £8,000 worth of project costs. Working 18 hour days and with the help of local students they were able, at this stage, to provide a much more convivial atmosphere for the children and staff to work and live in. That included replacing over 100 pans of missing or broken glass, plastering and decorating three 120ft long corridors and fitting new doors and frames to rooms and lockers. That was not the end, for the group, with Rotaract's continuing help, provided financing for the completion of extensive roofing and building and repair work."

Chapter 5, 1999-2004 pages 203-204

(2003) "RIBI President Brian (Stoyel) had long been specially involved with Rotaract. Son Jason had earlier been RGBI Chairman and both he and Brian had worked on a number of Rotaract Overseas projects. The message from RI President Jonathan about the 'Family of Rotary' had, perhaps, even more meaning to this family, for wife Maxine had been the founder President of the Plymouth Mayflower club. Ads a further addition to this imposing Rotary family CV, the Rotary Club of Paddington had Jason as their President in this year. The offices held however were not going to hinder the planning for the next Overseas project. This was to be another building task, but this time of a school in Uganda for deprived children and street kids."

...Rotarians involved with youth programmes were bemused as to why, despite these contacts, membership of Rotaract was still declining. Some would lay blame on the RIBI committee structure not permitting sufficient emphasis on this group. In reality there was probably more promotionl activity from both RIBI and Rotaract Officers to disprove that. The results would see not only stability, but evidence of re-growth just ahead.

Chapter 5, 1999-2004 pages 214

"Nearly all the Rotary family projects involving young people had life changing opportunities. Jessica Carroll of the Dublin Rotaract club certainly was clear on that. The experience of the Rotaract Overseas project in Uganda (‘School Room Build’ project for Lords Meade Vocational School in Jinja) made her realise how privileged she was. Her work was not for the fourteen days labouring on the site of a school room build project, it was the year spent fund raising, the preparations for the trip and the satisfaction of a mission accomplished. That in a world so far apart from her world, although only a few hours flight away from Ireland. A world where, for most, life was a struggle for even the most basic things of life."

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From the book: Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland 1975 - 2005, written by Norman H Proctor and published in 2006 by Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland