Papanui Rotary Back in Action!
 
Guest Speaker Dr Jessie Harman in Centre Stage
 
We had a great turnout for our 1st post lockdown Zoom meeting and we were privileged to have Jessie join us as our guest speaker. Her topic was:
 
“The Future of Rotary”
 
Jessie began by noting that the current situation we find ourselves in, thanks to the technological tools we have available, provides us with unparalleled opportunities and challenges.  These include having a lot more flexibility in how we choose to operate compared to what we had in the past. 
 
Jessie feels that Rotary’s underlying foundation which includes our international presence in over 250 countries provides us with a great platform for the future which we need to acknowledge and build on.
 
With respect to our key challenges, Jessie noted that these include:
 
  1. Our busy lifestyles which, while challenging, mean we have to be creative in identifying how we can still contribute.
  2. Increasing expectations as consumers which challenge our values going forward.
  3. How to bring on board the new range of millenniums who want to be involved but not in the traditional roles we have used in the past.
  4. Addressing the issue that many people are not engaging as actively with us in our current way of operating which often looks more like “work”.
 
Jessie feels that we need to step back and investigate how we can build a more suitable platform for what Rotary needs to become in the future.  Some of her current thoughts on this include:
 
  1. Adopting and ensuring we align more closely with a member-centric approach.
  2. Look to increase membership diversity and embracing greater flexibility in how Clubs operate.
  3. Seek out more meaningful voluntary opportunities with flexibility being a key component.
 
This will help ensure we have a thriving future going forward.
 
Jessie also feels we still need to manage the change process with courage and optimism and to implement change in ways that acknowledge and reflect our past while facing the future by embracing positive optimism in order to build a solid platform for future growth.
 
When asked: ‘What is one thing we can do right now that could make the biggest difference in the current challenges we face?” Jessie replied:
 
“Actions speak louder than words.”
 
We thanked Jessie for her insights and thoughts on how we might go forward in the quite different world we will be facing in the coming months.