What is Rotaract?

Rotaract is a worldwide organisation made up of hundreds of thousands of innovative, community-minded young professional and student volunteers aged between 18 and 30 years old. We work as partners-in-service with our parent organisation, Rotary International, and like Rotary, Rotaract is non-political and non-denominational.

The purpose of a Rotaract Club is "to provide young men and women with an opportunity to enhance knowledge and skills that will assist them in personal development, to address the physical and social needs of their communities, and to promote better relations between all people worldwide through a framework of friendship and service".

Rotaract has been an official program of Rotary International since 1968, and is a very important part of Rotary's family. Rotaract clubs provide an excellent training ground for future leaders in the community, as well as a great network for business and socialising, and the chance to give something back to the community.

Leadership Development

Rotaract builds leaders, and leaders build strong clubs with effective programs. Toward this end, Rotaract clubs organise communication and public speaking seminars, talks on effective club administration, training programs for club officers, and so on.

There are plenty of opportunities to put your leadership skills into practise, at a level comfortable to you. You can organise or participate in projects and events on your own or in a team, chair committees, hold a position on the Board, run for Club President, and more! Projects range from small and large local projects to large international initiatives with clubs overseas.

Rotaractors are also encouraged to participate in RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards), an annual week long camp which builds strong leaders and lifelong friendships. The skills learnt at RYLA can be put into practise by facilitating or leading sessions or groups at a variety of seminars and camps for students or other Rotaractors.

Career Development

If you are aged between 18 and 30 years of age, chances are that you are either studying or are in the early stages of your career. You may have many questions about how to go about finding a job that suits you, or how to get the most out of your career.

Rotaract offers you the chance to network, not just with Rotaractors and Rotarians in your local area, but worldwide. Business and professional support from successful Rotarians can be extremely useful, and you can get advice from Rotaractors who may have recently made decisions that you are now having to make.

Rotaract clubs can help their members to make informed choices through:

• Marketing and leadership / management seminars
• Vocational counselling and career planning programs
• Resume writing and interview techniques workshops

Rotaract also offers you the opportunity to get practical experience in:

• Chairing meetings
• Taking minutes
• Writing agendas & reports
• Organising tenders
• Listening & communicating clearly
• Managing people & resources
• Conflict resolution
• Public speaking
• Goal setting & planning
• Debating
• Budgeting
• Cooperation & negotiation

Community Service

Rotaract is a very powerful youth volunteer force with tremendous potential to make a real difference to our world. Rotaract gives you the opportunity to work in your local community alongside other people your age who share similar concerns.

Some of the issues we have worked on in the Rotaract Club of South Perth include:

• Environment: tree planting; participating in clean up days; recycling
• Medical: donating blood; purchasing equipment for hospitals and centres; funding medical research
• Less Fortunate: donating clothes and other needed items; performing manual labour such as maintenance
• Youth: restoring & painting playground equipment; working with the local Youth Advisory Council; facilitating at camps; assisting at conferences

If you have a particular area of interest - youth, humanitarian aid, underprivileged, the environment, animals etc - we can find a way to incorporate it into our activities if we are not doing something in that field currently. Just let us know where your interests lie!

International Service

Imagine travelling to a foreign country, sending an email to someone you haven't met before once you get there, and have them show you around and organise parties and other fun events for you, without feeling wary about trusting complete strangers? By being a Rotaractor, not only is this possible, but a very common occurence.

Rotaract offers you the chance to learn more about other cultures and help promote international understanding and goodwill. With around 8,000 Rotaract Clubs in approximately 140 countries, there are plenty of opportunities to meet like-minded people all over the world. The internet and email has made this easier than ever, with many, many web sites, egroups, and mailing lists devoted to Rotaract and Rotaract clubs worldwide.

We also take part in humanitarian aid projects, and have opportunities to volunteer overseas through Rotary Volunteer grants.

Good Friends and Good Fun

Rotaractors work hard, but we believe in having a good time too.

The Rotaract Club of South Perth aims to hold at least one social event a month, and we often socialise after meetings and projects too. We organise dinners, barbeques, car rallies, camping trips, interclub visits, dances, sporting events, and more! Sometimes these activities are designed to raise money, but mostly they are to have fun!

Sound Good?

If this sounds of interest to you, and you are interested in joining the Rotaract Club of South Perth, please contact us and start getting involved!