The theme for this spring’s Leadership Assembly captures the belief that Rotary and Rotaract clubs are more successful when led by a leadership team with a shared vision for the club.
It’s why the District’s learning and development committee titled the assembly, “Opening Opportunities Through Team Leadership.”
“We are really encouraging clubs to come as a team, say Donna Barrett (RC of Edmonton Sunrise), who chairs the learning and development committee. “We believe that leadership is a team sport. The more people that are aware of initiatives and are aware of resources, the stronger their club will be.”
The assembly, with its focus on preparing clubs for 2020-2012, is scheduled for Friday evening, March 20 and Saturday, March 21, at the Chateau Louis Conference Centre, 11727 Kingsway, Edmonton.
The agenda includes a mix of general sessions and breakouts related to specific club leadership roles—president, secretary, treasure, Rotary Foundation chair, public image and youth services. One breakout session, led by Yvone Joubert and Myles Dykes (both from the Rotaract club at MacEwan University), will focus on peace building.
In addition to providing information during their presentations, breakout session leaders will point participants toward other resources available online at the Rotary International Learning Center.
“The RI Learning Center is developing an extensive array of online learning opportunities for club leaders,” Donna says. “Throughout the sessions, we will be highlighting some of those. We will encourage club leaders to log-in [through MyRotary] and go to the learning center and start looking at those courses.”
Like the breakout sessions themselves, these online resources are available to all Rotarians and Rotaractors, no matter their role within their club.
“If someone is wondering what their role is, there are courses there that they can take that will give them an idea of what the role is,” Donna says.
The assembly kicks off Friday evening with a light meal at 5:30 p.m., followed by opening remarks from District Governor Tracey Vavrek and District Governor-elect Jim Ferguson.
Friday’s keynote speaker is Michelle Obrien, a Past District Governor for District 5010 (Alaska), who is the current Zone 24 West public image co-ordinator.
“She will be talking about the importance of Rotary’s public image,” Donna says. “This is an area that the District wants to continue to grow in.”
Michelle will also be part of a breakout session Saturday morning. “This will involve hands-on work with social media tools that Rotarians can use to get their Rotary story out and expand their reach in terms of who they are connecting with,” Donna says.
Following breakfast Saturday morning, DGE Jim Ferguson will unveil Rotary International’s 2020-2021 theme.
The focus of Saturday morning’s general session will be diversity, in what Donna describes as “an engaging and interactive dialogue to explore what diversity, equity and inclusion mean to individual Rotarians and how they can benefit the clubs they belong to.”
She notes that “one of RI’s strategic initiatives is growing and diversifying membership and participation. We need to look at how we can embrace diversity and make our clubs and District inclusive. How can we open our minds and hearts to be able to include and embrace differences so everyone feels welcome and included in our clubs?”
This session will be led by Catherine Anley, the senior consultant for equity, diversity and inclusion at the University of Alberta.
Donna predicts that what participants learn during this session will be applicable to workplaces, as well as in Rotary and Rotoract clubs.
Following the morning breakout sessions and before lunch, there will be a session on risk management.
“Because Rotarians host events, work with students, and we work with vulnerable people, we need to know what the risks are and how to mitigate those risks,” Donna. “What is key here is understanding what’s covered by the District and where clubs need their own insurance coverage.”
Following lunch, and prior to the afternoon breakout sessions, there will be brief special general meetings, during which club representatives will be asked to approve the District Governor Nominee Designate (for 2022-2023) and the District nominee for RI’s Council on Legislation representative, as well as consider the proposed 2022-2021 budget and proposed increase in annual membership fees of $5.00 per member.
After the breakout session, there will be time for the club leadership teams to meet together. “They will have some time to share what they have heard and look at how they might incorporate some of these ideas into their plans for next year.”
The Leadership Assembly will conclude with a presentation by Rotary Peace Fellow Menasha Nikhanj, based on the three months the Edmontonian spent at the RI Peace Center at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
Click here to register for the 2020-2021 Leadership Assembly.
Rotary International District 5370 News 