Wednesday 21 August 2013

GETS & Rotary Institute - Israel Visas
British, South African, Australian, New Zealand, USA and Canadian passport holders do not require a visa to enter Israel. Travellers should ensure that their passport is valid for 6 month in advance of their arrival date and that they have 2 blank pages free to allow for arrival and departure stamps.

For all other nationalities please visit the Israeli embassy website:


Please be advised visa requirements are subject to change. Visa procurement is the responsibility of the traveller.

Leaving Israel/Departure Tax

There is no departure tax for travellers exiting Israel via Ben Gurion Airport

Thursday 8 August 2013

GETS & ROTARY INSTITUTE - JERUSALEM

I am very pleased to advise you that GETS and the Rotary Institute of Zone 14, Zone 19, Zone 20A and Zone 20B which is being held in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, from November 24th to November 28th, 2013. People from all over the world would like to visit Jerusalem at least once in their lifetime and this Institute will also provide many of its participants with the opportunity to realise a dream, in addition to ENGAGE ROTARY
CHANGE LIVES.

RI Director Gideon Pieper and the organising committee look forward to welcoming you and your partners in Jerusalem and I look forward to your company and to share with you the beginning of an exciting and rewarding year ahead.


Click here for full details on the event including the programme, registration and available accommodation. See you in Jerusalem !

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Engage our Youth to create Future Leaders

September is dedicated to the Young Generations which encompasses EarlyAct, InterAct, Rotaract, Youth Exchange Programme and Rotary Young Leaders Awards.

New Generations Service became Rotary’s fifth Avenue of Service in 2010. It is defined in article 5 of the Standard Rotary Club Constitution to recognise the positive change implemented by youth and young adults through leadership development activities, involvement in community and international service projects, and exchange programs that enrich and foster world peace and cultural understanding.

When we focus on young people, we are focusing on building the future of Rotary and a younger generation of service-minded individuals. When we serve our youth, we help to bring Rotary to a new generation. We teach the importance of service to others, and pass on our core values.

Every young person who goes on a Rotary Youth Exchange will learn a great deal. Youth Exchange students learn how people who seem so different are really the same. They begin to appreciate what unites people everywhere. They have a broader understanding of the world. They come back as different people. They no longer know only one language, only one culture. They have connections with their host country, and with their fellow participants from other countries and at the end of their exchange, they are part of their host families. They are also part of the Rotary family – the largest and most international family in the world. During the past few years participants for long term exchanges have reduced drastically and whilst one can argue that it is due to economic reasons I also think that our Rotary family is growing older with our children having left the coup. As a result having a younger child from a foreign land presents a new set of problems for parents without children in the same age profile to keep your new child settled. This challenge provides us with a great opportunity of calling on close relatives and family friends to join in the programme which could encourage them to become members of our the local Rotary Club.

This dilemma also provides us with an opportunity of engaging with the younger generation and inviting them to join our Clubs bringing with them new ideas, new talents and a fresh view to community services whilst at the same time embracing our core values and principles. Reaching out to New Generations is a commitment to the future of your Rotary club. Clubs that build ties with youth in their communities cultivate future members and become rejuvenated by the energy and new perspectives that young people have to offer. Michael McQueen, a leading authority on the youth trends and strategies for engaging with Gen Y notes that one of the things that makes Rotary so unique and powerful is that way in which it’s guiding principles and core values bring together people who would otherwise have very little in common. Rotary transcends ideological, political and cultural divides in a way few organisations can. I invite you to read Michael’s full article on “5 Strategies to attracting younger members” on my blogpage.


I think you would agree with me that the success of your Clubs depend on the leadership of your Club Executive. So much of what we accomplish in Rotary depends on the direction provided by our leadership. More than anything else we need Club leaders who will lead us into the future, building on everything that has gone on in the past. An interesting article was published by Dr Jagdish Bhatt of the Rotary Club of Bombay Airport, Mumbai, India on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Rotarians. These included attendance, fellowship, respect for one’s and other’s vocation, discipline, empathy, image and time, money and energy. I have posted this article onto my blog page. It is worth a read.


If we want to see another century of Rotary we must make Rotary attractive to young people. Many young people share our beliefs. To get them involved in Rotary we need to become more flexible with our practices and our activities. We need to become more aware of the communication channels of our younger generations. It is not the responsibility for younger people to come to our Clubs, it is ours to invite them.


Perhaps the best way to describe Rotary’s Fifth Avenue of Service was articulated by Past RI President Luis Giay (1996-1997) when he said:

Our vision for the future, now more than ever, is the difference between success and failure. The New Generations are our investment in the future. Let us begin to build that future today".

This was said, based on the year’s annual theme of “Build the Future with Action & Vision”. It was the year when I became Club President for my local Rotary Club. When I became Governor in 2009-2010 the theme was “The Future of Rotary is in your Hands”. Appropriately, both themes, included the word “Future”. So let’s go out there to build the future Rotary, a younger Rotary and we can do this by engaging with our Youth and bringing in younger members and through mentoring, create future leaders and change their lives.


RI nominates RI President for 2015-2016

Dedicated and passionate Rotarian, KR "Ravi" Ravindran is the selection of the Nominating Committee for the office of President of Rotary International in 2015-2016. Ravi from Sri Lanka received the nod to lead our organisation in two years time. We congratulate Ravi and Vanathy and wish them every success to the run up of their year of Presidency. Read the full article 

Saturday 3 August 2013

Ever wondered what the strategy is for the success of a Rotary Club? Let me share the thoughts and wisdom of RI Presidents, past, present and future. In this article read the ideas proposed by PRIP Sakuji Tanaka, RI President Ron Burton and RIPE Gary Huang. Click here for the full article.
September is Young Generations month. Here is an interesting article on how you can attract younger members into your club. Click here for the article and read the 5 strategies to attracting younger members.

Friday 2 August 2013

You are the power
         behind Rotary…Share it


The month of July heralds in a new Rotary year and all around the world leadership is changing. From Rotary’s top post at Rotary International to Club Presidents and officers, new leaders take the helm as it ushers in a new Rotary theme… Engage Rotary…Change Lives.


I feel humbled and privileged to assume my new role as Rotary Co-ordinator for Zone 20(A) South. It is a task I feel ready for and look forward to engaging with District Governors and the Rotary family within the Zone. I also welcome PDG Patrick Coleman (Rotary Club of Luanshya, Zambi) who would continue as an Assistant Rotary Co-ordinator in D9210.     


I think that it would be remiss of me not to dedicate a paragraph to my predecessor, PDG Nick Phillips. He is a trail blazer in Rotary and he has executed his role as Rotary Co-ordinator (and others) with great passion, dedication and immense commitment in developing a stronger Southern Africa. Nick, you have served us with great dignity and professionalism and you have in your imitable style left an indelible mark on Rotary in Southern Africa. Thank you for your dedication.


It is my intention to write a month in advance of the Rotary focus month as this allows us time to plan and execute programmes and projects that are aligned to our overall strategic plan. Membership is the engine that powers Rotary. Without it, we have no one to do the work; we have no money to support the worthwhile projects that so desperately need to be done and we have no creative ideas for solving problems. Since the mid-1990s, membership in Rotary and other service clubs has been declining. The vexing question is why do members leave Rotary?
·       We may bring in the wrong members. In some cases, as soon as someone shows up at our doorstep, we invite them to join. That’s like hiring every job applicant.
·       When we do bring in the right member, we often don’t give them a reason to stay.
·       We don’t involve them and fail to make them feel a part of our organisation.


Rotarians who feel that they are a valuable part of the organisation, who are contributing to our projects and feel appreciated, do not leave. While one can argue that recruitment and retention in a volunteer organisation can be different than in a business, the goals are similar:

·       Bring in the individuals who are the most qualified to advance your organisation (RECRUITMENT)
·       Do what you can to keep them satisfied (RETENTION)

Of course, the biggest difference is that in Rotary the reward is not financial, it is personal gratification. The family of Rotary extends beyond individual Rotarians and Rotary clubs to include other service minded people who help with the organisation's work. Groups such as Rotaract, Interact, and Rotary Community Corps serve side by side with sponsor clubs, using their diverse skills to improve the quality of life in their communities. A further component in our Zone is the Anns' Clubs, who undeniably make a huge difference and adds to the success of our Rotary Clubs. Look around you and one finds more successful Rotary Clubs when the Anns’ Clubs are vibrant and successful.


During the past few months District Governors and their membership teams were tasked with the responsibility of developing a three year membership plan for the Zone. Africa continues to be an enigma for Rotary. With a population exceeding 1 billion people we have in our 54 countries in Africa, a Rotary membership of just over 26000. The goal to grow Africa to enable it to have a permanent Director is 35000 and it is the responsibility of each one of us to Engage Rotary with our friends, families and like-minded individuals and bring in a new member. And yes there will be those who will be called to higher service and then those who will be disgruntled with someone in Rotary (not the organisation) and will then leave but there will be many of us who will take pride in our organisation and roll up our sleeves and get the job done.  

As we start this new Rotary year two Districts in our Zone would have merged into one District. Districts 9270 and 9320 have merged to create a new District 9370 and under the leadership of DG Greg Cryer, the new district will continue to create opportunities of expanding it’s membership base through Club Extension and Club expansion through increased membership. Other Districts within the zone have put together plans to grow too. As at date of writing (15th June 2013) the membership statistics for Districts within our Zone were:
          D9210          1457
          D9370          2143
          D9350          1313
          D9400          1577

A few months ago at my training in Chicago a fellow Co-ordinator spoke of his own District’s initiative to bring in the younger generation. I have posted this full article on my blog page and invite you to check this out there. It makes great reading. Here are some of the lessons we learn from the San Antonio example:
(1)  We need to have a champion – the person who is going to drive the initiative and bring home the results
(2)  We need to think outside the box – conventional methods are not always working
(3)  We need to be more flexible…respect the MOP but make things flexible. What was relevant 10 years ago may not be relevant now. Become relevant with the times and technology
(4)  Prepare to roll up the sleeves and make it happen.


So here is my challenge for August, membership month (which in my humble opinion should be scrapped as everyday should be membership day). I challenge you to think of one under-40 person who would make a difference in your Club. Go on, invite them into your Club and you would be amazed how you would change their lives and yours.


Each one of you makes a difference in a positive way…YOU are the power behind Rotary, share it.


Natty Moodley

Rotary Africa
July 2013
Build stronger clubs with strategic planning
How to set goals that work for the long term

RI General Secretary John Hewko challenges new Rotary club presidents to
think strategically about the future of their club, not just the year ahead.

Some club presidents begin their year intent on making a splash with a once-in-a lifetime project or event. But such efforts can leave club members exhausted and disinterested the next year, when the new president steps up with yet another big idea. By creating club goals and projects that are based on long-term strategic planning, an incoming president can leave a lasting legacy: a successful club during his or her year and also in the following years.

“Presidents must realize that the days of ‘projects for my year’ are a thing of the past, and that the most successful clubs plan multiyear, sustainable projects,” says Michael Levitt, 2010-11 president of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman-Sunrise, Cayman Islands. “These projects engage members, especially new members,” he says. “And the best way to retain members is to keep them engaged.”

The Club Leadership Plan provides guidance for developing a strategic plan or long-range goals, which should address membership, service projects, support for The Rotary Foundation, and leadership development. Include the following:
·         Long-range strategic goals that cover the next three to five years, with updates as the club evolves
·         Shorter-term annual goals that align with your overall strategic goals
·         Strategies for maintaining clear communication among club leaders, club members, district leaders, and potential members, including regular updates to your club’s website
·         Continuity in leadership and training for future leaders

“We need to focus on projects that can grow over time, with our members, and that consequently allow us to increase our impact,” says Holly Ransom, president of the Rotary Club of Crawley, Western Australia, Australia. “We need to keep pace with the changing world and the changing demands of prospective Rotarians.”


“As club presidents, you are the most important officers in all of Rotary.”