A Social Meeting last week, Discon, Business Meeting Rotary's On-line Learning Centre

Last Week

It was an entertaining social meeting with funny stories and a video of Momo, our long-term Rotary exchange student's experiences in Thailand under lockdown.  She was one of only three students who opted to stay and she said how pleased she is that she made that decision because it has been such a special time with her host family.  She is obviously really enjoying herself and learning so much...including Thai. 
Discon

DG Maurice Stander

Saturday saw the Zoom Discon and it went without a hitch which says a lot for the organisation.  It was a bit like the proverbial curate's egg where content was concerned but the highlights were definitely outgoing District Governor Maurice Stander's comments on his year and the awards he made as well as the induction of our new DG Annemarie Mostert and her response.
We were delighted that one of our members, District Treasurer, Kevin Wolhuter received two sapphire pins for his Paul Harris as it is richly deserved.
I was very pleased that Maurice recognised so generously the work done by Rotarians who have served on District for a longtime as their contribution is often invisible to club members and because the District Governor is only in that position for a year, often a long term contribution tends not to be recognised.

DG Annemarie Mostert..from the 1st July.

Maurice began the work of trying to turn District 9400 in a different direction only to find that many plans were delayed by Covid-19 though, on the other hand, the pandemic has also accelerated change .
Annemarie Mostert definitely intends building on that and moving the District forward even more but the problem any District Governor has is that implementing change is a bit like trying to turn the Titanic round and they are only there for a year.
We are fortunate that Annemarie's progressive approach will be followed up by Stella Anyangwe in 2021/22 so that the three year period, with foundations laid by past District Governors, will hopefully make a radical change to our membership in terms of growth and the way our District functions.  We must be open minded and give District our undivided support.

This Week
It's a Business Meeting just after the joint meeting of the old and new board so it will be interesting to see what change is afoot.  We should have the same approach as District has to people not being in the same position for more than three years.  The following Friday is the induction of Ann Hope-Bailie as our President for 2020/21.

Stay connected through Rotary’s online Learning Centre

Rotary Connects the World — that is Rotary President Mark Daniel Maloney’s theme, and despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Rotarians are continuing to connect with one another and the world. Rotary’s new Action Plan calls on us to increase our ability to adapt — and members are coming up with innovative ways to serve their communities and create opportunities for fellowship. Many clubs are meeting online for the first time, reimagining fund-raisers and other events, and reinventing planned service projects.

Rotary’s online Learning Centre has resources that can help you stay connected to the organization and to one another. Instead of a meeting one week, for instance, everyone in your club might choose a topic to learn more about and then report back to the other members. You might even decide to develop a webinar using Rotary tips and resources. “The Learning Centre courses could be used for general knowledge and for brainstorming, action planning, and idea sharing,” says Kimberly Kouame, learning resources manager at Rotary International.

Often, the first time Rotarians use the Learning Centre is when they are elected to a club office. But with more than 600 courses in over a dozen languages (including more than 80 in English), the Learning Center has something to interest every Rotarian. Here are a few to pique your interest; find them all at rotary.org/learn.

COURSES

Is Your Club Healthy?

When your club isn’t able to meet in person, it can be a challenge to keep

members engaged. Now might be an ideal time to assess the state of your club and ask members what is working for them and what isn’t.

Your Membership Plan

Perhaps you’ve been thinking about creating a long-term membership plan. This course offers a helpful worksheet and step-by-step guidelines for crafting a strong future for your club.

Building a Diverse Club

In line with Rotary’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, this course can help you expand your club’s membership to include people from different walks of life.

Committing to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

This course offers a closer look at Rotary’s DEI statement and how you can put those values into action.

Practising Flexibility and Innovation

This course guides you through some of the ways your club can be innovative, with advice on subjects such as setting up satellite clubs.

Kick-Start Your New Member Orientation

If your club has had trouble retaining new members, with people joining only to leave a few years later, this course can help. Get tips on how to make sure your new members feel welcome and engaged.

All About Rotary Peace Fellowships

Perhaps you know someone who might be a good candidate for a Rotary Peace Fellowship and you want to be able to talk knowledgeably about the program. Or maybe you would like your club to be more involved. This course will give you information on Rotary’s Peace Centers and the requirements and deadlines for applicants.

Building Rotary’s Public Image

Rotarians are people of action, and we want the world to know what we are accomplishing. But how can you get the message out? This course will teach you how to build awareness of Rotary and its work.

Planning Your Projects: Service Projects Committee

This course is designed for people serving on a club service projects committee, but anyone can benefit from the ideas about how to carry out effective projects — with tips on doing a community needs assessment and executing the project.

Rotary Foundation Basics

The Rotary Foundation is central to Rotary’s work in the world. This course will walk you through the century-long history of the Foundation and its role in grant-making, supporting polio eradication efforts, and funding the Rotary Peace Centers.

Becoming an Effective Facilitator

Develop your leadership skills for Rotary and beyond through this course, which guides you on how to effectively work with a team to define and achieve objectives.

Mentoring Basics

Mentoring has always been one of the cornerstones of Rotary. This course identifies the traits of a good mentor and suggests some best practices to make sure your mentoring relationship is beneficial to all concerned.

Essentials of Understanding Conflict

We’ve all had to deal with interpersonal conflict, whether the issues are small (who sits at which table at the meeting?) or large (what are our club’s priorities?). This course gives you tools to understand different types of conflict and describes conflict management styles.

Leading Change

Change is hard, especially in a collaborative organization. This course offers ideas on how to lead a group of people through organizational change, how to assess people’s readiness for change, and how to deal with resistance to change.

• Illustrations by Anders Wenngren