Rotary District 5650 Conference October 2023
"Create Hope in the World"
Friday, October 13, 2023 and Saturday October 14, 2023

Omaha Marriott - Regency 402-399-9000
10220 Regency Cir, Omaha, NE 68114

Hotel Group Rate $137 per night for October 13, 2023 through October 15, 2023
Click here to book the group rate - deadline Midnight September 21, 2023
 

Conference Information and Registration Help - 402-429-2789 (Nicki)
Phone Number During the Conference - 402-960-0306

By Wen Huang
 

 

In June 1999, a year after I joined the staff of Rotary International, I attended my first convention. It was then that I first witnessed the global power of Rotary and made my first batch of Rotary friends. And it was then that I was introduced to Singapore for a second time.
 

 

My first trip to Singapore occurred five years earlier when, as a journalist, I covered the third Europe-East Asia Economic Summit. At that time, Western financial media were referring to Singapore as the 20th century’s most successful development story, which meant that the summit lured scores of policymakers, economists, and businesspeople from across Europe and Asia.
 

Once a British Crown colony which subsequently merged with Malaysia, Singapore broke away and was founded as an independent sovereign nation in 1965. Despite predictions that a string of small islands that lack natural resources to survive, Lee Kwan Yew, who was referred to as the founding father of modern Singapore, turned the tattered outpost of the faded empire into a thriving modern nation. The archipelago of 64 islands that was once plagued by malaria and rife with ethnic conflicts among its Chinese, Malay, and Indian populations, now stands as a gleaming city state, known in the 1990s throughout the world as one of the four Asian Tigers for its robust economic transformation along with Hong Kong, South Korea, and Taiwan.
 

Having grown up in China, where decades of Mao’s draconian rule had impoverished the country, I, along with millions of other Chinese, became enamored of the Singapore model of economic success. My first impression of Singapore in 1994, which will forever be associated with the brightly illuminated skyscrapers that dotted the banks of the Singapore River, confirmed my belief that this was a place of modernity and prosperity.

The Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) camp will be November 3-5, 2023 at Camp Kitaki near Louisville, NE. RYLA camp is an intensive 3-day training program for High School Sophomores and Juniors that helps participants think critically about important issues; share ideas with talented peers; learn how to coordinate and lead community service projects; discuss the importance of good governance and civil society to the world; and learn to think globally and explore issues that transcend national borders.  

The camp focuses on youth leadership development. Participants will learn about Rotary International and what clubs do to make our world a better place. They will participate in small groups and will work together to hone their leadership skills and learn more about the 7 Areas of Focus of Rotary International. Participants also will have the opportunity to build their leadership skills with several outdoor team building activities that the YMCA staff facilitate. There is also time for fun and fellowship with many opportunities to get to know fellow campers.
 
One of the projects of the weekend will be the “Initiative Challenge” where groups will be selecting an aspect of protecting the environment and develop ways to act and minimize how our world can work toward saving our planet from the radical changes in our climate, our ecosystems, and the health of every living thing in the world. Participants will learn about how to make a positive impact as emerging leaders in their communities, as well as a knowledge of our impact on the world and how impact can be changed by the choices we make.
 
PLEASE NOTE THIS FORM MUST BE FILLED OUT IN PRESENCE OF PARENT/GUARDIAN!

DEADLINE TO APPLY ONLINE OCTOBER 15, 2023!

Contact: ryla@rotarydistrict5650.org

 

Do you have a powerful Suburban Rotary Impact Story that you'd like to share with fellow members? We believe that every project, every effort, and every initiative holds immense value, and we want to hear about yours! Whether it's an uplifting anecdote about transforming a local neighborhood, supporting a worthy cause, or positively influencing a young person's life, your stories contribute to the fabric of our shared success.

Your Impact Story will not only be acknowledged during our weekly meetings but it will also be featured on our website and social media platforms. By doing so, we hope to spread the ripple effect of your actions and inspire others to take part in the transformative power of Rotary. Please take a moment to compose your Impact Story and email it to the ever-enthusiastic and dedicated President Katie Henry at khenry@accessbank.com.

De Camargo plans to boost Rotary’s public image by working from the top down.
 

“Rotary today has strong competition for members and funds,” he says. “We need to rejuvenate the brand, especially in some zones. We should utilize post-pandemic meeting tools … to allow the president to address Rotarians all over the globe. We also need to develop more long-term partnerships with political, community, and business leaders. Let’s emphasize our greatest asset: 1.4 million volunteers.”
 

He also hopes to improve Rotary’s process for appointments and governance.
 

“Rotary should adopt a more transparent system to appoint volunteers for positions, with clear criteria and data-based evaluation of results,” he says.
 

De Camargo was president of Gráfica Bandeirantes and has been a consultant to the print industry in Brazil. He has also served as president and chair of several printing and graphics trade associations, including the Brazilian Association of Graphic Technology and ABIGRAF, the Brazilian Printing Industry Association.

 

By Etelka Lehoczky, Click here for the SOURCE.