There's always something happening in the World of Rotary.2025-26 Rotary International President
Mário César Martins de Camargo, a member of the Rotary Club of Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil, is the selection of Nominating Committee for President to become Rotary International’s president for 2025-26. He will officially become the nominee on 15 September if no other candidates challenge him.
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.”
Fixers and Bookworms
There’s not much news from The Fixers, nor from The Bookworms. They are probably busy fixing and worming away somewhere.
I don’t know what The Fixers are fixing, but The Bookworms are reading “Factfulness” by Hans, Ola and Anna Rosling. If you haven’t time to read the book, you can get an idea what it’s all about in Hans’ TED Talk: “How not to be ignorant about the world”. Hans gives his audience some multiple-choice questions, only to find a bunch of Chimpanzees would beat them by answering at random. How could that be?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm5xF-UYgdg&t=312s
Inspiring and revelatory, filled with lively anecdotes and moving stories, FACTFULNESS is an urgent and essential book that will change the way you see the world, and make you realise things are better than you thought.
Rotary Youth Exchange
Smera Chandan was a Rotary Youth Exchange student from the United States to Catalonia, Spain. She reminisces:
Reflecting back on my exchange always brings me happiness. The lessons I learned enabled me to see the world with new eyes and appreciate its bountiful possibilities. I learned how much beauty is in the world, including the beauty of simplicity and of conversations.
I now have not just one new language under my belt, but two. I now have another incredible family whom I will remember forever. I stay connected to my English students and will be teaching some online lessons starting this school year. I still call my friends back in Spain to share life updates. One of my friends from Germany even came to visit me and stayed for two weeks. As a senior at Pine Lake Preparatory, I’m looking forward to college, where I hope to study communications, media, and acting.
The lessons I learned will be with me forever. I want to share my experiences and stories with others to inspire more people to travel with purpose and curiosity. Thank you, Rotary, for an unforgettable experience.
Photo - Smera Chandan, left, celebrating the new year with her host family.
Full story: https://blog.rotary.org/2023/08/11/the-life-of-a-rotary-youth-exchange-student/
International Youth Day is 12 August, established by the United Nations in 1999 to spotlight youth issues and celebrate young leaders as essential partners in addressing the world’s challenges. Learn more about Rotary youth programs.
National Science Week
It would seem appropriate that we promote National Science Week as part of of our Vocational Service programme.
National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology.
Running each year in August, it features more than 1000 events around Australia, including those delivered by universities, schools, research institutions, libraries, museums and science centres. - Noel Halford