DISCURSOS - Rotary International

younger members into Rotary — making sure that today’s Rotaractors, Interactors, RYLArians,
Youth Exchange students, Foundation Scholars, and Group Study Exchange team members become
tomorrow’s Rotarians.
In many cases we must encourage clubs to become a little more flexible in some of their rules
and traditions. That doesn’t mean that everything has to change — it means that times have
changed and we must be willing to change if we want to survive. Whether it is the willingness to
adjust certain things in an existing club, such as trying out new meeting times or meeting places,
or reconsidering our formats for new clubs, we must take a hard look at ourselves and be willing
to adapt.
Every Rotarian should ask themselves: Would I join my Rotary club today? If not, why not? What
needs to change to make my Rotary club more attractive and one that I can be proud of?
Every Rotarian is different; we all have our own reasons for joining Rotary. They are as varied as
the individuals themselves. Sometimes the reason you joined Rotary isn’t the reason you stay.
But every one of us here and everyone who’s made the commitment to take a leadership position
in Rotary — every one of us has had that experience of finding the thing in Rotary that gets
us excited about Rotary.
And whatever it is to you, however you got that feeling that made you a Rotarian for life — that
is what I want you to share, what I want you to help other people discover, so that they can find
that feeling for themselves. When Rotarians get involved — when they get engaged — lives
change.
And that is why, my friends, my governors, our theme in 2013-14 will be Engage Rotary, Change
Lives.
In 2013-14, your job as district governor will be to inspire Rotarians, get them engaged, share
with them the gift that every one of you has been given to be a positive force for change in our
world. By your example, show them the kind of potential that each of them has through Rotary.
Help them chart their own courses in Rotary, so that each one of them will find the thing in
Rotary that speaks to them — so that they will open their eyes and their hearts to the power of
Rotary service and be inspired.
The most important thing we can do for the future of Rotary is make sure that Rotarians are engaged
and that each one of us is doing the most we can. If we really want to take Rotary service
forward, then we must make sure that every single Rotarian has the same feeling about Rotary
that each one of us here has today. We need to make sure that every Rotarian has a meaningful
role to play, that they’re all making a contribution, and that their contributions are valued. Because
when that happens, the members who come in the front door don’t go right out the back. They
stay in Rotary, they become Rotarians, they bring in new members, and they make a difference.
The job of membership isn’t done when we bring in a new member. It’s not done until that new
member is engaged in Rotary, is inspired by Rotary, and uses the power of Rotary service to
change lives.
Each one of you has been chosen. You were chosen to be members of your clubs, and you were
chosen to be district governors. And each one of you has made a choice — the choice to take on
the responsibility of Rotary leadership.
How much your districts achieve — how many Rotarians you inspire, how many lives those Rotarians
go on to change — depends on you: your enthusiasm, your dedication, your openness to
new ideas, and sometimes your willingness to go out on a limb. Because after all, that’s where
the fruit is.
International Assembly Speeches 2013 3