Questions and Answers About Rotary

Rotaract is one of the many programs of the Rotary International. To better understand what Rotaract is, it is beneficial to first know what Rotary is. This section provides frequently asked questions about Rotary and answers to them.

What is Rotary International?
Rotary International is a worldwide organization uniting businessmen and professionals. The goals of Rotary International are the following: rendering assistance to the society and developing international relations.
The motto is "Service Above Self".
Rotary International is divided in to different districts based on geographical regions. The Siberian region, in which we belong, is part of district 5010 and includes Siberia, Russian Far East, Alaska and the Yukon Territory. These districts are made up of many Rotarian clubs where Rotarians get together.

Are Rotary and Rotary International interchangeable terms?
Rotary is a common idea, while Rotary International is an international organization, which includes Rotary Club members as well. Usually, Rotary International is implied when saying "Rotary".

When was the first Rotary Club organized?
A young lawyer Paul Harris established the first Rotary Club in 1905 in Chicago, IL, USA. He had encountered misunderstanding between businesspeople and humanitarians, and a way to unite them in a club occurred to him. The first members of the club were a coal sales' agent, a tailor, a mining engineer, an estate agent, and a print worker.
The name Rotary came from the English word "rotate", as the meetings took place in the different homes of all the members in turns, or "by rotation".
In 1907, Rotary implemented the first public project - a public toilet in Chicago City Hall. In 1910, Rotary became international with the creation of a club in Canada.
Although the first club was organized in the USA, today more clubs operate outside the USA than within the country. At first only men could be Rotary Club members and only after 1989 women are allowed to join Rotary.

What is Rotaract?
Rotaract is a youth program financed by Rotary clubs; it is basically a branch of the Rotary. According to the Rotary's initial plan, Rotaract is for young people between the ages of 17 and 24. The goal of the Rotaract is the same as that of Rotary - social aid programs and international relations development. Thus, Rotaract can be viewed as a "young Rotary", striving for improvements in the society.

The name Rotaract comes from "Rotary Action". Goals of the organization may seem unrealistic, but actually they are quite successful. Improvements in society depend on the actions of every individual; therefore, Rotaract, because it unites people who want to make a difference, it is powerful and beneficial to the public. Imagine you have been given the power to make life better. Wouldn't you use this opportunity? Moreover, Rotary unites people with common interests. It's an excellent opportunity to change your own life as well as make the lives of other people better.

Rotaract club is a unique organization; it combines the features of many separate interests clubs: communication, professional interests, and social responsibility while uniting people with common goals. In Rotaract, you can meet many people, other Rotarians, and people from different parts of the world and share your views. The power of Rotaract is in its unity.

Rotaract is fascinating!