Weekly Elixir - October 8, 2007

October is Rotary Vocational Service month

…ideas from Rotary International

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A good place to start Vocational Service is by increasing the club’s awareness of the scope of Vocational Service. What are all the occupations in our Rotary Club and in the community? What vocational talents can we contribute to the problems and needs of society? How can we encourage those around us to strive toward integrity, character, and high ethical standards?

The Vocational Service Committee should focus on developing the vocational awareness of the club and its members. Club members should be challenged to improve their leadership skills and be conscious of the ethical nature of their daily lives.

Classification talks. Classification talks are essential for promoting vocational awareness in the club. The presentations give members the chance to learn the inner workings of jobs other than their own, including the various problems that arise and the solutions used to address them. Classification talks can also be of particular value to the Career Development sub-committee. Information gleaned during the talks can help the sub-committee in its search for specific club members who can counsel young people in career-guidance programs.

Tours of members’ businesses. A great idea for a different kind of Rotary meeting! The name “Rotary” originated with the practice of rotating meeting sites among members’ places of business, and that practice remains an excellent way for Rotarians to share their vocations with the club. In fact, those members who find public speaking difficult may much prefer conducting a tour of their workplace rather than giving a classification talk.

If the size of the workplace and the size of your club permit, schedule an occasional meeting in a member’s place of employment. And don’t forget to include young people on the tour. A difficult career choice can be made easier begetting firsthand knowledge about particular occupations.

4-way Test. And don’t forget the 4-Way Test, the best feature of Rotary Vocational involvement!

The more each member and each club can do to promote vocational awareness among members and among the community, the more successful will be the Rotary purpose. Think about sharing Rotary this month!