Blog
Meet the people that make up the Rotaract Club of Ottawa + see how we are involved in our community and international causes.
Take It From Our Members
Have you ever wondered why more than 250 000 people have joined 10.9 thousand Rotaract clubs across 184 countries? Maybe it’s the sense of being apart of something bigger? Maybe it’s the professional development aspect? Or maybe it’s for the community engagement? Why not check out why some of our members joined our club and why they love Rotaract and Rotary so much!
A Decade Later Rotary Youth Exchange is Still Impacting my Life
August 26, 2010, as an eager 16-year-old from Southwestern Ontario I embarked on the once in a lifetime experience of a Rotary Youth Exchange to Istanbul, Turkey. I had already come a long way, from January when I received word that I was headed to Turkey and didn’t even know where it was in the world. I arrived at the airport having never been on a plane about to travel to the other side of the world with a few key phrases of Turkish in my back pocket.
It Runs In The Family
Rotary has been present in my life for as long as I can remember as both my mom (Pictured with Rachel in the cover photo when they attended Rotary Day at the UN!) and my grandfather are Rotarians. I grew up going to occasional early morning breakfast meetings with my mom at the Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise, her club at the time. Getting up early was hard but the tater tots served with breakfast were worth it!
Third Time’s The Charm
I was introduced to Rotary in the ninth grade when a friend suggested I should join our high school’s Interact club. I took his advice and joined, and haven’t regretted it for a moment. Being in Interact played a huge role in defining my high school experience, and the introduction to Rotary and Rotaract that came, as a result, has done more to shape who I am today more than anything else I can put my finger on. In my four years in Interact, I was both president and vice president of the club
Rotary + The Environment: 15 Cheap Eco Friendly Swaps
Good morning, hope everyone’s week has been good. I’m so excited to share Rotary’s newest addition to their vision, and that is the environment! Recently, supporting the environment has become a new area of focus for Rotary, so in honor of that I wanted to share some eco-friendly swaps so you can also support our precious earth.
From Interact to Rotaract
I first joined Interact as a grade 9 student at my high school. The club only had about 10 members but as a new student to the school it was still intimidating doing something I had never done before. I thought it would be easier to go with a friend, so I convinced my friend to join the club with me and off we went to the first meeting.
RCO goodreads + 5 ways to get your book fix!
Whether you’re new to rotary or have been a part of it for years, you have probably heard of one (or all) of Rotary’s main areas of focus. During my time with the Rotaract Club of Ottawa, we have supported causes for Water & Sanitation, Disease prevention & Treatment, Economic & Community Development and Maternal & Child Health but an area we haven’t spent much time on is Literacy & Basic Education.
Netgiving: Take the work out of Networking
A foundational benefit of being a part of the Rotary International family is the networking opportunities that membership brings. You connect with like-minded individuals through projects, conferences, and conventions and meet interesting community members as guest speakers at the weekly meetings. As a member of Rotaract, it is likely that you are a student or young professional who is finishing their studies, beginning their career, looking for their next step, or finding ways to connect with members of a community which you are new to.
Quiet Kid for President
When I was 15, a friend of mine, whose father was a Rotarian, asked me to help her start this new club at school that was about helping others. At the time, I didn’t understand much about Rotary beyond knowing they had their name on a lot of park signs, and I certainly didn’t know anything about Interact. It sounded like something I’d be interested in, so we gathered a group and started the club. It was through Interact that I learned about Rotaract and after enjoying myself so much in Interact, I knew I had to find out if Ottawa, the city of my future school, had a Rotaract club.
YEG vs. YOW
Remember when travelling was a thing before covid-19 became the defining story of 2020? I managed to get across the country before any of this happened. Originally from University of Alberta (UoA), Edmonton, I moved to Ottawa for an internship working in the IT sector. Before I arrived in Ottawa, I knew I was going to connect with a rotaract club in Ottawa
The Four-Way Test : Crash Course
Good afternoon, I saw this meme the other day and it’s a play on Rotary’s Four-Way test, and it occurred to me that some people don’t know what it is or when/why we use it.
Rotary : The Common Thread
In February 2020, I travelled to Paris for a semester abroad at the illustrious Sorbonne, something I had been looking forward to for years. However, despite my excitement, I did have a number of concerns. First, housing. Parisian prices put Toronto to shame. Second, enrolling in classes, which required navigating the infamous French administrative system. The stories are to be believed – it was pure torture. And finally, meeting people.
A Message from our President Elect
I moved to Ottawa in August 2018 to begin my studies at the University of Ottawa in the Master of Political Science program. At 27, returning to school and moving across the country (I am originally from Alberta) felt daunting to say the least. During the first week of classes, there is typically a ‘clubs fair’ at the University of Ottawa where clubs advertise events and promote membership
Rotaract Royale for CWI - What We Learned
Good afternoon everyone, we wanted to reflect a little on our Poker event that we held Friday night via Zoom & PokerStars. With COVID-19 limiting our ability to hold in-person/traditional fundraisers, we knew we had to adapt our fundraising efforts as fast as possible to keep up with these changing times
My RYLA Experience
It’s been 3 years since I attended RYLA (2017, gr.12), when I got home I wrote the following about my experience (PS. I wrote this 3 years ago and I didn’t change anything so I added a little update at the end).
How Rotary + Rotaract Support and Build Young Leaders
Being involved in Rotary and Rotaract has given me many opportunities to be a leader, and continuously grow in leadership. I am the current Community Service Director at the Rotaract Club of Ottawa, and I am now going into my 3rd year at the University of Ottawa for English with a minor in Public Administration. Along with being Community Service Director, I have been given the opportunity to be on the Adventures in Citizenship program and I was also a student participant during my last year in high school. As well, Rotary has given me the opportunity to attend RYLA (now LEAD) North America in Washington, D.C.
Introducing #RotaractRevolution
#RotaractRevolution is a challenge to Rotaract Clubs worldwide to showcase the many ways in which Rotaractors serve their club, communities, and world through unique service projects. The goal is to shine a light on the incredible work, large and small, undertaken by Rotaract Clubs, as well as create a global community of young adults who truly embody Rotary’s motto of ‘Service Above Self’.
Rotaract is Back!
It’s been great to get back into weekly Rotaract meetings again. I’m happy to see both new faces and returning members every Sunday, but it’s been especially great to welcome new members into the Club. This year our members seem energized and excited to make a difference in our communities, and we’re already well on our way.