“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt. This quote is appropriate for it’s time but today our society needs a quote to meet the challenging times that is more about others and less about me.
September is Basic Education and Literacy month.
What is literacy?
Literacy is most commonly defined as the ability to read and write. But it’s not as simple as it sounds.
Nowadays, ‘reading’ encompasses complex visual and digital media as well as printed material. A person who can read the newspaper might struggle to get information from Google. (Since you are reading this you probably do not read a newspaper, instead the digital version!)
We know the impact Grade 3 dictionary programs have with our children but what about helping our community with the other forms of literacy? When you google different types of Literacy you get multiple responses, I prefer these 9 headings;
Reading and Writing - Traditional definitions of literacy usually refer to the ability to read and write.
Numerical Literacy - numerical literacy is the ability to use basic math skills in everyday life and the ability to use numbers to solve problems or manage finances.
Digital Literacy - able to use technology to solve problems and to express yourself. Contrary to popular belief, young people are not necessarily digitally literate just because they are competent in using technology - it depends on what they use it for.
Health Literacy - enables people to develop the skills and confidence to make informed decisions about their health and the health of their families, to be active partners in their care, to effectively navigate health-care systems, and to advocate effectively to their political leaders and policy-makers. (I think 2020 has taught us a lot about this one!)
Financial Literacy - the knowledge, skills and confidence to make responsible financial decisions.
Media Literacy - understand the messages you are being told on television, radio, video games, movies, news programs, social media, and more. (another 2020 lesson!)
Physical literacy - The development and repeated use of fine motor skills, balance, confident movement, and the enjoyment of being able to move with skill. Developing this literacy at an early age allows children to learn and think more easily. However, improving physical literacy is important at every age.
Emotional literacy - Identifying, validating, and expressing your feelings, as well as recognizing and responding to the feelings of others.
Cultural Literacy - understand all the subtle nuances that come along with living or working in a particular society.
I continue learning literacy skills in one or more areas, how are you doing in these 9 areas? Clubs in the district are providing masks, ppe and other items to help with understanding Covid 19 spread, another example of Health Literacy.
Rotary’s Youth Exchange program helps to develop all areas of literacy, changing lives and building leadership skills for the last 50 years!
Thanks to all clubs that are providing this program in your community. I would encourage all clubs to consider participating in the program. Our district membership exchange on September 23rd @ noon will feature conversations with Youth Exchange participants who will share how this program continues to help them in their role as leaders.
“Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help shall all be saved.” Jane Goodall
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If you have a story to tell, pictures to show off, or an event to publicize, please send it to the editor and we will publish it and/or make sure it gets on the District 6330 website.
Rotary members have played an invaluable role in the effort to rid the African region of wild polio. We should be proud of all the hard work that we’ve done to eliminate the wild poliovirus throughout Africa and in nearly every country in the world.
This progress is the result of a decades-long effort across the 47 countries of the African region. It has involved millions of health workers traveling by foot, boat, bike and bus, innovative strategies to vaccinate children amid conflict and insecurity, and a huge disease surveillance network to test cases of paralysis and check sewage for the virus.
Here is the link to the District Zoom Webinar that was held yesterday, September 1st, 2020 with our special guest RI Past President Barry Rasin. He talks about how Rotary responded during and after Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas.
September 1st marks the 1 year anniversary of Hurricane Dorian hitting the Bahamas. Here is a Documentary that was only completed on August 30, 2020 so it is fresh and well done, here is the link;
Jennifer E. Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, (District 6400) has been nominated to become Rotary International’s President for 2022-23, a selection that will make her the first woman to hold that office in the organization’s 115-year history.
A current Rotary Foundation trustee, Jones has been a member since 1997 and has served Rotary as vice president, director, training leader, committee chair, moderator, and district governor.
Rotary and its GPEI partners celebrate a monumental achievement, say global eradication of wild polio is possible with the continued dedication and persistence of Rotarians
The World Health Organization (WHO) on 25 August announced that transmission of the wild poliovirus has officially been stopped in all 47 countries of its African region. This is a historic and vital step toward global eradication of polio, which is Rotary’s top priority.
WANTED – Nominations for District Governor for 2023-24
Each year we call upon our Clubs to explore with the members of their Club the exciting opportunity to serve as District Governor.
District 6330 selects a District Governor by Nominating Committee.
Nominations for District Governor to serve during the Rotary year 2023-2024 are now being accepted until October 31st 2020.
Members in good standing who are willing and able to serve as District Governor and have served as Club President are eligible to be nominated. Qualifications and responsibilities of the Governor-Nominee can be found in the 2019 Manual of Procedure Article 16.010 Qualifications of a Governor Nominee.
Rotary values diversity and celebrates the contributions of people of all backgrounds. And we’re committed to reflecting the communities we serve by being inclusive of all cultures, experiences, and identities. Throughout 2020-2021, Rotary will host a webinar series to explore diversity, equity, and inclusion, with topics that range from understanding our own implicit biases to learning how to hold each other accountable. Read more about the sessions that will be offered.
Register now for the first webinar, Design an Inclusive Plan for Your Organization on Thursday, 17 September at 15:00 Chicago time (UTC-5), and submit your questions to our experts. A recording of the session will be available to everyone who registers. In the meantime, you can explore the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion learning topic (My Rotary login required) to find resources to use in your clubs and to share best practices with other members.
The Goderich Rotary Club has already planned and executed its first fundraiser for PolioPlus. On the afternoon of Friday, August 21st, we held a Rotary Family Beach Day. We brought out our Classic Model-T retrofitted 'Pete's Hot Dog Wagon' and set it up on the Goderich Rotary Cove beach.
Club members and their families cooked the succulent hot dogs and added the condiments. Hot dogs were free to all beach patrons, who were invited to contribute to our handy polio plus donation jar. Over a four hour period, noon until 4:00 pm, the club raised $565.10 for PolioPlus.
Our Global Scholar for 2019-20, Danielle Perro, sponsored by the Rotary Club of London, who has studied in Oxford this year, is available to speak with our members about the experience she has had. What a great opportunity as we are promoting the program and looking for candidates to study abroad in the Rotary year 2021-22. If you would like to contact her, her email is dperro@uwo.ca.
I will be updating the District website soon and ask you to refer candidates to me who are interested in the opportunity to receive a 30,000.00 USD scholarship to study outside of Canada and the US in a post graduate program that has a connection with one of the areas of focus (which will , by then, include the seventh, the environment). The timeline is that the scholar must apply through a Rotary club by November 15 and the club must forward the application to me by November 30. Interviews will be conducted in January or February.
Do you have a hobby or Profession? There is a good chance that there's a Rotary Group you may be interested in. Wine, Golf, Scuba, Jazz, Doctors are just a few. Rotary Fellowships are International Groups that share a common passion. Being part of a fellowship is a fun way to make friends around the world, explore a hobby or profession, and enhance your Rotary experience.
By David F. Andrews, three-time past president, Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood, Ontario, Canada, and chair of District 7070’s Public Image Committee
After many years of celebrating World Polio Day with proclamations, updates from Rotary and health leaders, and flag-raising ceremonies, the 10 Rotary clubs in District 7070 (Ontario, Canada) took a different course in 2018. An in-person event held in a new global classroom and simultaneously streamed live is now serving as a great model as we approach holding our first World Polio Day live event in a COVID-19 world.
Just three years ago, Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology, a post-secondary school in Oshawa, Ontario, constructed a new Centre for Collaborative Education, which included a Global Classroom. The center allows students to learn from, and share with, students and experts from around the world in real-time. The class brings cultures from around the world together to share information about each other’s culture and countries. The clubs of the Durham region all helped provide funds for the creation of the center and global classroom.
The twisted and radical thoughts of a Rotary membership specialist.
For a number of years, successive Rotary International leaders have been calling for disruption. Well, now we have it. COVID-19 clearly wasn't what they had in mind, but I'd suggest it will act as the biggest peacetime disruptor Rotary has ever seen.
I recently received a phone call out of the blue from a Rotary friend interstate. I won't name him here, but he is a fellow maverick and out-of-the-box thinker with an impressive record of membership development across a number of clubs, and a fellow new club initiator. He rang me to ask if I had any thoughts on how COVID-19 would affect Rotary's membership. My initial response was that I hadn't really had time to think about it. I've recently had a change in career path and Rotary has fallen a rung or two on my list of priorities.
20 YEARS OF CHALLENGES: ShelterBox Adapts to Overcome
ShelterBox is not new to working in challenging situations. Flexibility and adaptation are inherent to the way we work with communities after disaster all over the world. Flexibility is important to ensure that communities receive the tools that they need to foster self-recovery. Adaptation fuels innovation as we monitor how aid is used and can be improved upon to better support those using it.
“We are flexible. We know that some of the families we help will be impatient to rebuild and strengthen their homes, while others don’t have the capacity or opportunity to start doing this straight away. Creating a home is a process that takes time and we support families to continue on that journey.” - Dave Ray, ShelterBox Operations Coordinator
Rotary and its GPEI partners celebrate a monumental achievement, say global eradication of wild polio is possible with the continued dedication and persistence of Rotarians
Binish Desai began working on an eco-friendly brick made out of recycling and waste, when he was 11. The former Rotary Youth Exchange student, inventor, and entrepreneur credits Rotary with giving him the support to pursue his dreams. Now he’s giving back through a new Rotary club.
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