Beyond Borders Feb 2018

January has been a memorable month, starting with welcoming the new year and all the promises that it brings. It also brought the excitement of the 537 Incoming District Gover- nors and partners as they traveled to the International Assembly in San Diego. I remember so well my own nervous excitement and anticipation of this training event. I remember the arrival at the Grand Manchester Hyatt hotel with its enormous marble-floored lobby and the throng of my fellow DG-elects from every corner of the world streaming in through the doors. So many new friendships to make, so many stories to share, workshops filled with new RI Vice President 2017-18 information and questions answered … and best of all, the memories that remain with you RI Director 2016-18 for the rest of your life, of the friendships formed as you learn and have fun together. Rotary Club of Langley Central, BC [email protected] I hope that all the DG-elects from our two Zones have returned as Change Makers, ready to grow Rotaract, engage Rotarians and inspire their districts to embrace the visions shared by the plenary speakers. Videos of all these outstanding speeches can be found at Rota- TRF Trustee 2017-2020 ry.video.org. I would encourage you to browse through them to learn the latest information Rotary Club of Amesbury, MA on President-elect Barry Rassin’s theme, the RI strategic plan and membership updates, the [email protected] latest on polio and many inspirational presentations from Jennifer Jones, John Hewko, John Blount, Brad Howard, John Smarge, and our own Jeffry Cadorette — to name just a few. Membership loss in our parts of the world remains an issue (see page 7) and has been a big RI Director-elect 2018-20 part of our discussions at the RI Board Meeting over the past week. We will be holding a Rotary Club of Media, PA webinar soon for you all to participate in. At that time, Trustee Julia Phelps, RI Director-elect [email protected] Jeffry Cadorette and I will update you on the decisions taken in both the Rotary Foundation Trustees meeting and the RI Board of Directors Meeting. Zone 24: Canada, Alaska and parts of northern U.S., If you have not yet registered for the Toronto Convention and our Zone Beyond Borders Din- St. Pierre and Miquelon ner, please do so. This Convention — in our own neighbourhood! — is going to be very Zone 32: Bermuda, worthwhile attending. Northeastern United States I wish you all a sunny and exciting February filled with Rotary. www.rotaryzones24-32.org Be the Inspiration!! Facebook: Rotary Zones 24 and 32 http://greatideastoshare.com [email protected] International Assembly 2018 RI President-elect Barry Rassin laid out his vision for the future must be sustainable, the President-elect said. Rotary has at the recent International Assembly, calling on Rotarians to focused heavily on sustainability in its humanitarian work in re- work for a sustainable future and to inspire both club members cent years, but now, Rotarians must work to make sustainable and the community at large with the work we do. changes to the organization as well. President-elect Barry, from East Nassau, Bahamas, unveiled the President-elect Barry also asked us to acknowledge hard realities 2018-19 presidential theme, Be the Inspiration, to incoming about pollution, environmental degradation, and climate District Governors. “I want you to inspire your clubs, your Rotari- change. He noted that 80 percent of his own country is within a ans, that desire for something greater. The drive to do more, to few feet of sea level. “My country is going to be gone in 50 be more, to create something that will live beyond each of us.” years, along with most of the islands in the Caribbean and coastal cities and low-lying areas all over the world.” Barry stressed the power of Rotary’s new vision statement, “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action Rassin urged Rotary leaders to look at all of Rotary’s service as to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, part of a larger global system. He said that this means the in- and in ourselves.” This describes the Rotary that leaders must coming District Governors must be an inspiration not only to help build, he said. To achieve this vision, the President-elect clubs, but also to their communities. “We want the good we do said that Rotarians must take care of the organization: “We are a to last. We want to make the world a better place. Not just here, membership organization first. And if we want to be able to not just for us, but everywhere, for everyone, for generations.” serve, if we want to succeed in our goals — we have to take care President-elect Barry, who received the Service Above Self of our members first.” award for his disaster relief work in Haiti, described how, in the Rassin asked the incoming District Governors to “inspire the club hours after the 2010 earthquake, the low-lying Bahamas waited presidents, and the Rotarians in your Districts, to want to for a possible tsunami. That tsunami never came; the Bahamas change. To want to do more. To want to reach their own poten- were untouched. To Barry, that experience taught him that the tial. It’s your job to motivate them — and help them find their “them” that need help and the “us” that can provide that help own way forward.” are never far separated. Change is clearly the hallmark of inspiration. And that change Barry Rassin is clearly the inspiration he asks us all to be. Beyond Borders/the Newsletter of Zones 24 & 32/February 2018/page 2 International Assembly 2018 Monika Lozinska© Rotary International Lozinska©Monika Rotary International Clockwise from above: Ken Grabeau carries in the Rotary flag; Ruth Grabeau speaks to the partners; Jeffry Cadorette presents; Mike Colasurdo speaks in plenary; Gayle Knepper introduces the training leaders, Ian Riseley enjoys the moment; Valarie Wafer shows her colors, Dean Rohrs wows the audience; Esther and Barry Rassin greet the crowd. International Assembly 2018 By Marty Helman, International Assembly Training Leader The International Assembly began for me back last May, when I received as email from Evanston asking if I would be a Training Leader. Would I! But in actual fact, prep for the January 2018 Assembly had begun much earlier, in the late summer of 2016, when then-RI President-nominee Sam Owori selected our own Past RI Director Ken Grabeau (D-7870) as 2018 Moderator. Every year, the President-nominee, his Aide, and the Moderator select a Trainer Leader from each of the Zones to serve as facili- tator during the breakout sessions at the IA. That’s the concept at least: Because of language requirements, a few additional non-English speaking Trainers are needed. Of the 40 of us asked to serve this year, about one-third were “second years,” trainers invited back for a second (and usually final) time. It’s a rarified atmosphere. Each of us fortunate enough to be Training Leaders this year were well aware of both the privilege and the responsibility that Rotary had offered us to train the next generation of Rotary leaders. No pressure. A bucket-list moment: Training Leaders had the privilege of carrying This year, our own Valarie Wafer (D-7010) and husband Mark the flags in the opening session of the 2018 International Assembly. returned for a second year and represented Zone 24. Other bedtime that recognized the early start we would be making the Rotarian friends were in the mix: I know Rodolfo Bianchi from next day. Guatemala (D-4250) and Stephen Mwanje from Uganda (D- 9211) from service activities in those countries. I have worked Because Rotary has six official languages, our training was con- with Peter Kyle from Washington, D.C. (D-7620) on Rotary Peace ducted with simultaneous interpretation from Rotary’s inter- Center activities, and I met Brian Hall from Louisiana (D-6840) preting staff. Sometimes this required double translation: For during a Friendship Exchange back in 2012-13. example, if Japanese, Spanish and English speakers were all together in a breakout room and someone asked a question, the We received the curriculum and training leader’s guide just after job required translation from Japanese to English and then from Thanksgiving. We also received an assignment to present two English to Spanish (or vice versa). While the interpreters’ capa- modules during our own training, which took take place the bilities are impressive, this meant that there was a slight delay week prior to the Assembly itself. We were strongly advised to before the question would be “heard” around the room. be familiar and comfortable with all the material well before arriving in San Diego. Now you know how I spent my holidays — This delay required some getting used to, but was well worth it: and why the Helman Christmas cards never got mailed this year. This year, for the first time, some of the breakout rooms during the Assembly itself were bilingual. Preliminary results suggest I flew to San Diego two days early, so that jet lag would be be- that the Brazilian, Korean and Japanese Governors-elect were hind me before our training began. This proved to be a wise very pleased to be able to interact with classmates from beyond decision. From the time we registered (which really meant their home countries. picking up name badge, markers and flip-chart paper) through to the end of the Assembly 10 days later, our days were a blur Being a Training Leader is one of those Rotary opportunities of prepping, setting up, facilitating, and prepping once again.

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