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After the COL: What's next for our eClub?
Posted: 2 years ago
Francine Hardaway said: I think we ought to try to arrange volunteer trips to each other's countries and states so we can meet f2f on a volunteer project.
There's always room at our home, but nothing much to do here for our eClub. The three local clubs are very active, but there's always a first time.
Jack M. B. Selway, RGHF Founder & CEO
Posted: 2 years ago
I agree with Jack and Ryofu that it is probably more elegant and perhaps even more appropriate to use eDistrict instead of E-District. Also, Jack is right about the hyphen problem at the end of a sentence. However, I believe that Rotary International has approved E-District as the proper designation. I think that we need to work on getting it changed. If we are going to insist on creating eDistricts in the near future, I think that we need to proceed in finding out from Rotary International if this would be acceptable.
eDistricts -- this was part of a HUGE pre-COL discussion on LinkedIn (see it here: http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&gid=858557&discussionID=17047908). I guess I see things a little differently.
I feel there is GREAT value in eClubs being associated with a terra District. It helps retain members, it's easily manageable from an overtsight point of view, it makes folks in the district aware of eClubs as an online makeup opportunity. Plus we get a lot of support from our District. -- HOWEVER -- we do have to "train" our District. This is a project that DGE Glenn and I have taken on, with Mel Taunt's onging support.
With eClubs "located" in exisitng Districts, there is also a need for increased communication among eClubs and certainly among the "thought-leaders" of the eClubs. This is just now beginning to happen, led by Chris Jocelyn in Australia. We are currently talking with RI board members to create a eClub best practices guide for new eClubs. Also, the Finalnd eCLub have open meetings for all eClubs every two months. . . they have been sparsely attended. But I think we need more of "cross-pollination" among eClubs.
Larry
Larry Levenson / Prescott Valley, Arizona USA
Posted: 2 years ago
For the sake of discussion, I thought that it would be a good idea to print the deliberations and the voting of the COL on eClubs. Please note that a second amendment allows for "two e-Clubs per district," and not just one.
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After more than an hour of debate, district representatives at the 2010 Council on Legislation voted Monday to make e-clubs a permanent part of Rotary International.
The measure, approved by a vote of 430 to 85, received loud applause.
“This will allow Rotarians with physical disabilities or [scheduling] restraints to meet regularly and conduct service projects through the Internet,” said RI Director Antonio Hallage as he presented the proposal to the Council. Representatives from Rotary's 531 districts are convening in downtown Chicago this week to consider more than 200 proposals, some that would make changes to RI constitutional documents.
Submitted by seven Rotary e-clubs along with the RI Board of Directors, the measure makes permanent the six-year-old e-club pilot project, which is set to end on 30 June.
Enactment 10-06 defines e-clubs as Rotary clubs that meet electronically. A separate amendment, approved by a vote of 311 to 197, allows for two e-clubs per district. E-club members have the same responsibilities as other Rotarians to conduct service projects and promote The Rotary Foundation.
Some of the pilot e-clubs meet solely through online forums, while others combine electronic with in-person meetings. Each e-club makes that determination for itself.
Noting that the average age of an e-club member is 47, supporters of the enactment noted that the clubs are an effective way to recruit younger Rotarians. “If our organization is to grow globally, we must embrace new ways to invite young members,” said Lucinda General, the representative from District 5510 (Arizona, USA).
The 14 e-clubs boast 360 members in 30 countries and geographical areas, and 586 service projects. E-clubs conduct meetings in Chinese, English, Finnish, Greek, Portuguese, and Spanish. Collectively, they have contributed almost US$150,000 to the Foundation.
“I was worried that the e-club measure wouldn’t pass,” said Gerald Sieberhagen, of District 9270 (South Africa). “Anyone who had taken the time to visit an e-club site before this meeting would have seen the huge value e-clubs offer to the organization. There’s a huge opportunity for more e-clubs to be chartered.”
Some representatives expressed concern that e-clubs would introduce unintended side effects if they were made permanent. “As the number of e-clubs increases, there may be a situation in which there is division between the e-clubs and the ordinary clubs. I don’t think that this is something we would want,” said Chohei Hashimoto, of District 2650 (Japan).
Others noted that too many questions remained unanswered about e-clubs. "Which PETS [presidents-elect training seminar] does the president of the e-club attend, assuming he or she is not physically in the district? How does the district governor do his/her official visit?" asked Chris Offer, the representative from District 5040 (British Columbia, Canada). “Do we have to develop specific online training for one club in the district? There are probably more questions than answers today.”
Douglas W. Vincent, of District 7080 (Ontario, Canada), said e-clubs presented an opportunity too valuable not to embrace. "This is not taking anything away from Rotary; it’s adding to Rotary."
The Council will c
Posted: 2 years ago
I like the idea of visiting each other to carry out projects... eDistricts seem a bit far off in my mind, but you never know what that means, technology has a way of making faster progress than humanity expects
Maloba