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On December 13th, 2012, I had the pleasure of attending my first Webinar.  For those of you who are all like “What the heck is a Webinar, Jen?  Did you make this up?”  I most certainly did not!  It is a real thing!  And it’s not just a Rotary thing either.  Webinars are just like regular meetings or seminars with conversation, slideshows and handouts, except you can take part from the comfort of your own home while still snug in your pyjamas with a coffee in hand!  Brilliant!  I wasn’t quite so lucky, I took part in this one from the comfort of my desk after my shift ended nestled in work clothes, but who’s really keeping score.

I had the pleasure and privilege of taking part in the Rotary International’s Rotaract DRR Webinar hosted by Adam Arents of the Rotaract head office.  I was unaware of who the other participants were but we did hear from the facilitators and three presenters   It was really an awesome experience.  I appreciated how the three Rotaractors or former Rotaractors were able to give advice and folly of their time in the DRR position.  It kind of reinforced that I was on the right track and that things are really moving along as planned (there’s a handbook for this position, but it’s far from being step by step).

If you are interested in further webinars hosted by Rotary International or Rotaract head office, check the RI website.  If I find something particularly Rotaract-worthy, I will post it on here for the world to see!

I think that today, for the first time in my Rotaract career and certainly the first time in my DRR posting, I faced a major dilemma that I turned to the Four-Way Test for.  In times prior where I needed advice or sot after the knowledge of another I have turned to certain people within the District who were able to point me in the right direction or give me that bit of insight that I had previously overlooked.  This time however, I was really just that unsure.  People either didn’t have the answer, were unsure of what to say, or they just weren’t the right people to ask given the situation.

The Four-Way Test, for those who are unaware, states:

Of the things we think, say or do

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”
   

There is a club in the district that has been around for some time but over the past couple years, by the definitions set forth by Rotary International, has been inactive.  They meet but not frequent enough to be considered in good standing and there aren’t enough members to hold quorum not to mention enough to fill a full board.  It is really unfortunate because in the past this club had been a real force in the district.  As it stands we are left with the decision of what to do, where to go from here.

Enter -> Four-Way Test.

I actually used it to debate with myself the pros and cons of both sides of the situation to see how it would likely play out.  I read into it almost like a legal framework.  Although I cannot really divulge more information pertaining to the situation at hand, I can tell you that I feel better in the decision I am making and I am sure that the outcome will be the correct one.

Try it sometime.  Try it on a simple question or a situation that you are posed.  Seriously, give it a chance… I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how the problem plays out!

Wow.

Simply wow.

What else can I say?  There  are some things that you really cannot understand until you have been given the chance to experience it first hand.  Moderating a #RACtalk session is one of those moments.  It is truly one thing to sit in with the group and engage in conversation about topics but it is completely different guiding the ship through discussion on topics that you know and understand.  There is a certain energy that emanates from those taking part in the conversation that has rejuvenating effects.  Not to mention the plethora of good ideas and other positive ju ju that comes from it all, but that’s just a gimmie! 

As you are well aware (or perhaps not if this is the first blog you have happened across), I am the District Rotaract Representative (DRR) for Rotary District 5050 (Pacific Northwest comprised of parts of Washington, USA and British Columbia, Canada), and this most recent #RACtalk session that just ended was on DRRs.  There was a strong showing of DRRs, mostly from Southeast Asia but also included representation from Canada, the USA, and England.  The conversation was lively and a lot of really good information came out of it.  There are a number of people who I thought would have been there but it’s a tough time for North America.  I’m lucky that way in that I can take an hour our of my morning to do this, but even I have to say no sometimes.  But that’s neither here nor there.

At the conclusion of this session, Adam from RI (on the @rotaract handle) reminded everyone that there is going to be a webinar on DRRs on December 13th from 16:00-18:00 PST.  Further information can be found here.  And of course, a transcript showing the highlights of this immediate past session as well as all other sessions can be found here.

And last but certainly not least, this immediate past session marked the one year anniversary of #RACtalk meetings on Twitter and boy let me tell you, am I honoured to have moderated this session.  So thanks again RI and Rotaract!  If you have the time, please do yourself a favour and check out the next session on January 17th!  See you there!

The title pretty much speaks for itself; I am moderating the next Twitter chat that is to take place tomorrow morning at 7:30PST, and we will be discussing the role of the District Rotaract Representative (or DRR for short).  As I write this I am 97 days into my term as DRR for District 5050 and I think we are headed in the right direction.  As with any leadership position there have been a number of obstacles to overcome and I expect a number to follow, but overall it’s an awesome opportunity that I am lucky to have been granted. 

But enough about all of that.  Tomorrow’s #RACtalk should be a good one.  I am moderating it (@jpetrichenko) so do look for me online.  I have been in contact with Adam from Rotary International who has proposed a number of questions which are

1.   What advice would you give to a new District #Rotaract Representative?
2. What are the most effective ways you’ve found to communicate with Rotaractors in your district?
3. How can a DRR form good relationships with the district governor & other district officers?
4. What suggestions would you have for a DRR who’s looking to plan a great district #Rotaract conference? 
5. What are 3 things you MUST do during the year to succeed as a DRR?

I think the questions will bring some good conversation!  I’m nervous though… I’ve been sick as a dog for the past three days, missed the #WeConnect service project on Tuesday because I slept through my alarms, didn’t go to work today and in the end didn’t wake up until 3:30PST… CRAZY!  Having said that, I’ll drink back some hot water and off to bed I go.  

In conclusion, please join me for the next #RACtalk at 15:30GMT (07:30PST) on December 6th, 2012… Look forward to seeing you online!

Wow, it sure has been a while.  It’s not that I haven’t had anything to say, quite far from it.  It’s just that I haven’t had near the time to write it all down.  Be excited for a whirlwind of activity pasted into a succinct blog, of sorts.

PolioPlus: A September Musical Celebration
Back on September 6th, 2012, four Rotaractors from the district (PE Mia Petrichenko, PD Manvir Chutai, President Desmond Devnich and DRR Jennifer Petrichenko) were honoured to attend the “Remember 9/11” musical in Mount Vernon, WA.  It was a gala event filled with good food, great wine, awesome music and lots of fellowship.  All four of us really enjoyed ourselves and would like to thank the many District 5050 members who donated their tickets so that we could attend.

Birthdays Galore
Both the Rotaract Club of Chilliwack Fraser and the Rotaract Club of Cloverdale celebrated their club birthdays this fall.  Chilliwack, who celebrated their first decade back on October 24th, collected canned food items for the local food bank during the day then celebrated their big day at a local pub.  Cloverdale, who celebrated on November 19th, had a low-key night of *too much* pot luck food, fellowship, trivia and Christmas Candy Wreath making at a member’s house.  I would like to take a moment to really congratulate both clubs on their achievements over their chartered lives and wish them all the best in their future endeavours.

Membership Seminar
October 13th was the district Membership Seminar in Mount Vernon, WA.  Members from both the Cloverdale and Chilliwack Rotaract clubs were in attendance learning best practices in Rotary Membership.  I took a number of ideas away from the day and hope to implement them in the coming future.

Zone Institute, Polio Walk, and a Photo Opp with the RI President
October 19th and 20th will stand out as special days in my Rotaract life, I’d like to take a minute to share them with you.

• October 19th, Polio Walk.  Rotaract members from the district were invited by DG Sean Hogan to take part in a Polio Walk along the sea wall in Vancouver as a public awareness/publicity campaign to “End Polio Now”.  After a solid week of dark skies, cold winds and giant raindrops the clouds parted just enough to save the 100+ walkers from wearing their red “End Polio Now” ponchos for anything more than fashion.  The walk started at the Westin Bayshore and ended up at the Olympic Torch beside the Vancouver Convention Centre.  There are pictures posted on the @RotaractClover Twitter account or on the Rotaract Club of Cloverdale Facebook page.  The walk was short but awesome.  It was really cool to see so many red ponchos bouncing across the waterfront.  Once we hit the finish point there was a large group picture then President Janice Khunkhun and I stole away a moment to take a most excellent picture of just the two of us with RI President Tanaka.  A picture that has served us quite well as a PR item.  Thanks President Tanaka!!!
• October 20th, Zone Institute and Gala Dinner.  Day two brought another invitation to attend the Zone 24/32 Institute for the day and the International Gala Dinner at night.  The Institute was fairly interesting.  It is an event that I haven’t had a chance to attend to date.  They rotate through different locations in the zones and include Canada, part of the USA, part of France, Bermuda, and part of Russia.  For the dinner we were notified well in advance that it was International Night therefore we should come dressed in the traditional costume of our people/ancestors.  So me, with heritage that traces back to Europe (mainly the UK, Poland, the Ukraine, and Iceland) I chose Iceland as my representation.  The costume is unique, I knew almost for certain that no one else would have the same costume, and quite frankly it was the easiest to get together considering we had to change in the parking lot.  So proud of how we dressed, Manvir, Manprit (although she came in a pant suit), and Janice walked into the event centre to see that in fact we were the ONLY people dressed in traditional costume.  With the exception of two other people, that was it.  Holy Hannah was that awkward.  But you know what?!  We wore our garb with pride, kept our heads held high.  I think President Tanaka appreciated it, he wanted to get lots of pictures with us at any rate.  

RLI Part II
The second part of Rotary Leadership Institute for Chilliwack President Desmond and myself was held earlier this month is Surrey, BC.  I am proud to report that we had an additional three Rotaractors from the Rotaract Club of Cloverdale join in as well.  Part II, much like Part I, didn’t really offer up anything that we didn’t already know or know how to get a hold of, it did give different insights on how and why certain things happen though.  What I found to be interesting was the new grants process and the journey that districts have taken over the past couple of years through pilot programs to get everyone up to speed for the 2013-2014 year.  Grants do not really come into play for us as Rotaractors but it is good to know how they work and why certain steps have to happen.  Again, if you are interested in RLI or want more information on it, just let me know and I can answer what I can or point you in the right direction.

Well, that’s all for now.  I will be updating soon with a rather awesome announcement, so stay tuned!

September 24th, 2012 marked another historic day for the Rotaract Club of Cloverdale. In the club’s short three-year existence, it was the second time that a District Governor had made Cloverdale one of their official stops during their district tour.  In an area with a relatively low number of available Rotaract clubs, this is a huge feat!

DG Sean Hogan was met at the club with all the fanfare that should be afforded to an individual in such a position, as well as his wife Poor Carol (an inside joke that DG Sean will likely tell you in person should you ask.  We love Carol!).  The club met with its regular business and planning for up-and-coming meetings then it was off to the races.  The details of the presentation will be kept in utmost secrecy for now as the Chilliwack Fraser Rotaract Club is due to host DG Sean in just over a month from now.  What I can tell you though is that it was very good.  Information that I was privy to prior to the presentation is now a little clearer and no one fell asleep!  A feat unto itself!

Following the big event were some recognition awards as well as four new member inductions then it was off to dinner.  The club spared giving DG Sean the standard speaker’s gift, a 6-pack of chicken nuggets (the club meets at McDonald’s after all), and headed next door to a local pub for a nice sit-down meal and more fellowship.

A good night was truly had by all!  Next Rotaract stop… Chilliwack!

I have to preface this post by saying that if you are a Rotaractor and you don’t have Twitter, then you should.  You really should.  I’m not being paid to say this but I thought I would give it a try, and am I ever glad I did.  I’m not about to over-hype its capabilities or sell you on something that is completely useless… just hear me out…

For me, Twitter keeps me super connected to what other Rotaractors are doing out there.  I follow a number of key players around the world and in our own back yard (i.e. @khunkhunj, @desmonddevnich, @anget09, @interota2014, @cfrotaract, @rotaractclover, @rotaract, etc), all of which offer insight, support, friendship, and so on and so forth.  But most of all they offer leads into conversation and current trends at a macro level.  Where Facebook has got so big and is changing so often, I don’t feel the same connection with people there as I do on Twitter.  Anyways, enough about that.

If you’ve read any of my previous posts I have made comment to taking part in #RACtalk conversations on Twitter.  These are like group chats in limited character space talking about different topics that are relevant to Rotaractors (i.e. Rotaract talks).  I try and take part in as many as I can.  They can vary in time to try and capture different audiences around the globe.  They are hosted by Rotaract at the central head office in Evanston, IL which is situated about 30 minutes north of Chicago, and are moderated by a different Rotaractor each month.  The #RACtalk that just took place was on the six Rotary avenues of service and was presented in the form of a quiz show.  You can see some of the past discussions, if not all of them, by visiting http://www.storify.com/rotaract.  It’s pretty neat, I’m in there a number of times.  But I digress…

So this month’s talk kicked off a bit later than usual; 3 o’clock to be exact.  Typically they’ve been first thing in the morning Pacific Standard Time, but they chose a 17:00 Chicago time start.  That was alright by me, doesn’t bother me either way.  There were a number of participants, which is always good to see.  And overall it wasn’t the same people that are usually there, which is an even better thing.  I introduced myself and we were off.  They decided to hold the chat in the form of a quiz show whereby they would throw up a question that was fairly easy to find in the Rotary literature and everyone would respond.  Of those who responded, the names were thrown into a random draw for prizes.  There were four prizes drawn over the allotted hour at random of items from the RI catalogue.  The first prize was an Area of Focus bag, no idea what was in it but anytime you have a whole handbag to stick items in, there ought to be a number of goodies in said bag.  The second prize was a set of historic Rotaract pins, prize three was a Doing Good in the Word DVD while the fourth prize was a set of 50 of the Rotaract promotional cards (which are actually very nice).

Well, to make a long story short, you’ll never guess who won the historic pin set…

President Desmond Devnich of the Chilliwack Fraser Rotaract Club is an engaging speaker in the Upper Fraser Valley. I urge you to participate in one of the next up coming Rotary meetings that he will be taking part in. For further information, please see Desmond’s contact information on the Rotaract5050 site under Clubs | Chilliwack.