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ROTARACT CLUB CONSTITUTION
Article I - Name & Logo The name of this organization shall be the
"Rotaract
Club of Khalsa College Amritsar"
Article II - Purpose and Goals The purpose of Rotaract is to provide an opportunity for young men and women to enhance the knowledge and skills that will assist them in personal development, to address the physical and social needs of their communities, and to promote better relations between all people worldwide through a framework of friendship and service. The Rotary International Organization is an international body in action through, first the Rotary Clubs in 159 countries with 1,201,595 members in total in 29,113 clubs! It has in fact a difficult task and duty in enacting rules of procedure because it has to take into account the different specificities of all these cultures, peoples, etc. Taking all these into consideration, we propose that we only mention men and women and omit the term young, Rotaract would thus be a club for adults who see the need for personal development as stated above and who would not get elsewhere , for whatever reasons, the opportunity to address the physical and social needs of their communities. By the way, it needs to be noted that Rotarians who did not get the opportunity to be part of a Rotaract club take the same time to learn certain skills ! Furthermore another criterion may be that the member be working since membership entails certain expenses, exception for a Rotaract Club on Campus and that those who are still in a high school (age 18-20) be encouraged to join an Interact club, but can be invited on and off by a Rotaract club to participate in certain activities. Goals Of Rotaract
These two new elements are interesting! It
serves the true ideal of Service above self…It builds self-esteem… but it
is limited to Rotaract! We could get the impression when we ponder on the
Membership and Classification clause in the RI Manual of Procedure, page
173, that it is alleged that all professions are an opportunity to serve
but not the post occupied!
"A club shall be composed of active members who are adult persons of good character and good business and professional reputation,
This is in fact discriminating, making a clear distinction between Rotarians and Rotaractors. We both have the same ideal of service but not the same (professional status) target group! The excellent record of service matters little and the large majority of Rotaractors that have embraced these ideals and been trained to act, live by them will not get the opportunity to keep on doing so after 30 with people sharing the same vision and values. We should not forget that the RI Manual of procedure states, p79, that: "Any former member of a Rotaract club who has been a member of one or more clubs for a period of at least four years and shall have terminated membership in the former club only because of age limitations for membership or relocation outside the territorial limits of the club, shall be eligible to be elected to additional, active membership in a Rotary club if otherwise qualified. (4.020.1.3; SRCC V,4) That means that someone who is inducted at 27 may one day become president of his club due to his special leadership qualities and adherence to the ideals of service but will not be eligible for membership in a Rotary club… or does it mean that they would then only consider his "qualifications”? Furthermore people are usually more stable, steady, dedicated, committed, active, creative (that’s what we have noticed by experience in clubs…empirical data collection, observation) after 25 and are more pruned to join such clubs or increase their contribution to the club and to society … but by that time they are too old! Note also that according to Erickson´s theory on development, adolescence is the stage of Identity and Repudiation versus Identity Diffusion. To illustrate this he quoted a saying that hangs in a cowboys´ bar in the west: "I ain´t what I ought to be, I ain´t what I am going to be, but I ain´t what I was". Though the quest for identity is the undercurrent running through all the stages, the young adulthood stage is characterized by Intimacy and Solidarity versus Isolation… he stabilizes with his new roles, new profession…and adult modeling and interaction are very important at this stage. The next stage, the middle adulthood is characterized by what is called Generativity versus Stagnation and Self Absorption. He develops interest in establishing and guiding the next generation through child rearing or creative and productive endeavors. (Patricia H. Miller, Theories of developmental Psychology, 2nd ed., W.H. Freeman and Company, 1989, pages 186-188).In that respect the needs of young adults and of middle adults are complementary.
Article III - Sponsorship At the dawn of the 3rd millennium, and since Rotaract has such an incredible record of Service Above Self, I strongly believe that we should reconsider this terminology! Should we still speak of sponsorship or start at last speak of real partnership? Rotaract has long been sharing the task, the vision…all the characteristics of the Rotary International Organization but is still not considered as part of RI! There is no companionship! I would therefore dare dream of Rotaract as being RI´s true Partner in Service, each one responsible for the other! And of RI (including all the Partners in Service) as an organism rather than an organization, that is like an organized body with interdependent parts sharing common life…as a whole with interdependent parts just like the human body! Thus always prepared for growth… change …and even crisis…gr. ety. Krisis , meaning decide, judge, separate…opportunities…to deepen the Service Above Self !
NB: The recent Council on Legislation has enacted that more than one club be able to share the same territorial limits.
Article IV – Membership
If Rotaractors
want different categories of membership this should be clearly stated in the
Standard Rotaract Constitution first and with a clause pointing to the Bylaws
for precisions.
Making Rotaractors over 30 honorary members instead? Since the qualifications of prospective Rotaractors are not specified, we have in our clubs fine young professionals of different professional classifications and status and backgrounds, having different financial situation also, of high ethical standards who will not have the opportunity to be proposed for active membership in a Rotary club though talented and having an excellent record of service .In such a case staying in a Rotaract club with the new status... "Honorary Member"... is not at all an honor since that Rotaractor was "forced" to stay in his club with limited power of action because he could not qualify for membership in a Rotary club! Furthermore, times have changed since the original age limit was set. Nowadays most young people settle down and have family commitments older, they study for longer periods of time and enter professions later, therefore they have more time for Rotaract service… we should not forget also that even with changing times, many Rotary clubs do not accept women! What will they do after 30? I have heard of Rotaserv and Rotatio, but are they actually recognized RI so called partners in service? The members will need a time to get acquainted with each other…and they will soon reach 35. It can thus harden the transition, if ever, between Rotaract and Rotary.
Article V - Meetings
Article VI - Club Prayer The following have been incorporated as official Club prayer and Anthem keeping in view the Rotaract and Rotary traditions. These also tend to embody the ideals of the Institution i.e. Khalsa College Amritsar. Rotaract Prayer " O God! Our Almighty Father and ruler of the Universe, we thank thee for the inspiration you have given us for the Rotaract Movement based upon Service to mankind. We humbly beg you to continue thy grace to enable us to do our service to ourselves and to our neighbors and to the honor and glory of holy name " The College Anthem " O Lord grant me this very boon that I may never evade doing righteous deed; That when I go to fight my enemy, let no fear enter my heart, so that I may make my victory certain; And I instruct my own Mind on this, that I may never desire to sing Thy praise. And when the span of life reacheth its end, may die valiantly in the thick of the holy war". (Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji) Tenth Guru Of The Sikhs
Rotaract´s Standard Constitution, Propositions And Comments
"A constitution is not the act of a Government, but of a people constituting
a Government, and a Government without a constitution is power without right…
A constitution is a thing antecedent to a Government; and a Government is
only the creature of a constitution."
"If we investigate the origins of modern Constitutions, we find that, practically
without exception, they were drawn up and adopted because people wished to
make a fresh start, so far as the statement of their system of government
was concerned (…)" "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.".................... Margaret Mead What follows is important! It constitutes the expressed needs of Rotaractors of at least of District 3070 and will help in contributing to the welfare of RI, Rotaractors and Society, it will strengthen goodwill and friendship since it is truth. It takes into due consideration their psychological and social needs, such as the need for love and care, for companionship, for the opportunity to learn, to serve others, to be useful for a good cause, to foster both self esteem and self respect that are stepping stones to self actualization! The proposed extended age margin does not in any way aim at jeopardizing the group integrity and cohesion of the different clubs since we are fully aware that what really makes, unites a peer group is not only age but also the shared vision, the occupation, the common aim of Service Above Self, a culture, symbols, sanctions and rituals of its own. In any group the new member has to undergo a kind of rite of passage … and for Rotaract, what is predominant, it is not age but the ideal of service, the value of companionship, of Service through Friendship. If someone does not fit in or fails to comply with the group norms he then may feel ostracized. We should not forget that since we are dealing with personal development, a club whose profile represents the microcosm while society at large, the macrocosm, is more effective! I would therefore firstly suggest that the Rotaract Standard Constitution starts by a preamble stating clearly its fundamental values, code of ethics. (It should in no case, even in its wording, differ from RI´s… ) |
