The Rotary calendar: A framework for training

Rotarian Jean Constant, club trainer for the Rotary Club of Santa Fe Centro, New Mexico, USA, is responsible for educating fellow club members about Rotary. How does he do it? Constant found a new use for the Rotary calendar – it’s the basis for all of his training efforts.

“Why reinvent the wheel when it already turns?” Constant says, explaining that he wanted to create a simple, straightforward plan for training. Constant describes the calendar as a gate that opens the door to more information about what Rotary does.

For example, September is New Generations Month. To create a training plan, Constant visited www.rotary.org to get information on youth programs, such as Interact, Rotaract, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), and Youth Exchange. Constant knew a club member who was active with RYLA, so he involved the member in the discussion. He also asked all members to bring a guest relevant to the topic, for example, a member of the local Rotaract club, and now does this regularly.

“[Rotarians] all know about Rotary, some just don’t know that they know,” says Constant. “By empowering members, I create a dynamic club environment. Members feel good about themselves and other members, and then they will jump on the next training session.”

Constant joined Rotary in 1999. He served as club president and secretary of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos, New Mexico, before joining the Santa Fe Centro club, and has been the district community service chair.

View his training templates on the Santa Fe Centro Web site or click here to visit section of www.rotary.org for club trainers.