Attendees look to the future at the Rotary International Convention

Speakers address gender parity, children’s education, and artificial intelligence

by Etelka Lehockzy

Impact was the watchword on second full day of the Rotary International Convention in Calgary, Canada, as speakers discussed topics from raising happier children to using artificial intelligence for more effective initiatives.

Academy Award-winning actor and activist Geena Davis addressed the event’s second general session about her work to increase and improve the roles for women and girls in Hollywood — and her lifelong effort to stop being “epically polite.”

“I’ve spent most of my adult life advocating for women and girls to reach their full potential in various ways,” she said. “Raising girls to be polite, to please, to not use their voices, is crushing.”

Davis, who starred in the movies “Thelma and Louise,” “A League of Their Own,” and many more, described how her profession taught her self-confidence.

“Becoming an actor gave me an unexpected opportunity,” she said. “You’ve heard the expression ‘Fake it till you make it.’ In my case, it’s been, ‘Act it, and you might just become like that in real life.’ I’ve been surprised along the way by how the parts I’ve played have led me to becoming a much bolder person.”

Davis also talked about how, when her daughter was a child, she noticed disparities between male and female characters in children’s media and delved into the data.

“By feeding our youngest kids a seriously imbalanced world from the beginning,” she said, “we unwittingly have trained generation after generation to see women and girls as less important than men and boys.”

She said recent U.S. data shows there’s gender parity in lead characters, and urged Rotary members to think about how women and girls are represented in their clubs and their communities.

“We can create what the future looks like,” she said.

A DJ set enlivened the session, providing an opportunity for the audience to sing along to karaoke, and puppets from the long-running children’s TV show “Sesame Street” brought humor. The show’s senior vice president of curriculum and content, Rosemarie Truglio, discussed ways to raise healthy, happy children and become happier as adults.

She offered advice for parents and everyone else: Don’t be afraid to “spill milk” — that is, to make mistakes and allow your children to make them.

“Shift away from perfectionism,” she said. “Mistakes are okay. Shift away from shame and focus on curiosity. Most important: Praise the effort and not the end product.”

She also reassured audience members that they weren’t alone if they were feeling anxious about how to do that.

“We all need tools and guidance to help children be resilient and to help us cultivate awe, wonder, creativity, and joy in our children's lives,” she said.

Two of Rotary’s young leaders also addressed the session, describing the impact Rotary programs had on their life trajectories.

“In a time marked by loneliness, anxiety, polarization, and disconnection, the kind of community, mentorship, and global thinking that Rotary offers is life-changing,” said Kamil Kanji, co-founder of the Rotary Interact Advisory Council.

His sentiments were echoed by Maya Povhe, co-chair of the Rotary International Youth Advisory Council.

“On behalf of young people everywhere, we need you to keep investing in us, training us, mentoring us, believing in us, and pushing us to create a world where everyone can be a globally minded leader,” she said.

Keeping the focus on the future, artificial intelligence has been a hot topic at the convention. Hundreds of people crowded into the Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Global Impact breakout session, where members of the Artificial Intelligence Rotary Fellowship discussed the technology’s current and future effects on society.

“As Rotary members, one of the things we do is go into communities and make change,” said Mariam Fayez, the vice chair of the fellowship. “Artificial intelligence can help in our projects. We have a guiding star, The Four-Way Test, so we aren’t really threatened by AI. We can use AI to support our projects, making them more effective.”

Other breakout sessions explored topics including leadership in the nonprofit sector and the need to anticipate the challenges clubs will face over the next decade.

View more photos and videos

Keep up with the convention on Rotary’s social media channels.

Read the general secretary’s report to the convention

— 24 June 2025