Brighton Rotary - Vocational Service
From Club comments 2014
This Avenue of Service seems to be the least understood by the respondents. Some comments received were polar opposites of each other:
•“For years, this avenue of service has been geared towards youth, so now that there is a Youth Avenue of Service, the Club needs to decide what direction we are taking”)
•“We need to do occasional visits to industry or other places of businesses of interest”
•“This avenue of service is definitely the hardest to clearly define the borders and expectations”
•“We do not include enough speakers in this avenue of service. We have a lot of non-member business owners that might be prepared to come and talk to us”
•“We need to determine what this directorship does”.
•Vocational Service Month is October – any ideas ?
•“I would like to see more speakers at our club meetings to talk about the vocations our members are involved in”
•“What exactly does this mean? I have never heard it discussed before at a Rotary meeting.”
Vocational Service calls on all Rotarians to work with integrity and contribute their expertise to the problems andneeds of society. Vocational service is intended as a way of life, even if you find it difficult to articulate a clear definition.
The Object of Rotary is a philosophical statement of Rotary’s purpose and the responsibilities of Rotarians. The concept of vocational service is rooted in the Second Object, which calls on Rotarians to “encourage and foster”:
• High ethical standards in business and professions
• The recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations
• The dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society
As a Rotarian, how can you put these ideals into action? Consider these suggestions:
• Talk about your vocation in your club, and take time to learn about fellow members’ vocations.
• Use your professional skills to serve a community.
• Practice your profession with integrity, and inspire others to behave ethically through your own words and actions.
• Help a young person achieve his or her career aspirations.
• Guide and encourage others in their professional development.
If you do any of these things, you are performing vocational service. And if vocational service motivates and energizes you, then you’re in the right place, because vocational service is the very essence of Rotary. It is what sets Rotary apart from other service organizations.