Rotarians and Rotaractors experience the UN in SLC

Roteract in Action

Salt Lake City, Utah hosted The United Civil Society Conference, the premier event in the civil society calendar at the United Nations. There were over 7,500 participants representing over 700 civil society organizations from over 100 countries. Rotaractors demonstrated their leadership skills by presenting Sustainable Youth Service Projects and building Positive Peace. Stephanie Velasco, District Rotaract Representative/Rotarian from the Midvalley Rotaract Club/ Midvale Rotary Club moderated and Molly Hanrahan, Salt Lake Rotaract President and Brayden Fairbourn, Midvalley Rotaract President presented.

 The younger generations that are part of Rotary International, such as Rotaract, are mobilizing a new wave of sustainable projects around the world. The utilization of resources and a good assessment opens the door to great partnerships and excellent projects that are bringing sustainable results and satisfying the needs of communities worldwide. When an organization motivates and provides an opportunity for the younger generations of Rotaract to be part of an active movement, this results in their ability to continue building goodwill and better friendships that will be beneficial to all for a better world.

Positive Peace describes the attitudes and institutions that underpin and sustain peaceful societies.  Positive Peace is the presence of something good, like education, sustainable resources, human capital, or a functioning government. Negative and Positive Peace are distinct but interconnected. Rotary International and the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) have had a strategic partnership since 2017 and capitalize on IEP’s research on the attitudes, institutions and structures of more peaceful societies and Rotary’s grassroots experience in communities around the globe.

The conference culminated in the reading of the final outcome document including the youth outcome document or declaration all which illustrate the work to achieve the United Nations agenda, including Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) the blueprints which match Rotary International’s areas of focus. Now go to www.UN2020.org and be part of the initiative dedicated to celebrating the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and improving multilateral relations and structures for global problem solving. Our youth will help us develop the future we want to see and they are already doing it in our Utah District and globally!

Utah Rotaractor Contributed to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women

Hannah Bieker, Utah Valley University (UVU) Rotaractor, contributed to the agenda and activities of the 63rd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) in New York on March 18-20, 2019. Hannah is also a member of the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of student clubs at UVU. She was featured on March 18, 2019 by the Daily Herald as a Rotaractor who will speak at CSW63

Since 2007, UIMF has advocated for the empowerment of mountain women and girls under the UN’s sustainable mountain development (SMD) agenda through the student engaged learning (SEL) model, whereby students are given the primary responsibility to work together as a team to solve problems, with faculty serving as mentors. The visit to CSW63 was planned and organized primarily by students, including raising funds for the trip with the Orem Rotary as one of co-sponsors.  The model involves students across the campus and in particular non-traditional ones, who are usually 25 years and older and combine their education with having families and working part or full-time jobs.  

The UIMF team and Hannah Bieker under SEL hosted a parallel event at CSW63, titled “Student Engaged Learning to Empower Mountain Women and Girls” on March 19, 2019 in which they advocated for mountain women to be included in CSW63’s agreed conclusions.

In her statement, Hannah spoke about Rotaractors’ contribution to the implementation of the UN sustainable development goals by participating in service projects such as teaching skills like conflict resolution at the Columbia Peace Project or the creation and management of fish farms in Uganda. She also described how in June 2018, 11 Rotaractors throughout Utah went to Puerto Penasco, Mexico and completed 7 service projects including: meeting Polio survivors, building ADA wheelchair accessible ramps, empowerment of children and adults in the community, teaching health education to elementary school children, providing musical instruments for a community orchestra, services to newborn children in maternity wards, and donated supplies for a Hemodialysis Center.

UIMF members, including Hannah, also used SEL to prepare and gain support for a written statement from the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and Utah-China Friendship Improvement Sharing Hands Development and Commerce, two non-governmental organizations in consultative status with Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The statement addressed the concern that mountain women are neglected at national and international levels and need to be in the focus of the UN 2030 Development Agenda. It was published by ECOSOC as official document E/CN.6/2019/NGO/64  on November 19, 2018.

As one of the important outcomes, the visit to CSW63 provides an opportunity to organize a joint visit of Rotaractors and Interactors from the State of Utah to the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in 2020 under the auspices of Rotary International through the SEL methodology developed at UVU. As other examples of its successful implementation, UIMF hosted side and parallel events and submitted a written statement E/CN.6/2018/NGO/37/Rev.1-EN during CSW62, and submitted a written statement E/2018/NGO/17 and made an oral statement  during general debates at High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development on July 19, 2018.

UIMF activities to promote SMD since 2007 in the State of Utah and North America contributed to the decision of the United Nations Department of Public Information (UN/DPI) to accept UVU as an Associated Member of UN/DPI in November 2017. UIMF will further advocate for mountain women, UVU’s SEL model, and Utah model of SMD by contributing to a side event on mountains during the upcoming UN Civil Society Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah on August 26-28, 2019.

Dr. Baktybek Abdrisaev, Mentor, UVU Rotaract, Mentor, UIMF

Is your name on this list?

Congratulations to the following Presidents-Elect who met District Governor Elect John Hanrahan’s challenge to enter their goals into Rotary Club Central and officers into My Rotary on rotary.org directly after PETS & Assembly. DGE John has awarded each a Paul Harris Fellowship. Thanks to each of these incoming club leaders for their outstanding preparation for the new Rotary Year.

Ken	Kennedy	Brigham City
Brennan	Wood	Cedar City
Alex	Charter	Dixie Sunrise
Stacey	MacKay	Heber Valley
Wilmer	Sandoval	Hispano-Latinos South
Heinz	Mahler	Holladay
Travis	Sanders	Hurricane Valley
Jordan	Smith	Kaysville
Joy	Petro	Layton
Jeremy	Swensen	Lehi
Jodie	Turner	Midvale
Justin	Powell	Millcreek
Cathy	Labatte	Ogden
Colin	DeFord	Park City
Karen	Nielsen	Park City Sunrise
Lance	Stott	Richfield
Nancy	West	Roosevelt
Sharon	Haupt	South Jordan
Tim	Nicolayson	South Valley
Mike	Mendenhall	Spanish Fork
Chris	Parker	St. George
Charles	Baker	Sugar House
Karlene	Wells	Tooele Valley
Louise	Thompson	Vernal
Melissa	White	West Jordan

2019 District President Elect Training Seminar & Assembly, Feb 15 & 16, Miller Conference Center 9750 South 300 West

All President Elects, President Nominees, Club Chairs, and Rotaractors are invited to this annual training. PETS is a half day Friday, and Assembly is all day Saturday. See full agendas below, and be sure to register no later than February 10 so we can be sure to have plenty food for our meals.

District Governor Elect John Hanrahan will send out registration links.

REGISTRATION LINKS ARE INCLUDED HERE ALSO:

For Club Registration of PEs, PENs, Club Chairs, Treasurers & Secretaries
For Past District Governors.
For Rotaractors.
For Assistant Governors.

Club cost for PETS and Assembly is required, whether clubs attend or not. This year's club cost is a reasonable $225. Attendance for PEs, PENs, their spouses, and Club Chairs are included in this cost. There is an additional charge for Club Chair meals, but these costs have been kept low.

As PETS does not start till 1pm on Friday, we hope Rotarians from Southern Utah will be able to drive up during the morning.

Rotaractors are invited to the Friday dinner, Saturday lunch, and all day Assembly, including a special breakout from 1-2pm with Club Youth Chairs.

We at the District look forward to seeing you and beginning a new Rotary adventure!

2019 District 5420 PETS - Miller Conference Center

February 15, 2019   1:00pm – 5:30pm with dinner 6-8pm

·         We are in ½ conference center room w a breakout room for DGN Linda, dinner in conference room

1:00-1:30pm:       Pledge of Allegiance, 4-Way test, invocation-President-Elects TBD

Welcome, Opening Comments-- District Trainer Dean Jackson, District Governor Scott Leckman, District Governor-Elect John Hanrahan, Schedule review

1:30-2:00pm:       UN NGO Conference --Orem PE Clark Merkely, Boys Scouts of America,--Past president mark Griffith, PanAmerican Rotaract conference—Rotaractors TBD

2:00-3:30pm        PE/PEN Small Group Discussion: DGE John Hanrahan & DGN Linda Sappington (2 rooms)

3:30-3:45pm:       Break

3:45- 5pm:            Club Administration for PEs/PENs - Chief of Staff Judy Zone & PDG Dean Jackson

5:00-5:30pm:       Wrap Up – DGE John Hanrahan

Preview of Assembly/Planning Your Day – PDG Dean L. Jackson

5:30-6:00pm:        Social

6:00- 7:30pm        Dinner    Spouses welcome

7:00-7:30 pm        District trainer Dean Jackson presentation and Q and A with district leaders

5:30-7:00 pm        Background Music Entertainment Park City High School Jazz Ensemble

2019 District 5420 Assembly – Miller Conference Center

February 16, 2019 – 9:00am – 5:30pm

·         PEs, PENs, AGs, District Chairs, Club Chairs, Rotaractors

·         We are in Auditorium all day, Lunch & Secretary/Treasurer breakout in Showroom

·         Small classroom reserved for Rotaractor meeting with Youth Chairs

9:00 – 9:30am              Light Breakfast

9:30 – 9:45am              Pledge of Allegiance, 4-Way test, invocation-President-Elects TBD

                                        Welcome and Opening Comments District Trainer Dean Jackson

9:45–10:15am              Training Vision & Self Introductions

                                        John Hanrahan - District Governor Elect, 2019-2020 

                                        DGN Linda Sappington – District Governor Nominee 2021-2022

10:15-10:30am            Break

10:30am-11:00am       Judy Zone – Chief of Staff for DGE John Hanrahan

11:00am-12:15pm       Youth Programs – PDG Mike Wells Youth Chair, group discussion

         U40: social media marketing plan to attract under 40 Rotarians

12:15-1:15pm              Luncheon, DGE John Hanrahan

1:15-2:15pm                 Concurrent breakouts:

·         Secretary Breakout & Treasurer Breakout

·         Rotaractor meeting with Youth Chairs

1:15 –2:30pm               Rotary Foundation – DG Scott Leckman, Foundation Chairman, group discussion

2:30 – 3:45pm              Membership - Brett Mickelson, Membership Chair

3:45 – 4:00pm              Break (Snacks & Drinks)

4:00 – 5:00pm              Public Image – Tom Kelly, Public Image Chair, group discussion

5:00-5:15pm                 Closing Remarks for Assembly, DGE John Hanrahan and District Trainer Dean Jackson

There will be one link to all material online following PETS & Assembly