Rotex enhance experience with experience
Getting started
Want to found a new Rotex Club? Great!
The best way to start is to get in contact with other former Rotary Youth Exchange students in your area. Get together and find out if the other rebounds if they would like to be part of Rotex. You can look up from the social media what other Rotex Associations have done and think about what would you like to do and achieve as a Rotex. Get in touch with the board of Rotex International and you are almost ready to found a Rotex Associations!
The next six steps are the so-called major steps that need to be followed and done to successfully found a new Rotex Associations. These steps will not only help new rebounds to found a new Rotex Associations but also ensures continuity of the club and will help the new rebounds of the area to understand Rotex better and be an active part of it as a Rotex.
Major Steps – How to found a Rotex Club
- Set Goals and Values (Your Rotex Vision)
- Develop a Network of Contacts
- Establish a Formal Affiliation and Relationship with Rotary
- Create an Internal Structure
- Start Recruiting and Promoting
- Charter as Rotary Alumni Association
1. Set Goals and Values (Your Rotex Vision)
What do you want to accomplish with your Rotex Association?
Develop potential activities
- With Inbounds/Outbounds/Rebounds
- Orientations, weekends, trips
- Traditional and local activities
Define your role
- Support of Inbounds
- The connection between students and Rotary
Get inspired by existing Rotex clubs
- Establish contact with a sister Association from another district
2. Develop a Network of Contacts
Who do you need to be in contact within your district in order to make this happen?
- District chairman
- Experienced Rotex members
- Rotary Association or a former Association from exchange is a good place to start
Advice
If you need help connecting to your district alumni chair/youth exchange chair, don’t hesitate to contact the Rotary Alumni Relations Team at alumni@rotary.org . They are able to provide support to individuals or groups who wish to get started.
3. Establish a Formal Affiliation and Relationship with Rotary
A strong relationship with Rotary is key to developing trust, gaining support and contacts, and creating a Association that will last from year to year.
- Present an action plan/vision to Rotary to get their support
- Maybe at first to one contact person, later to the whole Association/district
- Try to find a Rotex coordinator/official contact person within the district exchange program
- They need to give permission for events!
- Keep them involved and informed as a basis for trust
- Rotary can provide you with
- Contacts in their wider network
- Financial, material, physical, and emotional support, amongst others
- Cooperation is the key!
4. Create an Internal Structure
Have a set and developed structure will aid in the organization and dictation of roles in the Association, making tasks easier and the club more successful overall.
- Region-wide? Districts? Multi-Districts? One Rotex for a whole country?
- Internal board is needed in each Rotex Associations or
- President, Secretary, Treasurer, Activities Coordinator
- Who is legally responsible? or
- Official registration as a Association o Rotary gives permission and is in charge?
- Insurance?
- Create rights and duties for Rotexers and educate new members
- When do Rebounds become Rotex?
- How should Rotexers behave on an Exchange Student Weekend?
- Create by-laws/statutes
- Regular meetings
- Membership Fees?
- Exclusion paragraph?
5. Start Recruiting and Promoting
Building a strong Rotex presence in your district and recruiting many people will ensure the Association will last for years to come.
- Get in touch with former exchange students from your district
- Present at the Rebound Orientation to recruit Rebounds to become Rotexers
- Present at the Outbound Orientation so they already know about Rotex
- Use social media
- Continuity is important!
6. Charter as Rotary Alumni Association
In order to strengthen your relationship with Rotary International, Rotex Associations have the possibility to charter as Rotary Alumni Association.
- You will become an official partner of Rotary but are still enabled to create your own rules or bylaws and operate independently
- Access to funds for your group’s events
- Listed in Rotary’s Official Directory
- Becoming eligible for the Alumni Association of the Year Award
- Possibility to vote in the following Rotex International Convention’s
- Get more information here: https://my.rotary.org/en/exchange-ideas/clubconnections/alumni
