The first installation of President Lizzy's blog documenting her travels and experiences in CNY Rotary's first year.
Welcome to my blog! I've been having a great time this summer in this new role as the first ever CNY Rotary President, and I really want to share it with you. I hope to showcase some of the work that's being done by your leaders, clubs and fellow members in the region. I will post these as often as needed and I welcome your feedback. I hope these tales will inspire you to engage (or re-engage) with Rotary!
Sidenote: News editor Joe supported my blog name of "Blazing Trails," as long as it would include a photo of me riding a horse. I'm not hopping in the saddle anytime soon, so I asked AI to make me a picture. They were very generous and it made me laugh, so I just had to share 😆
Sidenote: News editor Joe supported my blog name of "Blazing Trails," as long as it would include a photo of me riding a horse. I'm not hopping in the saddle anytime soon, so I asked AI to make me a picture. They were very generous and it made me laugh, so I just had to share 😆
In my first edition, I want to talk about peace. Peace and Conflict Resolution is an Area of Focus for Rotary and, as I explained in my official talk video, a focus for this year's RI President Stephanie Urchick. It was also the segment of my official training at International Assembly (IA) where I learned the most. I never quite understood how I could be a meaningful part of ending war or addressing global conflict, but through Rotary, it's easier than you think.
We shouldn't think of it in terms of "world peace" as we've always known it, which can feel overwhelming and unachievable, but instead we need to think in terms of "Positive Peace." This is the concept that peace is not just the absence of war or conflict, but rather a world in which people have what they need to thrive - safety, nutrition, education, healthcare, opportunity, belonging. It's simple really - there is less conflict when everyone has what they need for a good life. Those are absolutely things that we can and do help people with every day through Rotary service. This made me excited to learn more about and do more service in the name of peace!
What I learned at IA are some actions we can take as members of Rotary to contribute towards Positive and Conflict Resolution. I don't know about you, but I need specific, tangible goals that I can visualize achieving to make it real for me. These are the three things we will be working on this year:
- Encouraging members to complete the Positive Peace Academy - a two-hour course that you can complete at your own pace in order to understand all that goes into achieving Positive Peace.
- Educating clubs on what goes into recruiting and endorsing worthy candidates for Rotary's Peace Fellowship. We're going to get you the scoop so we can send local students to this amazing program.
- Joining Friendship Exchange - a wonderful program for those that like to travel where you stay with Rotary host families, and then they come here to stay with you. A direct exchange for grown-ups!
I recently had a coffee date with our Peace Chair Raul Huerta from the Syracuse Sunrise Club. He is passionate about peace, cultural exchange, embracing DEI, and expanding our minds whenever possible. He has lived a diverse and interesting life, and it is a pleasure to hear his stories. We are on the same page with these three goals for this first year of CNY Rotary, but Raul cannot do this all on his own.
We are looking for someone to take the lead on learning about Friendship Exchange and promoting it to our clubs. We need another person to take the lead on learning about the Peace Fellowship Program and communicating to our clubs how to help find great candidates from our local colleges and universities. Would that be rewarding work for you? We know that many members are just as passionate about these things as Raul and I, so please contact us if you want to step up. Once we have a few people interested in being on the Peace Sub-Committee (a part of the Foundation Committee), we'll set up a first meeting.
I'm very excited to have our members learning more about Positive Peace, getting more qualified people from our region into the Rotary Peace Center's around the world, and to give everyone access to the Friendship Exchange Program. I know these are things that could really enhance the member experience for many in CNY.
Wishing you all peace until I have more tales to share! ✌️