Jamil Mouawad
By RC Jamil Mouawad, Rotary Coordinator from Lebanon and a member of the Rotary Club of Zgharta-Zawié
The spark started when I joined Rotary at 24 years-old, and it ignited at 27 when I became president of the Rotary Club of San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic. Joining Rotary at a young age gave me a passionate drive. After serving as an early example of a young Rotary leader, I feel a responsibility to ensure today’s young people can have a similar experience. Their creativity, problem solving, and capabilities are outstanding — all they need is an opportunity to thrive within Rotary.
Our team in Lebanon held joint workshops to build connections between Rotaractors and Rotarians. The events were designed for us to exchange perspectives, increase Rotary’s support for Rotaract clubs, and enhance both groups’ ability to serve. These meetings created dialogue and paved the way into Rotary for our future leaders. Now Rotaractors feel more encouraged to be Rotarians, and Rotarians involve young leaders more in their efforts.
As we all know, 2020 hasn’t been an easy year. To build on our partnership during these times, Rotarians and Rotaractors have worked together on a global grant to supply respirators and personal protective equipment to Lebanese governmental hospitals fighting COVID-19. We organized our work so we could learn from one another in a constructive atmosphere and cooperative spirit. Rotaractors completed the community assessments; Rotarians approached suppliers and purchased materials, together with the Rotaractors. Everything was accomplished in partnership. Now Rotarians and Rotaractors are working together to distribute ventilators.
Learn about Rotaract’s elevated status in Rotary.
https://blog.rotary.org/2020/12/21/building-connections-between-rotarians-rotaractors/