Welcome word

Dear Rotaractors,
Dear friends of the E.R.I.C.,

I hope you all enjoyed a nice holiday, having had the time to enjoy the beautiful weather, share drinks with friends and recharge the batteries for another Rotaract year. We hope you – as well as we – are full of enthusiasm and ready to get at it again!

Back in January 2018 Rotary International president Barry Rassin launched his year’s theme “Be the Inspiration”. He said; “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”. However we can only do so when looking at our organisation, our Districts, Rotaract clubs and its members first. You are the key to our local and global successes. We should strive to reach the fullest of our potential and that of others. It is our joint responsibility to motivate one another and help each Rotaractor find their own way forward. Together we can accomplish great things.

With the new Rotary year, a new team of board members and Country Representatives takes on its role within the European Rotaract Information Centre. An important commitment in bringing Rotaractors in Europe closer, sharing knowledge and experience and take joint action against some of the most challenging issues we face such as plastic pollution.

This year will not be about major changes or opposite directions, but about consolidation of and building on the great work by previous teams. Our rich history learns us a lot… From this we draw our best practices and create a sustainable and professional structure for our organisation. An organisation that supports its member districts, exchanges knowledge and setting up a joint European social project. Open communications, involvement, consultation and transparency are the key values of this year.

At last, on behalf of Rotaract Europe, I wish you all a very productive and instructive year to come. A year of new and old friendships, impactful social projects and reaching your fullest potential.

I hope to meet with you at one of the upcoming Rotaract events!

Yours in Rotaract,

Ben Pintens
Rotaract Europe President 2018-2019