Rotaract Sri Lanka and Maldives celebrates 50 years of Rotaract glory

Rotaract is the official youth counterpart of world renowned service organisation Rotary International, designed especially for like-minded individuals aged 18 to 30. Rotaract functions under the motto ‘Self development – Fellowship through Service’ and is currently an unbeatable phenomenon involving 290,000 Rotaractors representing approximately 9500 Rotaract Clubs based in 177 countries all over the world. 

The organisation is well known for its work related to community service, club service, international service and professional development while engaging in activities dedicated to fellowship and networking among members who are on the verge of adulthood and stable careers.

Rotaract began as a service organisation in 1968 in the USA and soon spread to the other parts of the world. The Rotaract District Sri Lanka and Maldives began in 1969 with the chartering of the Rotaract Club of Colombo, and ever since the movement has played a significant role in shaping the lives of youth who are preparing themselves to take up the reins of the future. Today Rotaract District 3220 Sri Lanka and Maldives boasts of 4300 Rotaractors representing 65 Clubs spread all across the island of Sri Lanka not limited to the areas of Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Kurunegala and Badulla. Rotaract 3220 includes community-based Clubs as well as institute-based Clubs rooted in public and private universities as well as the first corporate-based Rotaract Club in the world.The year 2017-18 is of immense importance to Rotaract District 3220 Sri Lanka and Maldives: it is one of the rare occasions where a Lady District Representative will be taking the reins of the movement which is continuously growing with enthusiastic youth interested in Community Service, Personality Development and Leadership. Rtr. PP Anuradha Senanayake is on the verge of being an Attorney-at-Law while serving as an Assistant Lecturer in Department of Sociology, University of Colombo. She is the perfect representation of the immensely skilled and talented youth who are part of Rotaract Sri Lanka and Maldives. She served as the President of the Rotaract Club of University of Colombo, Faculty of Arts in 2013-14 and has since grown to be one of the most experienced Rotaractors in the movement. 2017-18 under Rtr. Anuradha’s guidance is themed “Engage Rotaract- Redefine Friendship”, with an increased focus on fellowship and networking that are an integral part of Rotaract as a global youth movement. The activities of all Clubs that are part of the district will revolve around this theme, and as always, the movement will continue to organise inspirational initiatives in the realms of Community Service, Leadership Development and Professional Development. 

13 March marks the 50th anniversary of the Rotaract movement, and Rotaract District 3220 Sri Lanka and Maldives has an exciting line-up of events and activities throughout the month of March especially designed to celebrate the vision and mission of Rotaract.

Community Service Initiative in Jaffna

On 10 March Rotaractors from Colombo travelled to Jaffna, and along with Rotaractors from Jaffna-based Clubs, a community service initiative focusing on the renovation of J/ Keerimalai Naguleswara Maha Vidyalaya was carried out. The school was painted and refurbished.

 Rotaract Idea Challenge

On 24 March Rotaract 3220 will be having a Hackathon, an exciting technological experiment for young men and women with an interest in innovation for the betterment of the society. The project is done in partnership with Dialog IdeaMart with exciting crash prizes to aim for and a platform to present business ideas to potential investors concerned about combining sustainability with creativity.

Golden Fest

Golden Fest is Rotaract 3220’s signature event tailor-made to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Rotaract. The event will be held on 24 and 25 March at Green Path and will take the form of a carnival designed to create awareness about the 50 years of service carried out by the movement. The event will consist of entertainment, games, music, food and drinks providing an opportunity for the young as well as the old to enjoy the weekend in an incomparable manner. Stalls representing Rotaract and its passion for service will be on display alongside stalls from vendors such as Snow Monkey, Jolly’s Ice Cream, the Cauldron and Belimo’s Pizza.